INTERNATIONAL LEADERS IN PITCH MAINTENANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

One of the club's many areas of expertise is pitch maintenance, where Sevilla FC have an international example for several decades thanks to an innovative approach. Carlos Venegas, the club's head groundsman, has been central to this success and recently added four new members to prominent roles in the organisation of pitch sustainability events. 

Last October, Venegas was invited by the Bulgarian Golf Greenkeepers Association (BGGA) to its annual congress, held in Sofia, where he presented the club's strategy, centred on maximising water resources and moving away from the use of pesticides. As a club, we are involved in various research programs with the University of Sevilla which promote the use of environmentally-friendly biological products, an issue that Carlos Venegas also spoke about at a major event held in Paris in November, the '24h du Garzon Sport Pro,' where he was joined by representatives from Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Similar issues were also addressed at the end of 2023 at the Annual Congress of the Spanish Greenkeepers Association, held in Jerez de la Frontera. At this event, Sevilla FC again played a leading role in discussions on pitch maintenance and sustainability. The club has recieved international recognition for years thanks to the implementation of a strategy based on the use of two types of plants, one for summer and one for winter, a key decision given the intensity of the climate in Sevilla. Moreover, in recent years, the club has stood out for the use of a type of a new grass type that reduces water consumption by more than 30%, a crucial factor due to the perpetual threat of drought in the region. 

At the start of 2024, Carlos Venegas was once again asked by the Sports Fields Manager Association to participate in the 'Congreso Americano de Superficies de Céspedes' in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event discussed the latest turfs being used and new techniques in maintenance, machinery and digitalisation of sports fields. One of the main seminars talked about designing pitches and drainage systems capable of hosting future World Cup matches. Also, Venegas had the opportunity to visit the state-of-the-art facilities at Inter Miami, sharing experience and knowledge.

Finally, Vanegas went to Milan in February to speak at the MYPLANT & GARDEN event. The club's maintenance programme is being looked at by clubs all over Europe as the perfect example of how to treat the pitch in hot conditions, with high temperatures becoming more common across the world.