Below is an article I came across about the man mainly responsible for the World Cup playing surfaces in South Africa this summer.
A good Counsel past pupil – they’re everywhere.
Media-shy Irishman Richard Hayden would be embarrassed if his name was mentioned beside top 20 World Cup drawcards like Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney. But the ’pitch professor’ is playing a crucial role by creating the ’green jewels’ on which the serial goal poachers from Argentina and England and a host of other superstars can sparkle come June and July.
Mbombela was one of five stadiums built for the first World Cup to be staged by Africa and apart from a now top-class pitch, the 40,000-seater boasts distinctive orange giraffe columns and black and white zebra seats.“We needed to get the Mbombela surface correct in terms of specifications, in terms of the sand you are growing it in, in terms of the drainage of the pitch, and then you seed,” explained Hayden. A key decision made by the Irishman was to use thinner European rye grass instead of less thirsty African kikuyu at the 10 venues from Polokwane in the north to Cape Town in the south west corner of Africa. “June is a winter month in South Africa and kikuyu goes yellow. The decision is not a sinister European plot. We made our recommendations for the purpose of the tournament and they have been followed,” said Hayden.
Rye grass needs more water and nurturing than kikuyu and ground staff must be on constant alert for disease, but it will provide a perfect green surface for the 32 national teams and a global TV audience counted in billions. With the Nelspruit crisis solved, Hayden has turned his attention to the World Cup countdown with the week before the June 11 kick-off crucial to him and his team. “In the run up we are going to be watching very closely how much water we place on the pitch. Particularly for day games, footballers like a spray of water to encourage the ball to be slick on the surface,” he explained. “Ground staff will have to do some divot repairs at half-time and after the game we do a clean-up of loose grass and then mow it again for presentation, using huge cyclinder and suction mowers.” His greatest wish is that no mention is made of the pitches during the 64-match football extravaganza because that will mean his mission has been successfully completed. “A successful World Cup means a pitch is not mentioned. That is the definition of success. The focus should be on the players and the game, and the pitch should not be an issue.”