The Role of Technology in Sports Pitch Maintenance

Health and safety is one of the most obvious and the most important, alongside the need for pitches and training grounds which are well manicured, professional in aesthetic presentation, and efficient when it comes to playing the sport.

Let’s look at a football pitch as an example. A football pitch needs to be manicured to create a good first impression, needs to be free from lumps and bumps to keep players safe, and needs to boast consistency in both the length and density of turf to create a level and even playing field for both teams. The maintenance of the lawn on a pitch in particular also ensures that lines are clear and can be quickly and easily identified during both training and match play.

With all that in mind, how has technology made the industry of ground maintenance – and especially sports pitch maintenance – easier? Let’s take a closer look at what’s available and how it helps.

The benefits of a robot mower for sports pitch maintenance

Perhaps the best-known technological tool used in sports pitch maintenance is the robot mower. Designed to operate without manual intervention, there are many benefits linked with robotic mowers – both inside and outside of the sports industry.

Robot mowers can be programmed to maintain an expanse of lawn at a time that suits you. Using a ‘set it and forget it’ integrated function, these mowers are uniquely designed to set out from their charging port at the time assigned by you, cutting the lawn to the height which has been preprogrammed, within the parameter of the boundary you set. In short, you make all the decisions and simply program them into an app, which the mower then uses as a briefing and management tool.

The benefits of this automated outdoor tool are expansive and include both time and resource efficiency by alleviating the need for manual mowing. The fact that robot mowers can be managed via an app also allows you to check in on progress remotely, even if your mower is set to maintain and trim the lawn overnight.

Other benefits heralded by sports grounds and teams include the sustainability of robot mowers in reducing carbon emissions, and the fact that grass clippings are mulched back into the ground by the mower, to ignite and encourage healthy regrowth.

Line marking tools and their role across sports grounds

It’s not just robot mowers that sports grounds are increasingly factoring into their maintenance budgets. Automated line marking tools have become a popular investment, making it easier for sports grounds to ensure that the boundary of each playing field, and each line within every pitch on the ground, is clearly defined and indisputable.

The way that these line marking tools work is by programming in the site and the outline and position of each pitch through the line marking tool’s app, then letting it work. Lines are created in record time, and can even be used to customise your pitches and outdoor spaces – with each new job programmed into the marking tool for future reference.

Selecting the right technology for your sports maintenance team

If you are in charge of maintaining or overseeing the management of a sports pitch, then you will know the challenges which make maintenance more difficult. A high level of footfall on a regular basis means that the ground doesn’t get much time to recover. At the same time however, high standards are expected to be upheld throughout the training and match season, to keep players safe and to ensure that they can train efficiently and effectively.

Here at GroundTech, we explore and identify industry-leading equipment which combines the highest grade of technology with precision, durability, and the kind of convenience which allows you to program maintenance tasks remotely and with incredible ease. Whether it’s an automated robot mower which can work overnight and outside of training hours, or a robotic line market which tops up pitch lines and helps you to make the best use of the space available all year round, our collection of technology is designed and carefully selected to make sports pitch maintenance both easier and more time efficient.

To find out more, get in touch with GroundTech – or why not visit the individual service pages on our website and learn more about how we work with different clients.