SINGAPORE – The Nationwide Stadium is about to come back alive after virtually two years of pandemic-related disruptions because the Republic hosts the Dec 5-Jan 1 Suzuki Cup.
The pitch of the Nationwide Stadium might be graced by Asean’s prime footballers from Sunday, when Timor-Leste play Thailand and hosts Singapore tackle Myanmar.
However making ready this all-natural grass stage for the 10-team match took months, beginning with rising the Zoysia Zeon grass outside at a nursery for 2 to 3 months.
The turf is then harvested.
Throughout this course of, the grass is lower into 10-metre by one-metre items, earlier than it’s rolled up, very like bathroom paper rolls.
Eight hundred rolls of turf – every weighing 1.1. tonnes – are then transported to the Nationwide Stadium.
The Nationwide Stadium, which hosts a spread of occasions from sports activities competitions to live shows, makes use of a ‘lay and play’ system. This enables the turf to be eliminated and put in in keeping with the occasion being staged.
The complete set up of the 800 rolls takes 4 to 5 days to be accomplished, with 20 personnel – 10 on the nursery and 10 on the stadium – concerned.
The rolls are laid out individually utilizing machines, with a piece of every roll overlapping the adjoining one. The overlapping phase is then lower away to make sure that there’s solely a tiny hole between the rolls.
As soon as all 800 turf rolls have been laid out, the grass is allowed to acclimatise contained in the stadium for the following two weeks.
The Singapore Sports activities Hub’s pitch architect Jonathan Teo screens the well being of the grass carefully after it’s laid out.
Teo, 53, defined: “The nursery is outside so the grass is ready to thrive in a pure atmosphere.
“Alternatively, the Nationwide Stadium has a micro-climate the place gentle is restricted and shade from the roof construction restricts air move and traps the temperature throughout the dome.
“So additional care needs to be put in to make sure that the grass continues to thrive throughout this transition.”
Throughout these two weeks, the workforce screens the micro-climate – the distinctive local weather of a small-scale space – circumstances which have a direct influence on the grass progress.
Teo, who’s licensed as a turfgrass skilled by the College of Georgia, mentioned that there are numerous methods to inform whether or not the grass is acclimating properly.
When the grass is mowed or lower, the next quantity of grass clippings collected reveals that the grass is wholesome and rising. The turf seams must also not be seen with time.
Discolouration and the presence of illness are additionally issues that the workforce appears to be like out for. It makes use of testing gear to trace and monitor the progress of the grass and its well being is measured by means of issues similar to traction, moisture, temperature and hardness.
When the turf is specified by the stadium, the roof stays open to maximise pure gentle.
If supplementary lighting is required, Teo will activate light-emitting diode (LED) develop lights. These full-spectrum develop lights include each blue and purple gentle that promote vegetative development and are energy-saving too.
As the standard of the floor experiences put on of three to five per cent after every occasion or competitors, the workforce devises a plan with the optimum variety of restoration days and beefs up its vitamins and upkeep programmes to counter the deterioration.
Although the circumstances are managed as a lot as potential to create a conducive atmosphere for the grass to develop, climate can pose a problem.
Teo mentioned: “Climate is the largest issue as it’s the solely factor that we, as turf managers, haven’t any management over.
“Whereas we will management how a lot water we would like by way of the irrigation system, in addition to air move by way of turf followers to create air move and many others, we nonetheless can not management the depth of the solar or rain – and the way lengthy it’ll final.
“The unpredictability makes it troublesome for us to make preparations.”
As soon as the acclimatisation stage is over, it’s time for the ultimate touches.
Match strains are marked and goalposts are arrange.
The grass can also be lower to the optimum peak. Whereas this will fluctuate relying on the grass’ well being and different circumstances, Fifa necessities are from 18 to 25mm, and for the Suzuki Cup, the grass peak is 22mm resulting from components such because the climate circumstances.
