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JOBS: Groundsman, Emirates Riverside; volunteers for Open Nottingham Tennis

Durham County Cricket Club is looking to appoint a full-time, permanent grounds person to be based at Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street. Working alongside the existing team the main aims of the role are to ensure the playing and practise facilities at the Emirates Riverside are maintained to a high standard. The ideal candidate will have NVQ Level 2 Sports Turf Maintenance or equivalent qualification or 3 years working experience in a similar role.

Closing date: Wednesday 13 February at midday.

Photo of big screen and grandstand at Durham County Cricket Club — Emirates Riverside, home of Durham County Cricket Club

Full details from here.

Open Nottingham Tennis volunteering opportunity

Nottingham City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help at the Open Nottingham Tennis tournament (8-16 June 2019).

The team would like to hear from potential volunteers who will be 16 or older at the time the event takes place and free for a minimum of three days during the tournament. An interest in tennis, events and great customer care is also helpful. The deadline for volunteer applications is Sunday 17 February.

In June 2019, the city will again host a week-long tournament at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. Having seen a sold-out finals weekend in 2018, the Nature Valley Open will combine a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) International (celebrating its fifth year) with a men’s top level Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour event; attracting the stars of men’s and women’s tennis as they prepare for The Championships, Wimbledon.

Demand is expected to be extremely high for places. Over 200 people registered for last week’s Ball Crew auditions aimed at younger volunteers. Being involved with the tournament offers many advantages and opportunities for those willing to take part. These include:

– Have fun and meet new people with the backdrop of a world-class tennis tournament!

– Gain experience and specific training in event volunteer roles

– Add valuable experience to your CV

– Enjoy lunch and refreshments provided on site each day

– Chance to watch the tennis during allotted breaks

– Access discounted tickets to the event for family and friends

– Tournament branded uniform

– A souvenir tournament programme for every volunteer

– Free car parking in the tournament car park

Volunteers can expect to undertake a mixture of roles including court stewarding, ticket checking and wayfinding. More specific roles include practice court supervisors, ‘Explore Wimbledon’ supervisors, merchandise stand supervisors, information point operators, participation assistants, buggy drivers and player services hotel assistants (off-site).

The organisers aim to arrange individual timetables to offer a different role each day on site. This will offer a better, more varied tournament experience as well as the chance to work alongside lots of different people. There are some additional specific roles for which applicants can register an interest, later in the application process.

Applicants may also be required to undergo an LTA Enhanced DBS check for specific roles.

Volunteers should be available throughout the tournament from qualifying on 8 June through to the finals on 16 June. The minimum commitment is three days across the week. Days run from 9am-7pm (approximately, depending on the close of play).

New applicants must attend a selection session at Nottingham Tennis Centre on one of the following dates (various times will be available to choose from):

– Monday 11 March

– Tuesday 12 March

– Wednesday 13 March

All successful applicants (new or returning) who are offered a role at the 2019 tournament will be required to attend a training session at Nottingham Tennis Centre on either Saturday 1 or Sunday 2 June 2019.

Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities said: “One of the huge success stories of the Nature Valley Open is the strength of the volunteer programme. Volunteers perform a vital role as the public face of the tournament, ensuring spectators and players have a positive, enjoyable and safe experience. It will be their responsibility to provide an exceptional level of customer service to everyone on-site and to represent our city. Thank you in advance for giving up your time and sharing your skills to undertake this important role at the tournament.”

Rebecca James, Nature Valley Open WTA Tournament Director said “The feedback we receive about our Volunteers and Ball Crew each year is always fantastic and we are hugely grateful for their time and effort. They help to create a truly memorable experience for all the players, visitors and viewers of the tournament. We look forward to welcoming them all again this summer, particularly those who will be returning for their fifth year as we look to celebrate the five year anniversary of the WTA event!”

Applications are now open! Find out more and download a role description by visiting: www.lta.org.uk/NottinghamVolunteers. If you have any further questions please email: TeamNotts@lta.org.uk.

Stadiums from a plane [PHOTO]

Danny Last, an amateur photographer and Brighton fan who has long been documenting football has kicked off a hit Instagram channel ‘stadiums from a plane’. The project started with a “throwaway tweet” back in December, according to Last. He has received photos from Molineux, Anfield and Stamford Bridge, and more local institutions like Grimsby’s Blundell Park and Canvey Island’s Park Lane. The’ve also arrived from South America, Mexico and the United States; most of Europe including Spain, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal, Poland, Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Greece.

Screenshot of Stadiums from a Plane Instagram channel with plane wing and engine and stadiums below.

STADIUM DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Luton, Workington, Everton finance

The Planning Control Committee at Luton Borough Council has approved planning permission to build the new Luton Town stadium at Power Court. During the meeting, the Development Control Committee was addressed by Luton Town Chief Executive Gary Sweet, and 2020 Developments associates Sean McGrath and Michael Moran who laid out the many benefits that the new stadium would bring to the Club and the community at large.

In his closing remarks, Gary Sweet also demonstrated the Club’s ambition, were the developments to go ahead.

“It would instantly elevate our footballing ambition to another level. If Leicester City in a new surrounding can win the Premier League, then so can we, it will increase our support base and make sure Luton Town are permanently financially viable going forward.”

Workington wellness

Workington Council is making new stadium plans key to the council’s bid to be a host for Rugby League World Cup games in 2021 which, if successful, would give an additional boost to the economy and promote sport in the area.

Speaking at a recent Executive meeting, Alan Smith, Leader of the Council said: “This project is all about bringing these sporting facilities into the 21st century. It is a major redevelopment of the area which meets many of the council’s objectives and a smaller proposal would not do this. But this is more than just a stadium. This is about being ambitious for our area and building a community facility which will be used by everyone and inspire the wealth of sporting talent in the area.”

Deputy Leader, Mark Fryer, said: “The project meets the priorities of the council and there is a strong economic and strategic case for it. The quality of it is due to the strong commitment of the partners, including the teams, the NHS and Sellafield, which collectively brings the vision for developing the area and building the great sporting facilities that we have before us today. ”

It is hoped that a planning application can be submitted by the end of January 2019. This has been delayed due to changes to the original design .

Late design changes to accommodate extra office space for workers from Sellafield have increased the estimated cost of the project by £10m, to around £25m. However, the increase in rental income helps to make the whole project more viable. It also meets the council’s priorities to boost the economy of Workington and make it more sustainable by bringing large numbers of workers into the town.

It is estimated the stadium would directly support 400 FTE jobs and 36 jobs indirectly, with a further 345 FTE jobs in the construction phase alone.

A full financial business case with operating and funding arrangements is still being devised and three potential funding models are being considered. The business case will go before council members and are subject to approval. The decisions are also subject to the granting of planning permission (application due Spring 2019). If everything is approved as planned, then construction is due to start in November 2019 with completion in the spring of 2021.

Everton’s financial muscle

Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri told the club’s general meeting that finance for the new stadium would come from a loan of around £350m from the private market, £100m expected from a naming and rights partner, and in the form of equity capital. Moshiri also said he is so committed to seeing the project through that he pledged his own money to assist in construction costs.

VENUE NEWS: St James’ Park to host Euro rugby finals; Headingley stand opens

The 52,000-capacity St James’ Park will be the centrepiece of Europe’s festival of world-class club rugby on 10 and 11 May 2019. The Challenge Cup final will be played at St James’ Park on the evening of Friday 10 May, with the blue-riband Heineken Champions Cup decider scheduled for the same venue the following day, Saturday 11 May.

Headingley hurrah

The new Tetley’s South Stand at the Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds has opened with a capacity of 2,200 seats and standing 5,500. Built by Caddick Construction over the last 18 months, it replaces the old 1930’s terrace. G&H Building Services designed and installed all mechanical and electrical works as part of its £5 million contract with Caddick Construction.

VENUE CLOSURES: Rockingham and Towcester

Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, has begun life as a ‘logistics hub’ for the car industry – in other words the exciting oval circuit has become a storage car park. A sad end to the track that opened in 2001 and once hosted the British Touring Cars Championship (BTCC) and British GT, could host 52,000 fans and cost £45m to build. The grandstands have been branded an eyesore and will be taken down.

Peter Hardman, the track’s chief executive, said: “We have known for quite a while that things were going to change.

“There are a lot of tracks in the UK and it’s a very hard business to sustain and Rockingham is a very expensive venue to keep operating.”

Towcester totalled

A couple of dozen miles away the horse jump racing track at Towcester remains closed after financial failure. The management’s foray into greyhound racing has resulted in closure across the board. Various news stories about a purchase and re-opening have as yet come to nothing. The area is expanding its housing footprint and a good bet would be this racecourse becoming the latest residential suburb.

Image of greyhound track in front of Towcester racecourse grandstand — Towcester Racecourse Company diversified into greyhound racing

FACILITY MANAGEMENT: IFMA benchmark report

Includes FM strategies for organizational agility and change management

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has released the latest product of its FM Research and Benchmarking Institute (RBI), the 2018 Operations and Maintenance: Qualitative Analysis Benchmarking Report. The report is a comprehensive analysis of the most recent operations and maintenance benchmarking survey of more than 2,000 individual responses representing 98,000 buildings in 35 industries. Of unique interest in this report is a section exploring facility management (FM) strategies for organizational agility and change management.

“Like the businesses they serve, FM professionals are themselves operating in a perpetual state of change,” said Nickolas A. Rocha, director of RBI. “Benchmarks have always captured a cross section of time to help inform strategic decisions, provide external validation or reveal operational shortcomings. For that reason alone, this report comes through in a big way, covering tools and tactics that define modern FM. On top of that, we’ve taken an extra step to ask FM professionals about their strategies for organizational agility. This analysis offers insights for how FM is thriving in a dynamic environment of change.”

The 2017 Operations and Maintenance Benchmarking Research Report focused primarily on financial metrics, while the Operations and Maintenance: Qualitative Analysis Benchmarking Report provides data from the United States and Canada on practices and tools being used by industry professionals in managing facility services quality. For example, the report describes outsourcing of in-house maintenance needs and preventive maintenance plans.

The report includes data-based insights that can translate into operational guidelines for:

Solid waste diversion
Legislative mandates
Energy management
Green janitorial training and programs
Maintenance management
Planning
Work requests and device usage
Satisfaction with and perception of information technology services
Benchmarking plans
Customer satisfaction survey use and frequency
Organizational agility

FM professionals will be able to utilize this report to conduct a variety of analyses to determine competitive performance standing and identify best practices in operations and maintenance. The report is available for purchase and immediate download at: bit.ly/ombenchmarks18. The cost is US$325 (US$205 for IFMA members).

TOP 5 VENUE FOCUS POINTS FOR 2019

Each venue manager will be implementing a 2019 plan of action but the industry as a whole in the UK has some common challenges and opportunities. Here are our top 5 for the coming year:

Fan engagement and education around behaviour

An increase in racist chanting at football has been widely condemned. But its return to the terraces shows that training staff to manage fan behaviour continues to be a priority. The organisations to help are available so venues should reach out to them for training and materials.

Cricket World Cup

The one-day version is in England this year and there are jobs and commercial opportunities to be taken up. Stadium capacities are in good shape and if ticket sales justify it, there will be extra temporary capacity to pencil in. The ECB will be ramping up its technical and operational teams and training up volunteers. Roll on the summer.

Green innovations

The government is on the cusp of bringing in a bottle deposit scheme for takeaway drinks so now is the time to benchmark your recycling systems against the best and to adjust for the coming legislation and change of behaviour amongst fans. And now you can buy green in so many departments, even the pitch. The latest synthetic pitches are being manufactured from CO2 so do your bit for carbon offset.

NFL and MLB in London

The influence of American sports on stadium design in London has been significant, at both Wembley and now White Hart Lane. The sell-out NFL games and fan villages at Wembley show us why. They give the NFL an international presence and wider fan base and the fans spend big at the host venues. The London Stadium hosting MLB is already a success in ticket terms. The venues’ staffs will get great learning experiences which they can take forward into their more regular seasons.

Rugby Premiership investment in facilities

If the Premiership sells a part share in its business, there are already commentators urging the spending of the income on facilities, not on players’ salaries. The wage cap will help. Venue managers need to be ready to get their bids in for training complexes, new non-matchday facilities and fan engagement innovations.

STADIUM DEVELOPMENT NEWS: Luton Town announcement due mid January; Stadium for Bath

A decision on whether Luton Town can build a new stadium will be made this month, more than two years after the planning application was submitted.

Plans for the Power Court stadium in the town centre, lodged with the council in August 2016, will be considered on 16 January.

A decision on the club’s development at Newlands Park, which will fund the project, will be made on 30 January.

Luton Borough Council said it had had to ensure it was a “robust” process.

Deputy leader, Labour’s Sian Timoney apologised for the delay and said there had been “so many different aspects that have slowed it down”.

“We appreciate this has a been frustrating period for fans, but there has been a lot of information submitted from a range of parties and our priority has always been about ensuring a robust and thorough process is followed,” she said.

Luton Town has identified Power Court site as ideal for a new stadium

Technical detail

The football club, which has played at Kenilworth Road for more than 100 years, wants to build a stadium with up to 23,000 seats, bars, restaurants, a 1,800-capacity live venue, hotel and car park and 550 apartments on the Power Court site.

Stadium for Bath crunch time in 2019

Stadium for Bath launched the final round of consultation on its vision to deliver a new sport, leisure and community-focused destination with a public exhibition in December. The Stadium for Bath project aims to build an 18,000-capacity venue including riverside regeneration, community use and a car park under a raised pitch.

Three sides would come together under a horse-shoe shaped, cantilever roof tapering downwards to reduce the visual impact from the outside, while providing clear views of the pitch and enhancing the atmosphere on the inside.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Investec Derby Festival continues with Keith Prowse

The Jockey Club has extended its agreement with Keith Prowse as official hospitality supplier at the Investec Derby Festival for an additional five years.

Epsom Downs Racecourse has been a venue for the sport of horse racing since the 17th Century, with the first running of the Oaks taking place in 1779 and the Derby a year later. Since that time the Investec Derby has developed into the World’s Greatest Flat Race and is now part of the unique and vibrant Investec Derby Festival.

Overhead photo of horses heading down the straight at Epsom.

Throughout the existing relationship, The Jockey Club and Keith Prowse have been recognised for re-imagining the hospitality offering at Epsom Downs Racecourse, engaging a new, younger audience by creating a clear tiering and pricing strategy and introducing a brand-new concept, The Winning Post. This contemporary offering which also hosts the official hospitality after-party is located on the inside of the racetrack metres from the finish line. The Winning Post has grown in popularity, regularly selling out in advance of the event, and is firmly recognised as one of the most popular facilities, praised by customers for its memorable atmosphere.

Phil White, Regional Director, London Region, Jockey Club Racecourses said: “The Jockey Club prides itself on staging thrilling sporting occasions including the Investec Derby Festival, one of the greatest race days and social occasions in the British summer calendar.

“We are pleased to extend our supplier agreement with Keith Prowse for another five years and are looking forward to working together to provide thousands of people with more special experiences through racing, music, food and entertainment.”

Andy Vinsen, Managing Director at Keith Prowse said: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Epsom Downs Racecourse and the Jockey Club. We spend significant time researching our guests’ wants and needs as well as benchmarking against wider high street trends and consequently we are bringing the latest in dining concepts to one of the UK’s foremost days out.

“The Festival at Epsom is a pinnacle in the summer season and our entertaining options match the very differing needs of the attendees. It goes without saying that we will carry on innovating over the next five years, mirroring the status of this iconic event while also reacting to the changing demands of our guests.”

FAILED PROJECTS 2018: Venue projects that didn’t make it

There may still be a spark of life in a Bristol arena for the suburbs, but the central Bristol arena, that has been in the works for some years now, won’t be built.

Bournemouth FC decided to put its stadium developments on hold.

The on/off Stadium of Cornwall was finally tackled out of bounds when central government didn’t match local government funding commitments. The attempt to bring professional sports together with local public and education funding faltered.

Rendering of how Stadium for Cornwall might look. — Rendering of how Stadium for Cornwall won’t now look.