Cleaning and Maintenance Mishaps at Sports Events

It goes unnoticed when it goes well, and is horrendously noticeable when it doesn’t go well.

Sports stadiums and arenas are very tricky venues to clean, with DPM Care likening the task to "cleaning up after a party attended by thousands". There’s food stains to contend with, floors to clean and prepare for play, and changing rooms to wash down. The state of the grounds is reflective of the team, so it’s important that they are of a high standard. In fact, Newcastle United fans have recently aired their disappointment over the apparently unclean state of St James' Park. With photos circling Twitter of dirty walls, unclean toilets, and damp marks, it’s clear that the presentation of the home ground is very important not only for the sport, but the fans too. It’s a big task to be sure, but an important one as well.

But when mishaps happen, the results can be quite unusual! Join us as we take a look at a selection of cleaning and maintenance mistakes that have happened at sports events and arena brought by Fulcare, supplier of wholesale cleaning products.

A splash of green: cleaning Rio de Janeiro’s swimming pool

The pools at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics caused quite a stir in 2016 when not one, but two swimming pools turned emerald green. For a while, theories ran rampant in looking for the cause of the water’s strange hue. Was it algae? Heat? Dirt? Reflecting something?

The water was deemed still safe to use, even with complaints from the water polo players about itchy eyes. Later, event organisers cited the incorrect use of hydrogen peroxide as the cause of the pool’s swampy tones. Hydrogen peroxide is indeed used to clean swimming pools, but it also neutralises chlorine. This in turn leads to algae appearing in the pool. It’s definitely a mishap when cleaning something makes it worse!

Not everyone agrees that hydrogen peroxide was to blame, as others speculated that copper sulphate caused not only the green coloured water, but the unpleasant smell.

Always read the label: maintaining a golf course

Talk about a maintenance mistake!

Back in 2008, a groundsman in Sussex managed to single-handedly kill off all the grassy fairways at Haywards Heath Golf Club. The Telegraph reported on the mishap, stating that 11 holes were destroyed on the course during the incident.

How did this happen? Well, when tidying up fairways, it’s common for groundsmen to use a light weed-killer to keep the short grass in top condition. But the groundsmen used Gallup 360, which is an industrial-strength herbicide. Oops.

The result of this was swathes of dead, brown grass over the course. It stands to reason that even professionals should pause to read the warning label!

When sweeping-lines align: cleaning a clay court

A good tip for life and work is to always be aware of your surroundings, so you can adjust if needs be.

It seems the groundsmen at the French Open did not know this all-important pearl of wisdom. At the start of 2018, three groundsmen were snapped as they cleaned the clay court. The clay ground of the tennis court needs to be swept in order to keep it level. It also helps to prevent any clay building up around the fences.

So, while the groundsmen were doing a great job, sadly, they were also creating quite a startling image in the clay. The unfortunate positioning of the three as they swept in grand arcs over the clay caused the resulting sweep-marks to take on the image of something a little phallic. It didn’t last long, and the unintentional work of art was removed before the games began.

But not before it appeared all over the internet.

Thinking a little too far outside the box: maintaining a wet pitch

It’s important to check your work. But, as a result of not putting the tarp down properly, staff at Citizens Bank Park needed a quick fix to dry out the field enough for play.

The initial attempt saw heaters deployed. After that failed, the situation took the next, tentative step up — flamethrowers. Yes, groundsmen were photographed tending to the damp pitch with flamethrowers, much to the amusement of Twitter.

Luckily, the ground was presumably too sodden to catch fire. Unluckily, the ground was still wet after the fiery solution.

So, what have we learned here? Firstly, make sure you know how chemicals will react when combined. Secondly, always, always read the label on products. Thirdly, keep an eye on what is going on around you. And lastly…if you need to resort to a flamethrower to try to clean or maintain anything, it’s a lost cause.