Performance Assessment of Sports Surfaces (PASS)
Overview
“At some point during most winters, many territorial authorities would struggle to provide good quality surfaces on a large proportion of their grounds,” says Andrew Mitchell of the NZ Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI). New Zealand’s wet winters generally drive the difficulties. But population growth, reduced green space and changes in usage patterns all mean council sports field resources around the country are under more pressure than ever before.
Performance Assessment of Sports Surfaces (PASS) is an initiative to help local authorities respond to the challenges. PASS provides a system and series of tools for assessing sports field performance. It offers all councils the potential to benchmark the performance of their fields, plan usage and upgrades - and generally get the best from their ongoing investment.
Background & partners
PASS complements the Sports Field Demand Model and Toolkit, which helps local authorities to assess the capacity and usage of their sports fields. This free Toolkit is available at the SPARC website.
There’s also a case study about the project development of this Toolkit.
The PASS system and toolkit has been developed by, and is a product of, the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI). NZSTI is New Zealand's leading sports turf consultancy group; they are seen by SPARC as the country’s standard setting body for turf maintenance and management.
The two-year PASS pilot project (2007-09) involved councils in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Kapiti, Tauranga, Hamilton, Manukau and Auckland. The NZSTI’s research and development was co-funded and facilitated by SPARC and FoRST, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. While sports field planning solutions exist in the UK and Australia, the PASS system is more comprehensive and follows a standardized methodology that is tailored for New Zealand’s unique conditions.
The initiative
To ensure robust, consistent and timely data, PASS follows a defined, six-step process. Depending on a council’s needs, a number of optional elements can also be included in the PASS system. Here’s an outline of how it works:
Step 1 – The sports field manager identifies the need for PASS. The need could be identified from: knowledge of high demand putting fields under strain; fields having a known history of poor performance; ground closures; low usage and/or high usage of fields demanding rationalization or upgrades.
Step 2 – PASS self-evaluation analysis. NZSTI forwards an analysis form. Answers can be completed online or on paper. Questions are designed to help tailoring of the PASS assessment to needs of the individual sports field. When the analysis has been returned, staff from NZSTI meet with the Council to establish key requirements.
Step 3 - Council questionnaire. Following the meeting, a questionnaire is sent out. Again, answers can be completed online or on paper. The first part relates to all the Council’s fields, confirming things like contact details, and number of parks/fields. The second part relates to specific fields, confirming field construction, dimensions, maintenance practices and usage.
Step 4 - Field performance assessments. An expert assessment of identified fields is undertaken by NZSTI-certified personnel. The tests are taken at specific field locations depending on the sport played, with a focus on areas of maximum stress. Aspects which are assessed include: soil profiles, texture, structure, moisture content and contamination; percentage of ground cover, turf species identification and weed contamination, earthworm surface casting, surface hardness, field evenness and slope. Additional tests can include water infiltration, surface traction and earthworm numbers. All data is entered into the PASS database.
Step 5 - Field agronomic assessment. An assessment of the fields is undertaken by a qualified Agronomist, normally at the same time as step 4. This provides expert advice on which management practices can be changed to optimise field performance, taking into account the site, desired level of performance and/or usage.
Step 6 - Information analysis and development of options. The performance assessment is analysed against recommended performance standards for sports fields. NZSTI provides a comprehensive report, recommended changes to field management and options for upgrading - along with a cost/benefit analysis for all recommendations. NZSTI has also developed a series of decision trees to clarify upgrade options for key field management issues including poor winter and summer performance, and increased winter and summer demand.
Councils buying into the PASS system have secure online access to data for their own sports fields, as well as averaged nationwide data. “The intention is that councils will be able to update and monitor their own data,” explains Andrew.
Key benefits
“PASS has the potential to provide councils with a powerful planning tool, supporting effective usage and management of their sports fields,” explains Andrew. “Ultimately the development and transfer of this technology will mean higher quality, safer and cost effective playing surfaces for sports and recreational user groups.” In addition, market research suggests that PASS may have export potential.
PASS can help councils to:
- Identify the current state of a field and whether a ground closure should take place.
- Track and forecast usage each field can withstand through a season – the environment, field type and other variables make a huge difference.
- Measure performance of contracted grounds maintenance staff.
- Call on a reliable asset management tool to plot renovation programmes.
- Plan upgrade options - NZSTI can advise and manage on upgrade projects.
Looking ahead
PASS became commercially available in February 2009 and will soon be promoted as widely as possible by NZSTI. “We would like PASS to be available to as many councils as will take it on,” notes Andrew. “The more data we get in, the more robust the data coming out.”
Importantly, the PASS methodology is not overly complicated. This opens up the option of council staff being trained to undertake measurement and analysis themselves, if councils choose such an approach. “We’ll sell PASS as a complete package – but we can customize it to each council as their needs evolve,” Andrew says.
Contacts and links
To know more about PASS, please visit www.nzsti.org.nz, email Andrew Mitchell on amitchell@nzsti.org.nz or call 06 356 8090.
Updated | 05 May 2009.
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