The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN preparation for the inaugural international soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and the Jamaican “Reggae Boyz,”the National Sports Authority (NSA) has engaged the service of Nick Phillips to ensure that the turf on the infield of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium is in tip-top shape to play on next week.

Phillips, the deputy head of training grounds of Spurs, one of the top teams in the Premier League in England, has been in town for almost four weeks working on the new surface that has been imported from the United States. Phillips has been in charge of the layout and maintenance of the facility.

“It came across as a challenge for me at first,” said Phillips as he took a break from his daily routine at the stadium.

After spending three days just putting the new turf down, Phillips said he and the workmen put about 20 tons of soil on the seam and another 30 tons across the field to make sure that it was levelled.

“From there, it’s just been a process of really fertilising the field,” he said. “We’ve had to use a process of liquid feed so the heat won’t burn out the grass, which we’ve done every 4-5 days to get it green up. On Friday, we cut it so that it can get it growth and we just treated every day since.”

With about a week before the exhibition game is played 8pm Thursday, May 23, Phillips said there’s still a few patches that need to be fertilised, but he anticipates that over the next few days, it will be completely green.

“The most important thing is that it’s levelled and it’s stable,” Phillips said. “You can play a game on it now. There’s no problem with that. But in another week, it will definitely be fine for the game. It’s a big game. You have some big name players coming in, so it should be good.”

The exhibition game is the third international event to be staged in the new $50 million stadium that was a gift from the People’s Republic of China. It comes on the heels of the inaugural Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational on April 13. The stadium was christened with the hosting of the BTC CARITA Games over the Easter holiday weekend.

Soccer is expected to play a pivotal role in the operation of the stadium and the exhibition game will be a giant step in the way forward.

For Phillips, he believes that his job is a critical one and while he has certainly enjoyed himself so far, he couldn’t help but notice how he’s gotten a nice tan from his daily chores in the scorching sun.