Sport events maintenance mishaps

It seems when things go well it goes unnoticed, however when things go horrendous, it’s the only thing people do notice.

With DPM likening the task of “cleaning up after a party attended by thousands”, Sports stadiums are extremely difficult to clean. There’s food stains to contend with, floors to clean and prepare for play, and changing rooms to wash down. The state of the grounds is reflective of the team, so it’s important that they are of a high standard. In fact, Newcastle United fans have recently aired their disappointment over the apparently unclean state of St James’ Park. With photos circling Twitter of dirty walls, unclean toilets, and damp marks, it’s clear that the presentation of the home ground is very important not only for the sport, but the fans too. It’s a big task to be sure, but an important one as well.

On the other hand, the results of mistakes can be quite a site to see! In this article, we explore a pick of some of the biggest cleaning and maintenance mishaps that have occurred at sports events and arenas across the globe…

Rio de Janeiro’s oddly green-ish pool

When not only one, but two pools at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 turned an emerald green colour it caused quite a stir. For a while, theories ran rampant in looking for the cause of the water’s strange hue. Was it algae? Heat? Dirt? Reflecting something?

Despite there being complaints from the water polo players about itchy eyes, the water was still deemed safe to use. Later, event organisers cited the incorrect use of hydrogen peroxide as the cause of the pool’s swampy tones. Hydrogen peroxide is indeed used to clean swimming pools, but it also neutralises chlorine. This in turn leads to algae appearing in the pool. It’s definitely a mishap when cleaning something makes it worse!

Some disagreed that the hydrogen peroxide was to blame for this, instead others speculated that copper sulphate caused not only the green coloured water, but the awful smell.

How not to maintain a golf course

How’s this for a maintenance mishap!

All the grassy fairways at Haywards Heath Golf Club were single-handedly killed off by a Sussex Groundsman back in 2008. The Telegraph reported on the mishap, stating that 11 holes were destroyed on the course during the incident.

In order to keep the short grass in good condition, groundsmen tend to use a light-weed killer when tidying up fairways. But the groundsmen used Gallup 360, which is an industrial-strength herbicide. Oops.

This just proves that even professionals should take the time to read the warning label, since swathes of grass was left in dead, brown and bleak condition over the course.

Clay-court sweeping mishaps

In order to easily adjust your surroundings at life or at work, it’s good to ensure you are always aware of them.

However, this all-important pearl of wisdom seemed to be ignored by the groundsmen at the French Open. Three groundsmen were snapped as they cleaned the clay court back at the start of 2018. The clay ground of the tennis court needs to be swept in order to keep it level. It also helps to prevent any clay building up around the fences.

Unfortunately, whilst the groundsmen were doing a brilliant job, they were also creating a rather alarming image. The unfortunate positioning of the three as they swept in grand arcs over the clay caused the resulting sweep-marks to take on the image of something a little phallic. It didn’t last long, and the unintentional work of art was removed before the games began.

This wasn’t before it was shared all over social media, however.

A wet pitch is the last thing anyone wants

Checking your work is vital. But, as a result of not putting the tarp down properly, staff at Citizens Bank Park needed a quick fix to dry out the field enough for play.

Heaters were deployed as an initial attempt. After that failed, the situation took the next, tentative step up — flamethrowers. Yes, groundsmen were photographed tending to the damp pitch with flamethrowers, much to the amusement of Twitter.

Presumably, the ground was too saturated to catch fire – luckily. Unluckily however, the ground was still wet after the fiery solution.

Here with Fulcare, suppliers of one shot drain cleaner and other wholesale cleaning products, what have we learned? Firstly, make sure you know how chemicals will react when combined. Secondly, always, always read the label on products. Thirdly, keep an eye on what is going on around you. And lastly…if you need to resort to a flamethrower to try to clean or maintain anything, it’s a lost cause.