A dedicated team from STRI has been working in South Africa over the last four months, focused on getting 54 pitches in tip-top condition for The World Cup. This includes all 10 showpiece stadium pitches, 32 training camps and 12 venue specific training sites, all of which have received individual attention to get ready for the arrival of the teams from around the world this week.
This is one of the most exciting and challenging projects that STRI has worked on. The scope of the work is huge, with our team travelling long distances and working increasingly long hours in the final weeks to ensure our one objective is met; to support FIFA and South Africa in delivering great quality pitches that are worthy of the world’s largest football tournament.
The responsibilities of the team are varied and include:
Two key members of the team are Richard Hayden, director of operations and John Lockyer, senior consultant for our Stadia Services division. They have been managing and coordinating the logistics and team across all 54 venues to ensure we deliver the best quality pitches for The World Cup.
Richard Hayden 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 and we’ve recommended bespoke solutions and maintenance programmes for each location. The team have all been fantastic and 100% dedicated to delivering great pitches for the tournament”.
The final countdown has now begun and the STRI team is continuing their focus on the fine-tuning of the pitches right up to the first game on 11 June. However, our role does not stop there, as Richard commented: “Our focus will continue throughout the tournament - testing the performance of the pitches and ensuring they are performing to the high, international standards required for the best players and teams in the world. I, personally, am aiming to be at each stadium at least 3 times during the tournament; this means many flights, hotels and travel. It’s worth it. It’s the world’s biggest stage in our business and the world is watching. South Africa will prove that it can do it as well as the best and we’re delighted STRI has a chance to be a part of it.”
