A one-on-one comparison with HPS convinces Oliver Deeming about LED technology
FC Copenhagen’s Head Groundsman shares his career story, his vision and how he trialed LED grow lighting technology
A few years ago, Oliver Deeming would’ve never believed you if you told him he’d end up working abroad — in a football stadium where the sun doesn’t touch the pitch from October to February and the average winter temperature sits around 1°C. Oh, and that in his very first year, he’d be voted both Employee of the Year and Colleague of the Year.
We sat down with FC Copenhagen’s British Head Groundsman to talk about his work in Denmark, how he’s bringing his own vision to life in a stadium with a retractable roof, and what it’s been like trialling LED grow lighting technology.
From UK rugby to Danish football
Working in football wasn’t part of Oliver’s original plan. His heart has always been in rugby. He played the sport for many years and began his groundskeeping career at his local rugby club, later joining Northampton Saints, a professional rugby union team in England.
“My original dream was to become Head Groundsman at Twickenham Stadium (red. England’s national rugby stadium),” he says. “But football offered more chances to grow — with better training, more education, and clearer career opportunities.”
In 2021, he made the move to Tottenham Hotspur, taking on the role of Stadium Assistant Groundsman at their brand-new, hypermodern stadium. Two and a half years later, looking for more responsibility, he transferred to the club’s training ground to step into a more senior position. “I started overseeing daily tasks and gained some responsibility, but the manager still made the key decisions and set the strategy.” That experience, however, only fueled Oliver’s ambition. “I always wanted to be a Head Groundsman and lead my own team by the time I turned 30. I know I look older, but I promise I’m still young — haha.”
So, when his old manager at Spurs was asked if he knew someone ready to take on a Head Groundsman role, he recommended Oliver. Even though the opportunity was in Denmark, Oliver didn’t hesitate. “Moving abroad went really well. It wasn’t something I had planned, but the city and the people are amazing — that really helped me settle in. I’d recommend working abroad to anyone if the opportunity comes along. It might not come around again.”
A prize-winning vision
Oliver made quite an impact in his first year at FC Copenhagen — so much so that he was voted Employee of the Year by management, and Colleague of the Year by his teammates. A double honour, but he remains modest about it. “I’d rather see a ‘Department of the Year’ award than highlight one person, because I really couldn’t have done it without my two colleagues,” he says.
Now, as Head Groundsman, he’s the one setting the strategy for pitch management. “That’s the beauty of this role — I can implement my own vision when it comes to maintenance and nutrition plans, and reach our goals in the way I believe works best,” he says proudly.
So, how does he bring that vision to life? “The first important thing is consistency. The pitch here in Copenhagen has been very inconsistent for many years. Once I establish that consistency, I can start adapting my management style — for example, by focusing on sustainability, reducing chemical use, and cutting back on fertilisers and water.”
Lighting plays a key part in that vision too. “My approach to grow lighting is about finding the sweet spot. I want to reduce lighting input to be more sustainable, while still delivering a high-quality pitch. Grow lights are a supplementary tool — they’re there if you need them, and we definitely do. I think it’s really important to use your equipment and resources to the best of their ability.”
Creating a microclimate
Talking about lighting — how is it to create a microclimate in Parken Stadium, which has a retractable roof? “That was a completely new situation for me,” Oliver says. “But we actually use the roof as a management tool. I try to keep it open as much as possible, because closing it means no airflow or natural light, which puts the grass under stress. Luckily, we have nine LU440 HPS grow lights and six fans to help create an artificial environment when needed.”
Always looking for ways to improve, Oliver has recently started trialling LED grow lighting technology to see how it compares to HPS with his own eyes. “I was very impressed with the LED unit – genuinely impressed. The key thing for me was to see if we could reach the same quality as with HPS, and I feel it more than matches it.
To really test it, Oliver set up a direct comparison: using LED in one goal area and HPS in the other. “Neither area got any sunlight during the winter period, and we’ve just come out of the winter break — so it was the perfect opportunity to see how both areas would respond. We managed to get 100% coverage in both goal areas using both lights. It was my first time working with LED technology, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But this gives me the confidence that you can get the same amazing results with LED as with HPS.”
“I was very impressed with the LED unit – genuinely impressed. The key thing for me was to see if we could reach the same quality as with HPS, and I feel it more than matches it.”
Oliver’s verdict
Oliver sees a change happening in the market about grow lighting technology “Big clubs like Chelsea F.C. and Manchester City F.C. are going all-in on LED, I think that says a lot about the technology. Plus, I’ve seen the results with my own eyes.”
So, has LED technology passed Oliver’s test? “Yes, I’m definitely converting to the LED side after this trial! It’s a certainty that we’re going to save money because we don’t need to run the heat all the time. By steering the heat ourselves, we can avoid heat stress, which saves us money on water and fertilizer. I’m 100% convinced.”
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