Chris has been working for Belper Town FC for just over a year and he says that he jumped at the chance of helping his local club. In addition to his role at Belper Town FC he also carries out a lot of other grounds maintenance work for the local council including four other football pitches. However, the pitch at the Raygar Stadium is by far the most used pitch he tends to.
“We had over 70 games on the pitch last season, and you never know what you are going to turn up to after a game,” said Chris. “The ground was very bumpy when I first arrived and so the playing surface was the first thing I wanted to focus on.”
With the tool shed containing just a drag mat and a compact tractor, it is fair to say that it was somewhat empty on his first day. As a result, the club quickly applied for and received an FA grant, and Chris was left to choose which equipment he wanted. The SISIS Quadraplay was top of his list:
“I researched the Quadraplay and I’ve seen them in the press a lot,” said Chris. “There was nothing but good reports about them so I thought it would be ideal for us.”
The SISIS Quadraplay multiple-purpose, single-pass maintenance incorporates a mounted frame for up to four implements such as grooming rakes, spikers, slitters, rollers, and brushes. The implements can be fitted to the mainframe in any order and can be independently adjusted to achieve the desired effect. Compact, robust, versatile and with the ability to carry out up to four operations simultaneously the Quadraplay makes life a lot easier for many groundspersons.
“Time isn’t always on my side, and the Quadraplay allows me to carry out essential maintenance tasks quickly,” said Chris. “More importantly it enables me to put right all the damage which has been done following high usage.
“After a game I will often see how bad the pitch is. Sometimes it just needs a light roll and a brush, or sometimes we wind the roller right down to put the divots back. Other times it will need a good rake.
“The Quadraplay allows you to alter settings easily to suit the task at hand,” continued Chris. “You can put all four implements to play, or you could just use one of them - the versatility of it is incredible.”
“It's also so strong, robust, and simple to use. I can get volunteers to drive it as well, which does help me a lot. Once it is setup, anybody can use it.”