- In-depth chat with Reading FC's Stadium Head Groundsperson James Stabler
- He reveals behind-the-scenes race against time to prepare the pitch for the new season
- Every second counts between the previous season ending and new one beginning
- The science secrets fans might take for granted
This is what REALLY goes into maintaining a professional football pitch - and it goes way beyond just cutting the grass.
Preseason typically represents a period of downtime for fans as they await new transfers and enjoy kit launches.
But for grounds staff up and down the football pyramid, it’s a period of intense activity behind the scenes as teams face a nail-biting race against time to overhaul and prep pitches ahead of the new campaign.
As James Stabler, Head Groundsperson for Reading Football Club’s Select Car Leasing Stadium (above) points out, every second counts.
James - a lifelong Reading FC fan who started as a groundsperson via an apprenticeship at the Club and has now progressed to be Head Groundsperson for the stadium - wants to shine a light on the hard work and the science that goes into ensuring the hallowed turf remains green and luscious each week.
We hopped into a brand new Ford Ranger pick-up (another thing built for graft - check out our exclusive Ford Ranger lease special offer) and visited Reading FC’s Select Car Leasing stadium to find out what it’s all about.
From where we’re standing, with the electric-powered mowers buzzing away in the background, the grass looks immaculate and a rich shade of green.
But what is it that we’re actually looking at? (that's me below, the author, on the hallowed turf btw).
James, 34, explains how it’s a type of grass called Ryegrass. It’s used across football, and in golf, as it’s hard-wearing and dense. In America, on the other hand, pitches are typically made of Bermuda grass, which is more heat-resistant and can withstand the sweltering US summers.
A football pitch is also more than just skin deep.
The pitch at Reading is around 6ft deep in total, consisting of drainage, irrigation and underfloor heating pipes, layers of gravel and sand, and then the turf on the top.
Like a lot of other professional football clubs, Reading’s pitch is what’s known as a hybrid playing surface, where plastic yarn mingles with natural grass in order to make the pitch as durable as possible while improving pitch recovery times.
James explains: “The roots of the grass seed wrap around the plastic fibres underground, making the entire structure much stronger.”
Reading laid its hybrid pitch, which is a mix of 95% natural and 5% synthetic fibre surface, in 2017. With a ten year life cycle, a new one is due in the next couple of years. It’s a cost James is acutely aware of given Reading FC’s recent financial difficulties.
And pitches are a costly investment in general - and more expensive to upkeep than you might think.
The final game of the season represents a starting gun for James and his team.
Each preseason, the club completely kills and removes all of the grass, leaving nothing but the sand and the plastic yarn bedding behind.
New grass seeds are laid while the annual fertiliser bill also represents a significant investment into both the training ground and the stadium. Each pitch needs its own dedicated fertiliser plan as what works for one won’t necessarily work for another. And the Select Car Leasing stadium also has its own microclimate, owing to restricted lighting and air flow, making things even more complicated.
James then faces an anxious wait to see if his new grass has sprung to his exacting standards by the time the new season rolls around.
He adds: “We re-seeded the pitch in the first week of June. We’ve then got a finite period of time - around 6 weeks - to grow the pitch in time for the first home game of preseason. Thankfully, the weather has been perfect for growing this year. You can control the moisture as there hasn’t been a lot of rain, the heat has been there, the light has been there. Everything has been perfect for us this year. We haven’t always been so lucky...”
There is one thing keeping James up at night, though.
It’s called ‘Gray Leaf Spot’. It’s a fungal disease that blights grass, turning it pale before killing it. Gray Leaf Spot arrived in Britain in 2020 having spread through mainland Europe and the spores can be carried on the soles of your feet.
It’s a problem for all football clubs, not just Reading. It’s almost inevitable that it’ll rear its head this season. Thankfully it can be treated with the right fungicides.
Reading-born James, a dad-of-three, said: “The disease thrives in warm, damp conditions so it’s crucial we don’t allow the pitch to sit wet overnight. It’s moisture management, essentially, and you need to know what you’re doing. Again, it’s something clubs are managing that flies completely under the radar of most supporters.”
Regular soil tests determine nutrient levels and PH balances, informing James of his next move.
But James also needs to tailor the pitch according to the wishes of Reading’s First Team Manager Rubén Sellés.
James says: “At the beginning of every season, the grounds staff will ask the manager what changes he might want to make to the pitch. Rubén, for example, asks that the light and dark green panels of the pitch at the Select Car Leasing stadium are of a certain size, and that this size is also replicated precisely on the training pitches at Bearwood Park. Other managers might specify how short or long they want the grass. It’s about fine-tuning the playing conditions as much as we can.”
The ideal air temperature for the grass to be active and growing is a minimum 8-10 degrees C, otherwise it’s not recovering.
Like a lot of other clubs, the Select Car Leasing stadium has under-soil heating which works just like underfloor heating in a typical home bathroom, in that gas burners heat water which is then carried via pipes located underneath the grass.
Owing to Reading FC’s well-documented challenges of late, James and his team haven’t actually been able to make use of this under-soil heating for a number of months. Specialist lighting rigs, typically used to complement under-soil heating, are currently employed to provide warmth.
And the fact that Reading FC’s pitches continue to look so plush is a testament to the incredible job that James and the grounds staff are doing.
Some Premier League clubs also use a dark green pigment for the turf which improves its appearance. It’s not something that Reading FC, or most League One teams for that matter, can afford to employ. What you see at the Select Car Leasing stadium is completely natural.
When games come thick and fast through the winter months, it’s essential that the pitch doesn’t end up too stressed. But how does James protect the pitch during a long and gruelling season?
The first team are encouraged to train at Bearwood Park rather than on the stadium pitch, warm ups are pushed to the wings to spare the often-trampled central areas, and congested fixture periods - which also involve Under 23s and Under 18s teams - need to be managed extremely carefully.
James laughs: “It sounds stupid, but groundspeople don’t really want anyone using their pitches! It’s as simple as that. We just want that pitch looking as good as possible.”
And what does James - and other groundspeople really think about players who knee-slide during exuberant goal celebrations?
He chuckles: “We hate them. It doesn’t take loads of work to get them back covered with grass, but depending on the time of year, the grass may not recover as quickly as you’d like. Hopefully the damage is never bad enough that you can’t just simply divot the marks back.”
What’s also obvious is James’ passion for the job. He’s encouraging more youngsters to study horticulture, or to take sports turf management courses at college, in order to expand the profession.
He tells us: “When someone first told me about the groundsperson apprenticeship here at Reading many years ago, I’ve got to admit that my first thought was, ‘It’s just cutting grass’. I bet it’s a view held by lots of fans, too. But being a groundsperson is about so much more than that. It goes way beyond being a full time job. You’re constantly checking on the state of the grass and I’m always dragging my family to the ground on my days off to check on the progress.
“But I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I’m passionate about it. I’ve been here 13 years and I love it. I’m outdoors everyday, come rain or shine, and I put in around 15,000 steps each day.
“The most satisfying part of the job? I’d say it’s when you get complimented on the state of the pitch. I see those comments on Twitter and it’s always nice, especially when it comes from someone who really matters to you.”
* Select Car Leasing wishes everyone at Reading FC - from the players to the grounds staff and everyone in between - the very best of luck for the new season.
Enjoyed this? Read our latest news
- New Kia EV3 specs and prices announced
- Porsche confirms electric Cayenne
- Kia Picanto turns 20
- Isuzu launches new special edition ‘Mudmaster’ D-Max
- Electric Skoda Enyaq gets more affordable
Where To Next?
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to our newsletter.
Looking for a great leasing deal? Check out our incredible range of special offers.
Read our latest reviews and find the right model for you.
Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive leasing guides.
Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest car leasing news.
