Day as a Groundsman

It was Saturday the 30th of August, Rochdale AFC v Bradford City at Spotland. 3pm kick off. 

Phil Collinson (Senior Sales Manager North) was asked by Head Groundsman Oliver Makin to help out.

Phil explains what his tasks for the day were and how great it was to lend a hand with his former collegues.

“I arrived at 10am to find to pitch in splendid condition having been cut earlier in the day by Oli and his assistant Drew Duffy. Ture to English form....it was raining! Having spent almost 10 years at Rochdale I think I can count on one hand the number of dry match days, it was good to see it wasn't me that was cursed or if I was it has transferred seamlessly on to Oli.

After a well earned tea break for Oli and Drew it was time for final match day preparations which included marking of the pitch. I was trusted with this job and with the help of Drew we started stringing out the lines.”

Oli has been using Revolution (one of many Fleet products available for use of grass surfaces) since its launch through his Lionel 4" marker Oli had these comments.

“Revolution is superb! we have even had opposing teams and visitors comment on the brightness!

The unique finishing quality gives us a paint that wont "re-wet" meaning that once the paint has dried onto the grass leaf it can’t "ghost" during play. The lines even stand up when the pitch is irrigated before play, which is now a common practice up and down the country.” 

Phil continues.

“By the time kick off came round the pitch looked stunning and Oli and Drew should be very proud of what they have achieved. I'm sure the work is appreciated by all the playing staff at the football club.”

The result didn't go Rochdale's way on the day but Fleet are sure if the surface remains at such a high standard it won't be long until the 3 points start rolling in. 

Phil finishes off by saying

“I want to say a big thanks to Oli, Drew and all the staff at Rochdale AFC who made the day an absolute pleasure and everyone at Fleet Linemarkers want to wish Rochdale AFC all the best for the 2014-15 season!

Hare on the hillside - Dorset's Festival of Extraordinary Events aided by Fleet products.

Fleet Line Markers are no strangers to stencils for sports games and team logos across the country but when Inside Out Dorset approached us to lend some expert knowledge for an up and coming event we just couldn’t help but get excited.

The large scale White Hare artwork was situated on a hillside, to celebrate the Ridgeway’s Neolithic heritage, recalling ancient chalk figures of around 1000 BC and to pay homage to the English hare.

The Hare was plotted using GPS and staked out using ribbon, Fleet helped by supplying spray equipment and paint to fill the marked area resulting in a bright white Hare that could be seen for miles.

In this video artist Sarah Butterworth, who dreamed up the idea of a chalk figure of a hare explains the significance of this mystical animal and how she and her team managed to paint it on the grassy slope.

The Hare was commissioned by Activate for Inside Out Dorset, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the South Dorset Ridgeway Landscape Partnership, West Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council and Arts Council England.

The Hare from Alastair Nisbet - ScreenPLAY on Vimeo.

Business Owner sees benefit of BeamRider

Fleet’s leading range of line marking machines are used by groundsmen worldwide to mark sports pitches, playgrounds, car parks and roads.

However a recent enquiry from a Norwich based Timber Merchants, Thomson Sawmills, has highlighted how Fleet’s marking machines can also provide cost saving benefits to a diverse range of businesses.  

Thomson Sawmills has recruited a line marking contractor for the past 10 years, in order to mark eight loading bays and an access area using thermoset paint – which is easily diminished by the use of road salt in adverse weather conditions.

Recruiting a line marking contractor on an annual basis is fast becoming a costly process for business owner, Brian Thomson – who decided to contact Fleet in order to invest in the company’s very own line marking machine.

Fleet’s Area Sales Manager Oliver Hall visited the Timber Company on 11^th August to demonstrate Fleet’s newly launched Ki Spray Machine, the Kombi and the only laser guided line marking machine worldwide, BeamRider.

After demonstrating the BeamRider and highlighting a number of its key features including its ability to mark perfect laser straight lines in a fraction of the time, Brian chose to invest in the machine without viewing any other product.

Brian comments, “Thomson Sawmills requires regular access to a line marking machine to ensure all business processes remain organized and streamlined.

This has been a very costly process to date as we have had to use a line marking contractor, which we can only afford once per year.

“Investing in Fleet’s BeamRider will not only save us significant costs, but will also allow for regular remarking achieved with little time or effort thanks to the superior quality of the machine.”

The BeamRider has now been dispatched to Thomson Sawmills ready for rejuvenation of all lines prior to the start of the winter season.

To find out more about Fleet’s Beamrider please visit www.beamrider.org.uk.