I find it quite heartwarming, for some reason, that such an august institution as the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) is based, unassumingly, on the St Ives estate in Bingley. You hardly realise it's there, tucked away in some modest buildings with a few fields, below the golf course. It dates back to 1929, when The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland wanted help to improve its greens. Since then it has become the world's leading sports turf consultancy. Their clients include FIFA World Cup Football, the Olympics, Sport England, the RFU and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. You rarely see much evidence of activity there but one day, as I walked up the lane alongside, I saw these test patches marked out, apparently seeded, and a technician in a white bodysuit was hand spraying or spreading something in the distance.
It must be very big business these days as so many of the huge football and rugby stadiums are unable to grow their own grass as the pitches are in constant shade from the high stands that surround them.
ReplyDeleteGreat to know about...one of those interesting bits of trivia...and it will never come up in a trivia contest at my favorite bar either. I lie...I don't go to those contests because I never know the right answers for my team. But I love hearing about them the next day (or used to when I was in a studio with other people who talked about them!)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly doesn't appear to be what it is.
ReplyDeleteThat is something I never thought about but it makes sense that it needs to be researched.
ReplyDeleteI love science.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, I didn't realise that happened.
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