Albion’s sustainable approach to maintaining the pristine turf at the Amex is a point of pride for the grounds staff, according to head grounds person Phil Fifield.
“We pride ourselves on the fact that we have as sustainable an approach to our work as possible,” he explained. “We recycle and upcycle waste. For instance, the grass that is removed from the stadium or the training ground is taken to a green waste site where it’s recycled and made into a fertile compost.
“All grass clippings are removed from the pitch via a fleet of electric mowers. We have four Dennis ES mowers which help to firm and present the surface for our match prep, while the four E860 mowers are utilised for mowing, verti cutting, brushing and sorrel spiking, thanks to their interchangeable cassettes. The performance of the electric mowers have been superb since they were purchased and its great to see the grounds team being supported by the club with the acquisition of these mowers.
“We’re actively engaged in looking into developing bio sustainable measures onsite, such as installing a an eco friendly wash down bay. The system allows you to recycle 100% of wash down water and therefore the risk of contaminated water flowing into site drainage systems is incredibly low. Less water used means reduced costs and reduced waste disposal costs, so its a bio friendly approach that benefits all.
"The club are always looking to be more sustainable and that’s in keeping with how we see the department developing.
“Small but effective measures are already in place. For example when we clean out the sprayers, any fertiliser that’s left in the tank is collected, bottled and stored and is reused around the stadium. We try to recycle as much product as we can to stop it going into a natural habitat or down the drain.”
“We have been actively engaged in trialling LED grow lights in comparison to our HPS bulb grow lights for the pitch, as well as the use of UVC lighting to gauge its effectiveness in moving away from having a high reliance on pesticides.”
There is still room for improvement according to Fifield, who worked for the likes of UEFA and FIFA before joining the club a year ago. He is confident that the grounds team will be using 100% renewable sources in the near future.
“The tractors still use red diesel which is something the industry are trying to make more sustainable, moving away from fossil fuels. We look forward to having all our equipment running off renewable sources sometime in the future.”
Grounds Week runs until Sunday and highlights the vital role grounds staff and volunteers play in making sport possible and keeping green spaces accessible.
“Grounds Week is great, as it shines a light on the good work that grounds people are putting in across the country and it also gives us an opportunity to praise staff internally, whilst helping to raise understanding about the profession we work in,” added Fifield.
“The Grounds Team at the Amex have been superb. They are never ones to complain about the task at hand, no matter the weather or circumstance, they share a common drive to produce the best playing surface that we can, they have played a big part in the ongoing improvements to the pitch and are supported well by our match day staff too.
“It’s good to support the industry and raise interest for people in turf maintenance and management. If you’re on social media, it can often tend to focus on a bad pitch without any understanding behind the circumstances, but we’re in the background doing the work for the cause, not the applause.”