CEO Hawke pays tribute to Campey contribution

Chief executive Warren Hawke has paid tribute to the renovation work conducted by Campey Turf Care last summer after being hugely impressed by how the Cappielow pitch held up over the 2017/18 season.

Using the latest in sports turf maintenance machinery, industry leaders Campey worked with groundsman Mark Farrell to revamp the hallowed turf over the course of a three-day open door event.

Thereafter, the playing surface was actively engaged in hosting a plethora of games and community events over the course of a busy campaign while also standing up to atrocious weather conditions.

In total, 52 matches were hosted at the Sinclair Street stadium between our own first-team and development squad as well as Celtic’s Under-20s.

Our charitable arm, Greenock Morton Community Trust, also enjoy use of pitch across the year before their activies intensify for a burst of end-of-season events in May.

Projects include:

Literacy trail (15 sessions, 236 kids,
Football Fans in Training (6 sessions, 35 participants)
Tesco Bank Festival (3 sessions, 400 plus kids)
Active Schools Festival (130 girls)
Community Teams (18 training sessions, 50-100 kids each time)
Cappielow Tournament (45 teams, 250 players)

This all came during a year in which we suffered severe weather conditions, including unprecedented snow throughout March.

Despite this, not one first-team fixture was postponed or cancelled, and CEO Hawke praised groundsman Farrell and the renovation work made possible by Campey.

He said: “I took a wander around the pitch today after the final community event of the season was concluded yesterday, and I was blown away by the condition of the surface.

“Our philosophy is to make the most of our pitch. Yes, we do our utmost to protect it, but we also view Cappielow as a community hub.

“We want everyone to have an opportunity share in the experience and refuse to allow the pitch to sit idle for a fortnight at a time in between home first-team fixtures.

“When you consider usage over the last 11 months, it really has stood up remarkably well – and that is testamanent to the work of groundsman Mark Farrell in conjuction with Campey Turf Care.

“Richard Heywood of Campey supported Mark by renovating the playing surface utilising their specialist machinery over a three-day event last summer.

“As a board of directors, we have invested significant resources in pitch improvement and I would like to thank them from their invaluable contribution.”

Image: Gary Bradley