A key component of FIFA’s Global Pitch Management Strategy
GrasPro Pitch Management System is currently being used by FIFA to collate data on over 100 pitches across the world as part of their new global pitch management strategy.
At any one-time FIFA is preparing for four World Cups from the main men’s and women’s tournaments through to the age group tournaments. Because of the sheer volume of pitches that need tracking a data collection system that was effective, easy to use and capable of generating reports was required.
FIFA’s pitch management manager, Alan Ferguson, explains that simultaneously preparing for tournaments in Poland, France, Brazil, and Japan meant he needed an online system that could help ensure pitch quality.
The aim was for any of the FIFA pitch team to be able to log on from anywhere in the world and discuss the competition pitches with details and statistics in front of them.
I also wanted to engage with a neutral site that was not owned or backed by any machinery manufacturer or product supplier because we work with several different stadia and training grounds who have their own machinery deals in place, and GrasPro fulfils this perfectly for us.
– Alan Ferguson, FIFA’s Pitch Maintenance manager
“To date, the site has helped to monitor the FIFA U20 finals in Poland and the Women’s World Cup in France. It is being prepared for the U17 finals in Brazil in October and the Olympic football tournament in Japan as well as the Club World Cup.
“I’ve been working closely with the GrasPro team, and I’m able to speak with the senior data analyst and have very specific data reported from the site. We know how many hours any pitch is used and are better understand exactly how many pitches we need to engage with to host tournaments at the various age levels. The data has also shown us how many staff we need on each site and what takes up their time. This allows us to work on more time-efficient ways to deliver the tournaments, which in turn leads to financial savings which can then be invested directly back into the game.”
With GrasPro, simplicity is key.
Users can track their daily activities such as mowing, fertilising, aeration and marking as well as pitch usage in a fast and convenient way. All registered activities are then summarised and visually presented with statistical reports available for N-P-K calculations, water usage, playing hours and more.
Photographs and comments can be attached to work logs, so any out of the ordinary conditions, like grass disease, can be tracked visually as well as statistically. Sophisticated weather reports at three-hour intervals join all of this to give a full picture of how natural or hybrid pitches are performing.
By using this information, users can generate visual reports that highlight how the usage of pitches and turf maintenance practices are impacting the playing surface. In turn, this allows groundsmen to collate information for budget projections and accurately forecast the amount of paint, fertiliser and staff-hours they need.
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