Magazine: Hinkley Continues to Convert
By Simon Kars in Rugby on 2nd Jun 2009 16:20
The Parramatta Eels are not having the best start to the 2009 ruby league season with some critics putting question marks over players at the club. Yet year after year one aspect of the club which is never in question is the high quality playing surfaces prepared by head groundsman, Dave Hinkley.
Parramatta stadium was built with a seating capacity of 20,000 on the Cumberland Oval site in 1986 to support Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer, along with other sporting, cultural and entertainment events in the greater west of Sydney. In 1993 the playing surface was reconstructed with a first class sand-based, mesh reinforced StrathAyr System profile, which has been very successful since installation. All the stadiums maintenance along with a floodlit training ground is also maintained by Dave and his staff, keeping the boys busy at all times. Big entertainment names such as Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson have performed at the venue, whilst popular events such as the Australasian Motorbike Supercross Championships, have also been held at the stadium. Player and patrons have, and continue to acknowledge that Parramatta Stadium is one of the most respected and enjoyable facilities for sporting and entertainment events, which is largely attributable to the great work of Dave and his ground staff.
Dave has been employed as a groundsman by Parramatta Stadium for the past twenty years and his role only grew as the years went on, until he reached his current title as Head Groundsman. Both he and his three ground staff, including the 2IC are fully qualified, loyal, honest, reliable and overall good workers, which are all key aspects Dave seeks and encourages highly within his staff. Communication between all the employees and directors at Parramatta Stadium is excellent with everyone’s opinion being considered on most matters, including the playing surface. “I’ve got to cover every aspect and as unintelligent as some peoples’ input and answer maybe, it’s that one in a hundred piece of input or answer which may save you”. The network between groundsmen in New South Wales is very healthy, with advice and help offered to anyone who needs it, which is evident by the positive relationship between Dave and Graeme Logan of ANZ stadium. One of Dave’s key management practises is to not over complicate things when an issue arises, he mentions, “too much technology into something basic turns it into a complicated exercise, sometimes you just have to sit back and just get back to basics before implementing other options”.
The 140m x 80m arena playing surface is comprised of Couch ‘Legend’, which is then oversown with Ryegrass ‘Reliant’ in the cool season, resulting in a high quality surface all year round. The profile is a StrathAyr system which comprises of mesh reinforced sand with 10% Canadian peat moss, clean washed river sand and 7mm pea gravel. The drainage of the profile is first-class with Dave saying, “It will get rid of 300mm in an hour. StrathAyr profiles are known for their success”. The 80m x 60m floodlit training ground adjacent to the stadium is comprised of Kikuyu turf, which meets the standards and expectations of the players and coaches using the surface. The training ground enables Dave to maintain the high quality arena surface by implementing a management strategy when possible, to allow the load of training to be shared
across both surfaces. This is of much importance when training is foreseen to cause unmanageable amount of stress or damage to the arena surface before a major event or match day.
Several pieces of machinery are used to maintain the arena playing surface to Dave’s high standards. Two machines of high importance include a Toro Reelmaster 3100D mower and the Soil Reliever SR72. The Reelmaster 3100D possesses a unique design with the engine at the rear and the operator at the front, allowing the operator to cut comfortably and effectively. The design also creates easy engine access for mechanics, making service and repair work much more efficient. The cutting heights of the Reelmaster 3100D vary greatly depending on the time of year and which sport is to be played on the arena surface. During the cooler Autumn/Winter period when Rugby is the main sport undertaken at the stadium, the Ryegrass is cut at a height of 35mm. When the warmer Spring/Summer period commences, the cutting height is dropped at 5mm increments over several weeks until the desired cutting height of 13 – 15mm is reached on the majority Couch surface. Soccer matches are usually cut at heights around 20mm, but this can be quite variable depending on surface requests of the home team with Dave mentioning, “We always ask to see what their surface preferences are, then we offset that against what we’re trying to achieve and if that means we have to strike up an agreement or go their way, so be it”.
A Soil Reliever SR72 was originally borrowed from Graeme Logan at ANZ Stadium but recently Parramatta Stadium has purchased its own SR72 with no regrets with Dave believing, “It’s a great Machine”. The SR72 is designed to perform any aerification task and is the fastest
on the market in its category, whilst aerating up to depths of 400 mm and offering a wide variety of tine options. One of the main concerns for Dave is the amount of thatch within the profile which can hinder drainage and filtration, but adequate use of the SR72 will overcome these issues. The machine is used once a month usually with hollow tines but whilst over sowing with Ryegrass, solid tines are used to prevent damage to juvenile leaf whilst eliminating wastage of seed and any additives in the profile. Dave was asked if he had any restrictions regarding the use of the SR72 close to match day; “I can do it whenever I need to, the day before, the day after or even on the morning of a match if I have to. Its design and speed allow me to use it whenever I need to, making it a very handy machine to have”.
Both the arena playing surface and the training field is watered with mains water and rain water that is collected off one of the grand stand roofs into several tanks, which all together hold up to 300,000 litres. Over the past several years their mains water usage has dropped due to new management practices, including the harvesting of rainwater which in turn has led to greater efficiency. The irrigation control system used on the playing surface and the training ground is an old and simple Hardie system with a digital key pad. “I’ve thought about updating the system but everyone knows how to work this one, plus it’s still operating well so there‘s no real need to update at the moment”. The Hardie system controls 14 stations of 4 hydraulic drive Toro 640 sprinklers, which spread over both the training and arena surfaces. The 640’s possess a rubber cap to protect both the sprinkler as well as the player, and thus far there has not been an issue where a sprinkler has interfered with match play. Dave states, “The Toro 640’s are proven. They have been here since
I’ve been here, and there has been no real major issue with them”.
There is no set schedule when it comes to the fertilizing program at Parramatta Stadium; instead the fertilizer program is indexed to events, weather and bi-monthly soil tests. Both liquid and granular fertilizers are applied to the arena playing surface and the training field, with a tendency to use more liquid fertilizer during the cooler months due to the greater speed of uptake by the turf. Dave takes a more biological approach with the use of organic based fertilizers and biological inoculates, “We use chemicals when we have to, but we’ve had success with the biological products”. Diseases which are preventively sprayed for consist of Pythium and Rhizoctonia with the root born diseases posing a greater threat with Dave adding, “Once you loose your r
oots, they don’t just recover you have to wait for the new growth”. Several years ago Nematodes became a problem, but at the moment the Nematode counts are at manageable levels and not creating any issues due to the use of biological stimulants. Dave remains philosophical about the annoying pest, “Nematodes are Nematodes, and you always worry about them”.
Some of the challenges faced by the ground staff are the preparation and dismantling of major events setups. When events are proposed and planned well ahead of the scheduled event date, the ground staff can be informed and organised creating a somewhat smooth transition of major events, without the event impacting too greatly on the arena playing surface. During these times working hours can be long and tiring with some shifts exceeding 36 hours, especially when major events are scheduled close together. One event that created some challenges was the Australasian Motorbike Supercross Championships, which after uncertainty
eventually chose Parramatta stadium to host the event. After the last scheduled Rugby League World Cup match at Parramatta Stadium, setup for the Supercross commenced the very next day making the transition from one big event to another quite intense. Geotextile fabric along with plywood was used to cover the arena surface before the building of the track commenced. The preparation process took approximately 3 – 4 days to complete with the event held on the fourth night, and by the following night the whole event was dismantled and cleared completely from the stadium. “The Supercross guys were fantastic, and the only problem I had with the arena surface was a few wet areas which seemed to have boiled, damaging the turf. But it wasn’t a major issue”.
When asked if he was happy at Parramatta Stadium, Dave replied, “The scenery, setting and peacefulness, along with the good people here make this place pretty unique. I hold great pride in looking after the stadium and that’s something I encourage in my staff. Have pride in what you’re doing here”. Eventually, Dave’s time will come to a conclusion at Parramatta Stadium and he will leave a legacy behind. He was asked what that legacy would be he replied “To leave a work culture of caring about what you do, don’t treat it as just work, make it personal and aim for the best results”.
If you want a Peak inside the sheds at Parramatta Stadium click here
For more on Dave Hinkley click here for his 15 questions
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The Parramatta Eels are not having the best start to the 2009 ruby league season with some critics putting question marks over players at the club. Yet year after year one aspect of the club which is never in question is the high quality playing surfaces prepared by head groundsman, Dave Hinkley.
across both surfaces. This is of much importance when training is foreseen to cause unmanageable amount of stress or damage to the arena surface before a major event or match day.
on the market in its category, whilst aerating up to depths of 400 mm and offering a wide variety of tine options. One of the main concerns for Dave is the amount of thatch within the profile which can hinder drainage and filtration, but adequate use of the SR72 will overcome these issues. The machine is used once a month usually with hollow tines but whilst over sowing with Ryegrass, solid tines are used to prevent damage to juvenile leaf whilst eliminating wastage of seed and any additives in the profile. Dave was asked if he had any restrictions regarding the use of the SR72 close to match day; “I can do it whenever I need to, the day before, the day after or even on the morning of a match if I have to. Its design and speed allow me to use it whenever I need to, making it a very handy machine to have”.
Both the arena playing surface and the training field is watered with mains water and rain water that is collected off one of the grand stand roofs into several tanks, which all together hold up to 300,000 litres. Over the past several years their mains water usage has dropped due to new management practices, including the harvesting of rainwater which in turn has led to greater efficiency. The irrigation control system used on the playing surface and the training ground is an old and simple Hardie system with a digital key pad. “I’ve thought about updating the system but everyone knows how to work this one, plus it’s still operating well so there‘s no real need to update at the moment”. The Hardie system controls 14 stations of 4 hydraulic drive Toro 640 sprinklers, which spread over both the training and arena surfaces. The 640’s possess a rubber cap to protect both the sprinkler as well as the player, and thus far there has not been an issue where a sprinkler has interfered with match play. Dave states, “The Toro 640’s are proven. They have been here since
I’ve been here, and there has been no real major issue with them”.
oots, they don’t just recover you have to wait for the new growth”. Several years ago Nematodes became a problem, but at the moment the Nematode counts are at manageable levels and not creating any issues due to the use of biological stimulants. Dave remains philosophical about the annoying pest, “Nematodes are Nematodes, and you always worry about them”.
eventually chose Parramatta stadium to host the event. After the last scheduled Rugby League World Cup match at Parramatta Stadium, setup for the Supercross commenced the very next day making the transition from one big event to another quite intense. Geotextile fabric along with plywood was used to cover the arena surface before the building of the track commenced. The preparation process took approximately 3 – 4 days to complete with the event held on the fourth night, and by the following night the whole event was dismantled and cleared completely from the stadium. “The Supercross guys were fantastic, and the only problem I had with the arena surface was a few wet areas which seemed to have boiled, damaging the turf. But it wasn’t a major issue”.
