When it comes to expert turf curation, management, construction and repair, there’s no-one quite as qualified as the team behind the iconic Adelaide Oval.
Known the world over for its immaculate playing surface, competitive drop in cricket pitches, grassy Northern Mound and beautifully landscaped surrounds, Adelaide Oval sets the global standard for high performing sporting venues.
Its Grounds Team, led by Head Curator Damian Hough, is widely regarded as the best in the business, regularly sought out to consult to other venues. And that got us thinking.
Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions brings the team and its unparalleled expertise and high-quality workmanship to sporting grounds, clubs and community spaces across South Australia and beyond.
Get in touch with the experts at Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions to take your turf to an elite level.
What we do
Tailored solutions that get the most out of your turf, working to your goals and budget. Following an onsite or online consult with one of our team, your bespoke program may include:
Renovations
Transform your turf with a custom renovation program that leverages decades of experience at Adelaide Oval. Whether you’re putting the Turf Solutions team to work on an oval, wicket block or open turf area, expect quality workmanship across scarification, grooming, aeration, top dressing, spraying and more.
MAINTENANCE
Following a consult, seasonal renovation or reconstruction, the Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team will work with you on a maintenance program that suits your needs. From simple mowing schedules to more comprehensive turf nutrition, aerating and linemarking, the team can work with onsite staff or come on board to manage the surface personally.
Turf Consultation
Tap into Adelaide Oval’s expertise with a consult from one of its world-renowned grounds team. Onsite visits will inform tailored advice that is then either handed back to your team or calls in the experts for further renovation, repair or reconstruction work. A great starting point or professional resource.
Construction & Reconstruction
Sometimes, there’s no other option but to build from the ground up (literally). For spaces that are beyond renovation or ready for a new life as a playing surface, Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions offers total redesign and construction services including civil, drainage, irrigation, growing media installation and laying turf.
Pitch Curation & MAINTENANCE
How does a wicket block handled by the world’s best curators sound? The very team that roll out pitches on the hallowed turf at Adelaide Oval can prepare, roll and maintain wicket blocks at your club or community oval so that you can get the most out of your summer of cricket.
Drop-in Pitch Design & Construction
When drop-in cricket pitches were introduced to Adelaide Oval in 2013, it quite literally changed the game. The Turf Solutions team now offers custom drop-in tray design and installation, with the option to build in South Australia and ship globally or work with local suppliers.
Meet the team
With decades of experience curating one of the world’s most beautiful sporting grounds, the Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team are the very best at what they do.
Recent Work
Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions has been tasked with delivering ten drop-in pitches for the New York venue hosting eight games of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – including a 9 June blockbuster between India and Pakistan. Drop-in trays, designed and fabricated in Adelaide, were shipped to Florida in late 2023 where Damian Hough worked with US-based sports turf experts LandTek to fill and lay the pitches with native grass. After incubating in Florida’s warmer weather, they were transported by road to New York via a convoy of more than 20 semi-trailer trucks in late April 2024.
Four are installed at purpose-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium and the remaining six at neighbouring practice facilities. The Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions team will remain in New York through May and June 2024 to assist local grounds crews in pitch maintenance throughout the World Cup, ensuring world-class pitches that will set the stage for unforgettable cricket.
In 2023, South Australia was chosen as the destination for the AFL’s inaugural Gather Round – all nine games in an AFL round played in our home state. Adelaide Oval hosted six over four days, with the grounds team responsible for ensuring the playing surface remained at its absolute best for every game. SANFL’s Norwood Oval was set to host two games, and the AFL enlisted Turf Solutions to perform an intense amount of turf work in a short period to assist and support Norwood Football Club that year – and again in 2024.
“Adelaide Oval delivered two dedicated grounds staff weekly for ten weeks, getting our turf perfect ahead of this landmark event that would bring our ground under national scrutiny. As I am the only staff member overseeing the playing surface and facilities, Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions provided the support, shared expertise, and worked closely with us to immaculately prepare the playing surface, ensuring it was ready for the pinnacle of our sport in a very tight time frame.”
Barry Solomon, Grounds Manager
Norwood Football Club
This Adelaide Hills ground has faced what most suburban grounds do – extremely high use with no recovery time and a lack of resources to repair it, given the volunteer-run nature of the local club it serves. Damian Hough and the Turf Solutions team undertook a mammoth renovation process – auditing and fixing irrigation, coring, sanding, fertilising and more. The team now check back in quarterly to renovate and repair as required, getting it into good shape for the footy and cricket seasons ahead.
“Nairne Oval is at the heart of our community and is heavily used by players of all ages – from training to games and club events. Damian and his team laid out our options for us and gave us a very clear picture of what was required to get it back into shape. They understood the cost implications for the club and managed them accordingly, designing a maintenance program that’s easy for us to implement until their next renovation.”
Brian Jaensch, President
Nairne Oval Committee
Working with Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Adelaide Oval Turf
Solutions designed and implemented a comprehensive maintenance program for the SA Athletics Stadium as well as the Women’s Memorial Playing Fields. This includes a seasonal renovation followed by regular mowing and spraying throughout the year. The team has been commended for their collaborative approach, professionalism and reliability as well as the consistently high standard of all turf surfaces.
“In my role overseeing playing surfaces at a number of SA Government sporting facilities I have faced the challenge of producing consistent, state level quality fields that can handle high usage. Damian Hough and the team from Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions have shown passion, a strong work ethic and, importantly for us, ongoing communication of options, reporting and flexibility. They work to our needs and around games, trainings and events. I am very grateful to have them on board and can see they are already helping us get the most out of the turf.”
Christo Karatsinidis, Facility and Operations Officer
Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing
Adelaide Oval’s grounds team has maintained the grass tennis
courts at neighbouring Next Gen Memorial Drive for 15 years. In that time, the grass courts have grown in quality and standard. The team were responsible for consulting and overseeing the turf installation of the 13 courts, and now handle seasonal renovations, mowing, spraying and line-marking.
“During the last 15 years Next Gen Memorial Drive has trusted and benefited from Adelaide Oval’s world-class grounds team with maintaining our grass courts. Led by Damian Hough, the team’s best practice ideologies, high attention to detail and communication has meant that we at Next Genare confident in their ability to deliver and maintain a world-class surface for our Memorial Drive Tennis Club members all year round.”
Stephen Wishart, General Manager
Next Gen Memorial Drive
