Liberty Stadium

Creating New Standards in Biostimulants

Warrington Wolves Case Study Summary

Product Maxstim Sport Plus™ Setting Stadium Date April 2014 Location The Halliwell Jones Stadium

Who Mel Jones Sector Amenity Issue Historically poor rooting Result 7 inch roots after three treatments

The Scene Mel Jones has been the Wolves’ Head Groundsman for more than 14 years and, prior to moving to The Halliwell Jones Stadium in 2004, had looked after the pitch at nearby Wilderspool Stadium. Year in, year out, Mel has struggled to get any rooting over two inches in length, as the pitch is a traditionally structured, shallow construction on hardcore. In addition, the borehole used to water the pitch contains contaminants, the discovery of which resulted in Mel being reluctant to water the pitch as often as he would have liked. Against this background, Mel was concerned about trying any new products on his surface, as the turf was extremely stressed. It was eventually desperation that led him to trial Maxstim Sport Plus™, in the hope that it would live up to its claims and dramatically increase both root mass and plant health. On 3 March 2014, the root depth of the pitch was between 50-75 mm.

Maxstim Ltd The Black Barn, Runfold St George, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 1PL. UK. Tel: 0844 409 8288 Int Tel: (+44)01252 279 935 www.maxstim.com Registered Company Number: 08545015


The Product & Application On that same day, 3 March, Mel applied 14 bags of 20.0.07 fertiliser. Some three days later, on 6 March, he put down 20 bags of calcium complex to raise the ph levels, as part of his efforts to rescue the beleaguered pitch. Mel followed this up with three more applications of Maxstim Sport Plus™ on 13 March, 1 April, and 15 April, at the recommended dosage rate of 20 litres per hectare, diluted to 400 litres per application.

Fantastic Condition

By the time Warrington Wolves hosted Widnes Vikings on Good Friday (18 April), the pitch was in fantastic condition, even though the under 20’s team had played on it just before the main game. Both the Wolves’ players and coaches commented on the stability of the surface and the fans noted the improved appearance of the pitch. Mel earned more compliments over that Easter weekend than he had at any single point before. Mel went into work on Easter Saturday (19 April) and was amazed to find that the roots were now over five inches. Some were 130mm - nearly twice the length they had been just six weeks previously- and much longer than at any time in the stadium's ten-year history. Mel stated, ‘I could tell during the game that the playing surface was great, as I noticed there was very little kicking up and kicking out of the turf. Even after the game, the pitch still looked fantastic’. Mel assessed the pitch over the following few weeks and decided to put 16 bags of fertiliser down on 29 April. The turf had gone eight weeks without a feed, yet it was still in tremendous condition; a fact which Mel ascribes totally to the effects of Maxstim Sport Plus™.



The On-going Benefits

After initial scepticism, Mel is now a big believer in Maxstim Sport Plus™. He has noticed that the plants are so healthy that the turf is no longer getting ‘sick’ and suffering from the common diseases that it used to experience at given times in the year. One of the main bonuses for Mel is that he is doing far less divoting now. As he says, ‘Normally, I can’t get the pitch right from a divoting point of view until June, yet it’s now ready by mid-April. On a match day, both teams usually warm up on the pitch and I have to divot before the game, then spend two days after a match taking divots out of the pitch again. After the recent games against Widnes and Catalan Dragons, I have had very little divoting to do.’ This is a benefit of the massively increased root mass, brought about as a direct result of using Maxstim Sport Plus™ on a regular basis.

Needless to say, Mel is now a loyal customer of Maxstim and has recommended the product to his peers. Mel told Maxstim in mid-May that he was 'amazed at the standard of the pitch, particularly considering the condition it was in just two months ago. This is the first time in the living memory of this stadium that we have such fantastic rooting. We have roots going down a staggering 178mm, or seven inches and we are thrilled.’
