ADO grounds team impresses
in first year on natural grass

In his first season as a groundsman at contractor AH Vrij, Bo Videler’s performances have earned ADO Den Haag a second place in the mid-season rankings of the VCCS pitch competition. A big compliment to contractor AH Vrij and the club that, for the first time in years, is playing its home games on natural grass since the switch from artificial grass last summer. How did they get this far so fast?

Bo Videler was a gardener for twenty-two years until last summer, when he became the new groundsman of ADO Den Haag. While he may still be rookie, his results are of the highest standard. This performance and the praise he gets for it put a smile on his face. But the results do not come easily and just like all groundsmen, he faces many challenges. Especially the low amount of light and heat in these winter months are a real challenge for Bo when recovering the grass after games.

In order to overcome this challenge, ADO Den Haag use grow lighting technology to emit the right amount of light energy and heat to allow the grass to grow in winter. Since the summer of 2020, Bo has been working with the BU50 and LU120 grow lights. “The grow lights are perfect for repairing damaged goal mouths and warm-up areas and it helps greatly with germination after overseeding. Whenever I use the BU50 on pre-germinated seed, it only takes about 48 hours to get my grass back. It’s terrific!”

The BU50 grow light fits well within ADO Den Haag’s limited budget and has proven to be a handy and effective tool. “The results are impressive. As a groundsman, I would definitely recommend the BU50 to all clubs with a restricted budget and in the Dutch Eredivisie.”

In addition, he gets the help of SGL agronomist Mark Wubben regarding the use of his units. “Together with Mark we determine when and where to use the lights for the best possible results, while using my grow lights in the most efficient way possible.”