The Republic of Ireland football team may not be heading to South Africa this summer but an Irishman has been laying the foundations for a successful World Cup, having been tasked by FIFA with ensuring that all 10 World Cup stadia meet the required standard.
STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), led by director of operations Richard Hayden, has been preparing the 10 showpiece stadium pitches, 32 training camps and 12 venue specific training sites in South Africa.
The 30 year old, originally from Graignamanagh in Kilkenny, and his seven-strong STRI team were appointed with 100 days to go to the World Cup, and have been working tirelessly since to deliver world class pitches throughout the tournament.
Mbombela Stadium
Commenting on the World Cup venues, Richard said: “Heading the STRI team in South Africa has been a rewarding and challenging experience. The climate in South Africa varies from venue to venue, which has a considerable impact on what we do with the grass. The usual grasses in South Africa, such as Kikuyu which is a warm season base grass, thrive well in high temperatures, however this summer’s World Cup is being played during the South African winter. During this time the usual grass species will be dormant so our aim was to provide grasses that have fast re-growth and durability throughout the tournament, mainly perennial and annual ryegrass, which are well suited to moderate climates and will perform better throughout the tournament.”
Richard added: “There was particular concern about the pitch at the Mbombela Stadium, which wasn’t in place when the media tour took place in February. With just 100 days to go to the start of World Cup and under international press scrutiny, FIFA contracted Hayden and STRI who supervised the construction of the pitch which was green and playable in just 7 weeks from seeding.
The Mbombela pitch received its biggest test during South Africa’s World Cup warm up game against Thailand, a game the hosts won 4-0 and received rave reviews.
He concluded: “We promised there would be grass at Mbombela within two weeks of reseeding, a playable pitch within six weeks and a world-class standard pitch within eight weeks, and we’ve delivered this. Our performance testing programme and fine-tuning of the pitches will continue throughout the World Cup.”
Mbombela Stadium: Fig 1- Seeding March 2010, Fig 2 - 9 Days After Seeding
Closer to home, Richard Hayden has also been the driving force behind the production of the superb pitch at the new Aviva Stadium, Dublin, which officially opened last week. STRI’s team designed, specified and supervised the installation of the pitch at the new stadium, including detailed light and shading analysis of the pitch and the latest under-soil heating and irrigation systems to ensure playability all year round. The success of the project has benefitted considerably from the extensive materials testing and onsite monitoring by STRI, to determine the quality of the pitch performance throughout the installation.
Richard said: “As an Irishman I am extremely proud to have been part of the team responsible for the historical transformation of Lansdowne Road into the Aviva Stadium. As with all new modern stadia, it is vital that the pitch design is given the attention it deserves. We have tailored the design and specification of the pitch to the specific requirements of the Aviva Stadium, with detailed attention put into the installation, performance testing and ongoing maintenance of the pitch. We have now delivered a world class pitch, and I’m looking forward to seeing both the Irish football and rugby teams playing there soon.”
Amongst the STRI’s other high profile clients are Croke Park, Lords Cricket Ground, Royal Ascot, St Andrews, The R&A and Wimbledon.
