Goal area repair
As with most tasks relating to grounds maintenance, making repairs to goalmouths fall into the category of tasks best performed little and often as to prevent a snowballing loss of ground cover and surface levels.
As little as 15 minutes spent in each goalmouth following play will yield rewards during the tough winter months and throughout the remainder of the playing season. Taking a proactive approach to repairs will prevent the goalmouths from becoming sparse and dished through wear and increased compaction. If left untended to, these isolated areas will become so worn that they sit at a lower level than the pitch, thus liable to hold rainfall and creating conditions unsuitable to sustain sufficient cover and grass growth.
It is recommended to raise these areas gradually by incorporating a sand/soil 50/50 rootzone and overseeding (during growing season) with a suitable perennial ryegrass. By doing this task little and often and by not smothering the grass growth that is already there, these areas should end up being very slightly higher than the surrounding pitch which would then allow the rainfall to run away from this heavily used area.
Compaction through wear, especially in isolated areas such as goalmouths will impede drainage, sink levels and create a dish that will be prone to waterlogging – it’s imperative these fundamental issues are avoided so that grass cover can be sustained.
Basic post-match repair
Tools and materials required;
Hand Fork
Plastic Landscaping Rake
Topdressing
Grass seed
Steps:
- Hand fork the goal area and gently apply heave to the fork to relieve compaction, if bare, breaking up or scratching the very upper compacted surface to create a fine tilth
- Remove any debris that may have arisen, such as any thatch or kicked out tufts of grass
- Top dress with a suitable material to return the area to desired surface level, work the dressing into the surface as you go through brushing or raking, taking care not to smother grass
Note – if you have access to a sports specific sand top dressing you may wish to apply this first and work it into the fork tine holes prior to levelling with the general rootzone.
- Firm gently to restore levels, then over seed by hand (during growing season), using a sports mix of perennial rye grass, broadcasting roughly one handful per square meter then apply an additional dusting of top dressing to cover the seed
- Irrigate as required and cover with germination sheeting or scaffold netting if available
The aim is to make repairs to damaged goalmouths as soon as possible to sustain a suitable surface level and percentage of grass cover, however, it may prove that these areas need totally renovating at the end of the season if levels have become too severe, should this be the case, they may require rotovating to completely break the soil profile up and additional sports sand should be incorporated and worked in to restore levels prior to seeding.
Top tips…
- Allowing the grass to remain slightly longer in the goalmouth will offer additional protection
- A few small handfuls of grass seed broadcast in the goal area prior to kick off will be worked into the profile by the goalkeeper during play
- Covering the goalmouth with sheeting following repair will help to prevent people from walking through it, birds or animals from eating the seed or digging and assist in conserving heat and moisture in the soil
In extreme circumstances, particularly during times of the year where seed germination is difficult; there may be the need to re-turf damaged areas. By laying the new turf over the top of the area you wish to repair, it is then possible to use an edging iron to cut around the section of turf, remove the cut out section and re-turf the damaged area. It will be important to tilth (lightly break up the soil) of the underlying layer or backfill slightly with a suitable rootzone; being careful not to overfill, and then replace with thick cut 40-60 mm sports turf, firming down and ensuring establishment.
The new turf will need time to settle so this can be a difficult operation in terms of timing due to fixtures so should be considered a last resort to get you through the season or until more suitable remedial works are possible.
Alternatively, a turf doctoring tool or spade can be utilized to transplant areas of good coverage from outside of the field of play, ensuring to carefully remove the turf sods at a minimum depth of at least 60mm to retain a good volume of roots for stability.
