Two tips for owners of football fields who have recently hired a landscaper
Keeping any type of sports field in good condition is a time-consuming task, which is best handled by a landscaper that specialises in maintaining these types of fields. If you have decided to have a professional like this look after your football field, here are some tips that should ensure that you are pleased with the sports field maintenance services they provide.
Arrange for the mowing, irrigation and line painting to take place about three to four days before each match
It is important to pick the right time for the landscaper to irrigate, mow and refresh the lines on the field. Ideally, you should have this work done approximately three to four days prior to each match that you want to host on the field.
The reason for this is as follows; if you have these landscaping tasks carried out too far in advance of the match, the field might start to look untidy again before this event takes place. For example, the grass might grow very quickly and may end up looking too long just a week or so after being trimmed. Likewise, if you have the field irrigated a week or more before a match and a spell of dry weather occurs during the run-up to this event, the grass could dry out and turn yellow and crispy by the time the match takes place.
Having this work carried out too close to a match could be equally problematic. For instance, if the landscaper adds a new coat of paint to the field's lines the day before this event, the paint might still be wet when the football players perform, in which case their football uniforms and their exposed limbs may end up coated in this substance when they fall whilst playing. Similarly, if the landscaper waters the field the night before the match, it may be too wet and slippery for the football players to safely run on.
By having this landscaping work carried out about three to four days before a match, the grass will still look hydrated and neat, and any paintwork on it that the landscaper has refreshed will be fully dry by the day of the event.
Ask the landscaper to use a non-toxic weedkiller
Weeds on a football field can serve as tripping hazards for the football players who run on this surface and can make the field itself look unruly. As such, you must instruct the landscaper to regularly apply weedkiller to the weeds that grow in the field.
However, it is important to ask them to use a non-toxic weedkiller. The reason for this is as follows: it is common for members of football teams to fall over when they play. Goalkeepers, for example, will often dive and fall on to the grass when attempting to prevent the ball from landing in their net.
If the grass that they land on is coated in poisonous weedkiller, there is a risk that some of this toxic chemical could get into their mouth or eyes (if they land face-first onto the field) or could get into their bloodstream if they cut themselves as a result of their fall. This could make them very ill. As such, it is crucial for the landscaper to use a brand of weedkiller that is comprised of safe ingredients that won't harm the players that come into contact with it.
To learn more about sports field maintenance services, contact a company that provides these services in your area.