The host venue for ESSMA's two-day Pitch Management Workshop, held May 10 and 11, was Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium. Throughout the season, their pitch has been the focus of much talk in both the grounds staff sector and wider afield thanks to the hard work and dedication of Grounds Manager John Ledwidge and his team.
On Friday 19 May the Khalifa International Stadium will host the 2017 Emir Cup final between long lasting rivals Al Rayyan and Al Sadd. It will be the first match played in the recent renovated stadium. The renovations were mandatory to host matches up to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Last week we had a chat with Michael Lloyd, Deputy Stadium Manager at Arsenal FC and speaker on the first day of the ESSMA-BASIS Smart & Sustainable Stadium Workshop that will take place at Emirates and Twickenham Stadium in London from 7 to 8 June 2017.
ESSMA League Member DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga announced it has launched the Bundesliga Football School, a new partnership model with national soccer associations, leagues and professional clubs abroad to promote and encourage young talent worldwide.
On April 25th, the day Cruijff would have turned 70, Ajax confirmed there is a declaration of intent to rename the Amsterdam ArenA to the Johan Cruijff ArenA. All parties involved have agreed on this tribute to the legendary Dutch football player, but it may take at least six months for the change to be official.
Tuesday 11 April, the team bus of German side Borussia Dortmund is on its way to Signal Iduna Park for the Champions League quarter-final against Monaco, when three explosive devices go off. One player, Marc Bartra and one policeman got injured.
Legia Warszawa, a long standing ESSMA member, communicated that majority owner Dariusz Mioduski has completed the buyout of the minority shareholders, giving him 100 percent ownership of the club.
ESSMA will organize its first event of 2017 in Leicester, at the King Power Stadium and LCFC training center. John Ledwidge and his team, together with ESSMA Advisory Committee member Jonathan Calderwood, will welcome us for the Pitch Workshop on 10-11 May.