In just three years, JMB Sportsfield Services has earned a reputation as one of the leading sports ground maintenance contractors in the country. The company is headed up by John McBride, who hails from a well-known GAA family in Rathkenny. Anyone who attended this year's Meath senior football final between Navan O'Mahony's and Summerhill, or watched the game on television, would have noted the excellent condition of the Pairc Tailteann pitch. The company responsible for transforming Pairc Tailteann's surface into one of the best in Ireland, and indeed numerous other sports grounds in the greater Meath area, is JMB Sportsfield Services. Established in April 2005 and operating from Stackallen, Navan, the company has established itself as one of the foremost sports ground contractors, specialising in maintenance, renovation and drainage. "The last three years have flown by," says company founder John McBride, whose father Damien played football for Rathkenny for 30 years and captained them to a junior championship final victory over Moynalty. "We have built up a large customer base in that time and were obviously delighted to be given the contract as the main maintenance/renovation service contractors for Pairc Tailteann and Dunganny GAA pitches. We provide a comprehensive maintenance and renovation service for sports pitches and are kept busy I'm pleased to say." A green keeper by profession, John worked in Headfort Golf Club in Kells for eight years before deciding to set up his own company three years ago. He recalls: "When I was working in the Golf Club, I was asked by various GAA clubs if I could help them to improve their pitch surfaces. I basically saw a niche in the market and started at it on a part-time basis in 2004 before going full-time the following year." John was joined in the new venture in 2006 by his brother Damien junior, who is a member of the Rathkenny senior team. Wolfe Tones footballer Darren McGrath and Moynalty man David Kean have also since come on board. Like John, Damien, Darren and David are all qualified green keepers and were involved in the construction of the new 18-hold golf course at Headfort. "I cannot stress enough the importance of us all having green keeper backgrounds. We all worked in Headfort and the experience we gained there has proven invaluable. We maintain our football pitches to the same high standards as we would with a golf green or fairway. We work well together as a team and the other three lads have played as much of a role in the success of the company to date as I have," he says. According to John, the decision to set up JMB Sportsfield Services coincided with the decline in those willing to give of whatever free time they have to maintain their local GAA pitches. "We came along at a time when the Celtic Tiger was still roaring and people had less time to be doing things like cutting grass and marking pitches. The voluntary element was on the wane, but we were able to offer them a basic maintenance package which included fertilizing, sanding, verti-draining and grass cutting." He adds: "There is no doubt that pitch maintenance has now become a priority for GAA clubs. With the advent of floodlighting and the growth of ladies football and underage teams, their pitches are coming under more and more pressure and that's where we're able to help out." John claims he got his 'big break' when Gerry Gorman of the Meath & District League awarded him the contract to maintain its soccer pitches on the Trim Road, Navan. He was approached by St. Mary's, Donore and Navan O'Mahony's GAA clubs shortly after that, and before long numerous other clubs were queuing up to avail of his services. "Word got around about the work we were doing in St. Mary's and Navan O'Mahony's, and the whole thing mushroomed from there. We had clubs ringing looking for us to mark their pitches and cut their grass," he explains. "In 2007, Brendan Dempsey and Barney Allen from the Meath county board asked me if I'd be interested in maintaining Pairc Tailteann and Dungany, and I jumped at the chance. After all, it's on our doorstep and it provided us with an ideal opportunity to showcase the services we provide. "As one of the older sand-based pitches, Pairc Tailteann wasn't in the best of shape, so I set up a sanding, scarifying, fertilizing, cutting and aeration programme which has resulted in the carpet-like surface we have today. Since the new floodlights were installed last year, the pitch has been getting a lot more games and it's our job to make sure it is playable 12 months of the year." JMB Sportsfield Services' customers include GAA, soccer, rugby, golf and pitch and putt clubs in the greater Leinster area. The company also specialises in the installation of drainage systems to existing pitch surfaces. This year, it installed 26,000 linear metres of a gravel banding/slit drainage grid-iron system for both Drumconrath and Bective GAA clubs on their existing pitches. "A pitch will last a lifetime if it is properly maintained. The aftercare service it receives is all-important," John says. JMB Sportsfields Services has recently struck up an excellent working relationship with another Rathkenny-based company, Michael Rock Sportsfield Developments, which specialises in the construction of soil-based and sand-carpet pitches. After the pitch has been constructed by Michael, John and his team oversee the 'grow-in' and maintenance for a full year after seeding has taken place. JMB Sportsfield Services can also provide all-weather artificial turf mats for goalmouth and dugout areas. These mats, which can last up to seven years if they are regularly brushed and maintained, have proven to be extremely popular and are in use in Pairc Tailteann, Dungany and Simonstown. John has invested heavily in specialised machinery such as sand-spreaders, verti-drainers, over-seeders, drainage equipment and an oscillating brush, which is used for maintaining all-weather synthetic pitches. In summary, he provides the complete package as far as sports ground maintenance and renovation is concerned. For more information about JMB Sportsfield Services, why not give John McBride a call on 086-3330196 or 046-9024105. Tweet

Most Read Stories