Case Study - Columbus Crew

CASE STUDY
KEEPING
UP WITH
THE
CREW
ANDREW
NORTHEIM
HEAD GROUNDSKEEPER, COLUMBUS CREW, OHPC
Words Blair Ferguson | Pictures Drew Horton © Columbus Crew
Case Study - Columbus Crew.indd 1 16/01/2024 23:27

CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
Soil Scout is awesome technology
to have once you have it and
know how reliable it is
The Columbus Crew hold their own story in the history of
Major League Soccer. As MLS’ first franchise, its evolution
has mirrored the league’s, and on and off the field, it’s
been a case of keeping up with the Crew.
Opening in 1999, Historic Crew Stadium was the United
States’ first purpose-built professional soccer arena, signalling the
league’s development. Many teams have followed in building their own
soccer-specific stadium, but the Crew haven’t stood still.
The possibility of relocation loomed over the franchise, but in 2019,
Dee and Jimmy Haslam, Whitney and JW Johnson and long-time team
physician Dr. Pete Edwards received operating rights of the club and
made their intentions known with investment.
In 2021, the 20,371 capacity Lower.com Field and the renovation of
OhioHealth Performance Center (OHPC), connected to Historic Crew
Stadium, ushered in a new era for the two-time MLS Cup winners.
For nine years, Head Groundskeeper at OHPC, Andrew Northeim,
has been part of the Crew’s journey and seen the transition to best-inclass
facilities. When he joined in 2014 after graduating from The Ohio
State University with a Bachelor’s of Science, Andrew worked at both
facilities and gained valuable knowledge before taking his current role
in 2018.
The development of OHPC was an opportunity to gain field
construction experience and, with the positive backing of the new
owners, embrace the best field technology the industry had to offer.
“When we were initially brought in on the build and heard that SubAir
and hydronic heating was included, it was a pretty big thing,” Andrew
explains. “Knowing that our ownership was willing to invest in the
facilities and fields was a big step.
Andrew Northeim
the latest technology, trying it out, seeing what I like, and seeing if there
is anything bigger and better out there.
“Seeing what Soil Scout could do with SubAir and our hydronic
heating was eye-opening – how they control and automate those
systems together seamlessly, while watching the data, moisture and soil
temperatures from wherever you are is a game changer.
“Once I looked into it, I saw Soil Scout isn’t a new technology, it’s
a technology that keeps improving, and more and more people are
realising it’s a benefit to groundskeepers across the globe like it has been
in agriculture.
“We have SubAir in two of our training fields, but we have three and a
half grass fields. After about six months, I quickly realised that I needed
to get more Soil Scouts in the other fields. We were given 36 sensors from
the original build, and we’re currently on our way to 60+.
“The sensors are just as valuable on the fields without SubAir, because
we can see which fields don’t dry out as quickly. They need their inputs
at different times, and with Soil Scout in them, we can measure that and
prevent waste.”
Subtle differences have become easier to spot for Andrew. Noticing
when pitches are beginning to dry out is one, but watering that area
separately without concern for the rest of the field and saving water is
the real benefit.
By using the Soil Scout cloud, he has streamlined his view of
the pitches. A glance can reveal any variabilities in soil moisture or
temperature, whilst looking a little deeper reveals short and long-term
trends.
The placement of the sensors drives this information. Andrew
is already working at multiple depths of three and six inches, but a
successful trial of the new Soil Scout dual sensor has shown him how
that process will be enhanced further.
“Multiple depths are significant for us because that is what runs the
hydronic heating,” he explains. “It goes off of the three-inch average soil
temperature. If that drops below a half degree, then the heating kicks in.
“You have to rely on those to run the system, and we have no issues
with that. It’s an awesome technology to have once you have it and know
how reliable it is.”
Time doesn’t stand still in MLS for long. Superstars such as David
Beckham come as players and return as club owners, and the league’s
stature grows to attract this generation’s greatest player, Lionel Messi.
Matching the pace of change is imperative so you’re not left behind,
but in the Crew, MLS has a team setting the pace from a grounds
perspective, which Andrew thinks benefits the league.
“Being in this league for nine years, it has grown immensely. Just
being on the groundskeeping side, you see all of the new facilities and
teams coming in, building new stadiums and training fields, and putting
in the right technologies for those fields.
“I think that goes a long way from the groundskeeping side in
improving the league for the long term. It’s been crazy from where we’ve
come from at our old training fields and even our old stadium.
“Our old stadium was great, other teams loved coming here, but it
was just a sand-based system that hadn’t been replaced since 2006.
So it was a 14-year-old field we did what we could with, and going from
that to having all this, it shows there’s a lot of new technology in the
groundskeeping world that will help us become even better.
“Ours was the first stadium built, and we were the first team in the
league. Now we have our second stadium and OHPC, so I’d say Columbus
Crew knows you have to keep growing with the league.”
“At our old training facility, we barely had drainage. It was clay soil
with maybe a couple of inches of sand on top, and anytime it rained, we
had puddles across the fields, which we called bird baths.
“So, getting 10 inches of sand for our soil system was great, but having
the SubAir and hydronic heating on top of that was the icing on the
cake.”
Having these technologies in two of the three and a half fields is
one thing, but controlling and monitoring them is another. After being
introduced to Soil Scout and all it would do for the groundskeeping team,
Andrew quickly utilised them across the site.
“Over the years being in groundskeeping, my biggest positive is that
I’m not afraid to try anything new technology or equipment based. I love
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CASE STUDY
Watching the data, moisture and
soil temperatures from wherever
you are is a game changer
Andrew Northeim
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