Showcase Chelsea F.C. 2024
The event will take place on Tuesday, 26 November, 2024, at Stamford Bridge in London, United Kingdom.
About the SGL Showcase
With successful editions last year at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, the Estadi de la Cerámica at Villareal Cf in Spain, and the Allianz Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia. It’s now time for the SGL Showcase to be hosted at Stamford Bridge in London.
During this unique event, we’ll showcase ways of high-level pitch management with a focus on LED grow lighting. Highly regarded (guest) speakers will share their knowledge and experience through practical examples. During the pitch visit and live demos, you will see the latest technology in action. And of course, there will be plenty of time to network with fellow industry professionals.
Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge is one of the oldest football grounds in the country and has been the home of Chelsea Football Club since their formation in 1905. Originally opened as a sporting arena on 28 April 1877, the Bridge was initially used almost exclusively for athletics meetings by the London Athletic Club. Over its history, the ground has transformed from a large oval shape to a modern stadium with all four sides close to the pitch, and it now boasts a capacity of around 40,000.
The pitch at Stamford Bridge is currently managed by Paul Burgess, Director of Global Sports Surfaces and Landscaping at Chelsea F.C. In 2005, while at Arsenal, Paul became the first in the world to use HPS lighting for full pitch treatment. Now, he is pioneering again as the first in the UK to treat a full pitch with LED grow lighting.
Paul Burgess
Paul Burgess might be the most renowned turf management specialist in the world. He won five Premier League Groundsman of the Year awards during his tenure at Arsenal F.C. before joining Real Madrid in 2009. At Real Madrid, he made a significant impact as the Director of Grounds and Environment. In 2020, he embraced a new challenge at AS Monaco, where he played a key role in developing and delivering their unique training facility at the new performance center. Since 2023, Paul has been back in the UK as the Director of Global Playing Surfaces and Landscaping at Chelsea F.C., where he oversees all aspects of pitch and landscape management at Stamford Bridge, Kingsmeadow Stadium, and Europe’s largest football training facility in Cobham, featuring 38 pitches.
In 2005, Paul was the first to purchase HPS grow lights from SGL to treat an entire pitch at Arsenal F.C. Now, 19 years later, he continues to lead innovation by being the first in the UK to treat a full pitch with LED grow lighting technology at Chelsea F.C. This advancement in Paul’s agronomy strategy allows the Premier League’s busiest pitch to host even more events, while enhancing turf quality, reducing energy costs and carbon footprint, and setting a new standard as the sector transitions to LED technology.
Programme
| 09:30 | Welcome & coffee |
| 10:00 | LED transition: learnings so far by Simon Gumbrill |
| 10:45 | Presentation by Charles Henderson |
| 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:45 | Panel discussion |
| 12:45 | Guest speaker presentation |
| 13:15 | Lunch |
| 14:15 | Pitch visit & presentation |
| 15:30 | Questions & closing |
| 16:00 | Networking drinks |
| 18:00 | End programme |
Speakers
Charles Henderson
Charles Henderson is the owner of OBI Sports, where he oversees Agronomy and Capital Projects, working with elite sports clubs and governing bodies to deliver top-tier sports turf surfaces and manage significant tournaments. Charles earned his bachelor’s degree in Turf and Turfgrass Management from the University of Central Lancashire in 2003 and has since gained over 20 years of experience in the industry. His career has taken him from New Zealand to the UK, working across various sectors, including the golf industry and the Premier League. Charles has been involved in numerous high-profile projects, such as Celtic F.C.’s mid-season improvements, Hull City AFC’s pitch reconstruction, and the upgrade of Birmingham City F.C.’s stadium and training ground. He also collaborates closely with Paul Burgess on Chelsea F.C.’s Turf Masterplan, showcasing his expertise in creating and maintaining world-class sports surfaces. Charles continues to lead OBI Sports in delivering exceptional results for top sports organizations.
Stephen Bache
Stephen Bache is the Head Groundsman at Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium. Home to Queen’s Park F.C. and the Scottish national football team, Hampden Park accommodates up to 51,000 spectators.
Stephen oversees a team of four groundsmen. They are equipped with the latest LED grow lighting technology, which has helped them achieve remarkable results. Despite the challenging conditions, including a dark winter and heavy rainfall, the team has done an exceptional job revitalizing the pitch, reaching an impressive pitch quality of 90% last season.
Stephen is a familiar face at SGL, having hosted part of our 2024 Masterclass at Hampden Park and featured in a detailed case study, which you can read here. We are excited to have Stephen join our panel discussion at the Chelsea F.C. Showcase!
Aaron Tong
Aaron Tong joined Hull City in 2016 and has worked his way up to Head Groundsman, a position he has held for three years now. He leads a team of eight groundsmen at Hull City’s MKM Stadium and training ground, where they manage the multi-purpose stadium, home to Hull City A.F.C. and Hull F.C.. Aaron and his team managed to get this high-pressured pitch last season to top-quality with the help of LED grow lighting technology. With a complete pitch renovation done last summer, Aaron and his team are ready to take on every challenge this season.
We spoke to Aaron earlier this year about the challenges he faces at Hull City, their commitment to sustainability and why the club chose to invest in LED grow lighting units. Curious to read his whole story? Read the full interview here. We’re very excited for Aaron to share his insights in person during our panel discussion!
Simon Gibson
Simon Gibson is Head of Grounds of Leicester City F.C. and with his team winner of the Grounds Team of the Season award for the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship. This success follows the Grounds team’s honours at the Grounds Management Association awards earlier this season, where they were winners in two categories: Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year and Environmental and Sustainability Impact award.
Simon has been with Leicester City F.C. for over 25 years, starting as a Groundsman at Filbert Street in 1998. Since then, he has held various roles, working at both the training ground and the King Power Stadium, ultimately rising to his current position as Head of Grounds.
SGL UK Team
Millenium Hotel
The Millennium Hotel offers a memorable stay in one of the city’s most dynamic districts. The hotel is located directly at Stamford Bridge, making it the ideal location to stay the night before the showcase to make sure you’re right on time. Start your event day without any stress about traveling to the stadium and book your room for our special SGL rate. If you want to make use of this, you can indicate this in the registration form below. You will then receive a link from us by email to make your booking.
The rate will be 180 GBP (including VAT and breakfast) per room per night and will be valid until Monday, 28 October. Please note: limited hotel rooms are available, so first come, first served.
Registration form
Terms and Conditions
- Commercial parties are not allowed to participate in this event.
- SGL reserves the right, at any time, to decline event registrations or close registrations early if it deems the number of registrations to be excessive.
- A maximum of 2 people per club/venue/company is allowed to participate.
- If the maximum number of registrants is reached, SGL reserves the right to place individuals on a waiting list until new availability arises.
- Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Participation in the programme is free of charge.
- SGL offers a hotel option, but you are responsible for booking and payment of the hotel.
- Transport to and from the event has to be arranged by yourself and are at your own expense.
- Personal information provided during registration will be used solely for event coordination purposes and will not be shared with third parties without prior consent.
- By attending the event, participants consent to the use of their image and likeness in event-related photos and videos for promotional purposes in the futute.
Cancellation
- If you are already registered, but can no longer participate, please inform us by sending an email to: marketing@sglsystem.com
