You should first contact your water company to establish if there
is definitely a hosepipe ban as it is critical to the performance
playing surface as such surfaces are designed to be played on wet
and not dry. The water company will need to know the type of
irrigation system that you use as this will determine whether it is
covered by the drought order. Currently systems that incorporate
permanent pipe work (i.e. not hosepipes) are not included by many
drought orders. As most pitch watering systems comprise permanent
piped rain guns or pop up sprinklers, it is possible that your
company will accept their use however; you must specifically
check this and also be aware that if the drought conditions
worsen then they may not be acceptable in the future. With most
surfaces, if they are not watered before playing hockey it will be
hazardous to players and will accelerate the wear of the surface.
The implications are therefore potential injuries to players and a
potential invalidation of the manufacturer’s warranty.
You must also establish which particular
artificial grass surface has been installed i.e. the manufacturer
and surface specification. This is very important because there are
many different surfaces used for water based pitches and they all
perform differently if not watered. You should then contact the
surface manufacturer or the installer, explain the situation and
ask them:
- Is the surface safe to play
hockey and other sports on if not watered?
- If the surface is safe when
dry what is the implication on the surface performance and is the
surface more likely to be damaged?
- Is there any effect on the
warranty if the pitch is played on dry?
If your current irrigation system incorporates
a hosepipe or a form of irrigation that is not ‘approved’ by your
water company then you will need to make a special case to the
water company for an exemption to the ban. Possible grounds for an
exemption could be on the basis of maintaining safe participation
in sport, which has health benefits, sustains the sports club,
which is dependent on the income from the pitch and the potential
for damage and invalidation of the carpet warranty if the pitch is
not watered. The need to keep the pitch in top condition is
unlikely to be a justifiable reason.
In situations where the water supply is drawn
from a private borehole, the operator must keep within their agreed
annual allowance although you should contact your water company to
see if the drought order has affected your agreement.