Data-driven turf care has become the buzzword in the industry, but its true potential is still not very clear. Sportsfields.Magazine spoke to representatives of Husqvarna, Rhenac Sports LED and Turfcoach to better understand what data-driven turf care could bring.
It depends on who you ask for the definition, but data-driven turf care can have a very wide scope. “Data-driven turf care starts with collecting real-time information from on-site tools and off-site sensors, optimising turf maintenance through continuous monitoring,” says a spokesperson of Husqvarna. The Swedish company that shot to fame when it introduced the first robot mower is on a drive to improve and to lighten the work of the groundsman. Earlier this year, it revealed plans to slowly introduce a range of autonomous turf maintenance equipment in the coming years. “The success depends on the seamless integration of technologies and effective data analysis, allowing for more efficient, informed decision-making. In the long run, this approach can enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and overall turf quality, with the potential to become increasingly autonomous and proactive.” The spokesperson is convinced that the technology is not restricted to wealthy clubs or stadium environments only.
The company is working on developing more interoperable platforms and is collaborating with industry partners to enhance compatibility across systems, aiming to facilitate smoother integration of a variety of tools. “Autonomous mowers, smart irrigation systems, and soil sensors can be essential tools in a data-driven turf care environment. These technologies can collect data from below ground like soil moisture and health sensors, on the ground with robotic mowers and smart sprinklers, and above. Satellite and drone-based monitoring systems are a good example. By integrating these different data sources, turf management can be optimised in real-time, potentially enhancing efficiency, reducing resource consumption, and improving turf quality.”
Commercialising the field
Smart technologies and techniques can ease the work of the groundsman or greenkeeper but also help commercialise the playing field. “We are only at the beginning of what is possible. Technology can help save time but also optimise the use of resources and techniques to maximise the use of the pitch and improve player efficiency or recovery,” Arnoud Fiolet of Rhenac GreenTec says. The company supplied the state-of-the-art grass grow technology for the greenhouse at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium of Real Madrid. “Within the stadium segment, you have different types of clubs that are each doing data management in their own way. However, I believe that in two or three years, everyone will be doing data management. The way in which it is interpreted, the way in which it is used and the way in which it becomes applicable, that, of course, differs enormously. That also has to do with the budgets that stadiums have and to what extent they can interpret that data and what they can do with it. You have datasets on how healthy the grass is and what it costs to achieve that or keep it good. That’s one angle. But you can also look at what that grass pitch does to the player. Then you go more in the medical direction. Trainers will, from a player’s efficiency perspective, start thinking about whether they want a player to play on a pitch that is too hard, or have him train on a pitch that is harder or softer than the pitch he will play the game on. If they are too far apart, it could well have a negative impact on his health. [pms-restrict subscription_plans=”7998, 10994″] I wouldn’t be surprised if the football club soon says: We have three types of pitches. We have the stadium pitch and a copy of it in terms of hardness and load on our training complex. But we also have another type of pitch where our injured players can regenerate – fields that are a bit softer and safer for those recovering from an injury.”
Turf data that improves players
What Fiolet is referring to is actually offered by Turfcoach. “In terms of performance and injury prevention, there is an unused potential that should be tapped into,” the company’s CEO, Christian Theil says. “It is remarkable that clubs track every aspect of the player, like what they drink or eat or their heartrate and oxygen saturation level. But when it comes to the player surface interaction, they are not using the full potential of data available.” Where technologies like the Rhenac Sports LED grass grow lighting technology require a significant capital layout, all Turfcoach does is stick QR-codes on the maintenance equipment and request the grounds team to scan them at the start and end of a particular maintenance activity and to indicate which field they will be maintaining. “We are the only ones that log the maintenance activities in real time, which is more accurate than capturing the information at a later stage.” Turfcoach then correlates the data with the data obtained from the testing equipment when the pitch is tested. “Our system will do the modelling and combine it with data of other known factors like the shade the field experiences during a particular time of the day or the weather that has been forecasted. All this allows us to advise the coach in the morning which pitch to use to practise certain set pieces he wants to train for a recovery or for an upcoming game. This also allows the groundsman to try to match the training field with the field the team will play on in the upcoming game or to prepare the stadium pitch in accordance to the club’s game plan.”
Optimising equipment
Turfcoach even takes it further. “As data like shade, moisture, temperature, fertiliser or water available in the top layer, enabling us to predict the time it takes for the grass to grow to a certain length, we can also advise the groundsman what time he should cut it to ensure the pitch is in perfect condition by the time a game kicks off.” Another issue Theil raises, is the safety of the pitch for players. “We all know that shade is a major contributor to the hardness of the pitch. Unfortunately, every pitch irrigation system is designed to throw the same volume of water all over the pitch. Our data could help advise on what additional work needs to be done in a particular area, to bring the pitch quality more in balance with the rest of the field.” Theil and his team are already working on an upgrade that could incorporate the heatmap of a game or training. “Adding data of traffic experienced in certain areas on a pitch could assist the grounds team in further fine-tuning its maintenance activities for each section of the pitch, and, as such, deliver a safer and more predictable surface to the players.” Better players and surfaces will likely yield better results over the season. “Having the data and being able to translate and communicate the insights the data provides would make the groundsman become a strategic asset for the club or venue.”
Data-driven turf care can be implemented in many ways and its benefits are almost unlimited. They do not necessarily require a massive capital investment but the ability to analyse and interpret data is essential to capitalise on the investment.
[/pms-restrict]
Innovative turf care for the 2024 European Championship in the Veltins Arena
In June this year, the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen faced the challenge of hosting four European Championship games and eight training sessions in just 14 days. The teams that aimed to excel in Gelsenkirchen were England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Georgia and Slovakia. Benefitting from modern technology, the grass team delivered a perfect pitch. UEFA requirements for the tournament field meant an extra challenge for the grass team in Gelsenkirchen. Normally, the turf is stored and maintained outside the stadium bowl, where it has maximum benefit from natural sunlight, oxygen and rain conditions. Only a day before the game, the field is moved inside the stadium bowl. However, for the European Championships, UEFA wanted it to remain inside the stadium for 20 days straight. To ensure the field would be able to cope, the grass team used innovative methods to maintain the turf at UEFA quality, despite the lack of natural light. CLS (Complete Light Spectrum) grass grow technology was used to condition the turf and to make it more resilient in the four weeks prior to the game. In 2021, the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen had a world first when it was fitted with state-of-the-art CLS grass grow technology that helps maintain the pitch with pinpoint accuracy. Shortly before the turf was brought in, it was treated with phytohormones to promote regenerative branching of the grass.
Precise care
During the tournament itself, temperature, humidity and irrigation were precisely balanced to minimise stress in the grass. With the help of UV-C light, the germination rate of the grass was reduced while the occurrence of diseases was prevented. The condition of the turf was measured daily, and data collected was plotted on a map to provide the grass team with a digital picture of the field condition. This precise monitoring allowed for dedicated care in areas that required additional attention. This combination of innovation, digitalisation and careful preparation helped the dedicated grass team to show that it is possible to deliver a first-class European Championship turf pitch even under the most difficult conditions.