A renovation of stands at Holland’s De Adelaarshorst in 2015, saw
the start of new opportunities for Go Ahead Eagles FC and its Head of
Operations Ronnie Janssen.
With its new capacity of just under 10,000, the stadium was one of
the host venues for the UEFA Women’s Euro Tournament in 2017, which is also
where Ronnie had his first experience with the Cub Cadet INFINICUT mowers.
With the generous backing of the supporters club, they were able
to purchase their own fleet of two INFINICUT 34’s at the end of 2017.
Founded in 1902 and currently playing in the Eerste Divisie, the
club has produced a number of notable players through its academy programmes,
as well as giving a number of ex-players their first opportunities as trainers
and managers.
“When we were in preparation for the Women’s Euro’s,
UEFA strongly recommended we mow by hand so we looked around at the world of
pedestrian mowers” explains Ronnie who has been in his current role for 16
years. “Our club advisor had seen the INFINICUT® mowers in action
at FC Utrecht so we hired two units for the duration of the tournament and our
grounds team, lead by our Field Manager Branco, were very impressed.”
“With the fantastic results we achieved on the pitch, we were keen
to buy our own following the event but didn’t have the money at the time. Our
fantastic Supporters Association, who do a lot of great work for us, then came
together and paid for two INFINICUT 34” mowers” which were delivered in
November 2017. “The battery powered operation is something we particularly
like, as well as the fact you can also get a cassette system to fit, for a
variety of turf applications.”
Ronnie, Branco and his team of volunteers achieved fantastic
results with the mowers throughout the 2017/18 season, receiving top marks in
the league for their pitch multiple times. “Since using the INFINICUT we have
not looked back – the machine operates in a new way to any other mower and has
improved the quality of our pitch. We couldn’t have achieved this without the
generosity of our Supporters Club so it’s really a big thank you to them.”
