"One of the things that we always try to achieve here is that if you come to the Championships, we want you to leave thinking wow, there is nowhere else on the planet like this. We want that once in a lifetime experience for someone."
Neil Stubley is the Head of Courts and Horticulture at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. In that role, his most high-profile function is to prepare the grass courts each year for Wimbledon. Neil feels if he and his team have done their best work, you will have no reason to talk about the playing surface and instead can focus on the players. In this episode, Neil discusses the work that goes into having the courts in their peak condition for the Wimbledon fortnight, the challenges grass presents in being a living surface, the lengths the Club goes to in an effort to ensure it's not just the courts that look spectacular for the British summer and he even admits that his own lawn at home is nothing to brag about!
Below are Show Notes for our episode with Neil Stubley
Neil Stubley
About the Grass Courts, Wimbledon.com
Facts and Figures / FAQ, Wimbledon.com
Lawn Care Tips, Wimbledon.com
A day in the life: the grass, Wimbledon.com
Renovation: Stripping Center Court, Wimbledon video
Premier League Grow lights at Wimbledon, @AELTCGroundsman on Twitter
Grasses for Sports Fields, Cornell University
Grass courts are all about the dirt, ESPN.com (information on gravities tests)
How to Choose the Right Tennis Shoe, Tennis Warehouse
Center Court Without Rain?, NY Times (2009)
Wimbledon Adds No. 1 Court Roof, Daily Mail (2019)
Wimbledon Guardians of Grass Face a Challenging Summer, NY Times (2012)
Why did serve and volley die out at Wimbledon, BBC (2013)
Hewitt Wins Wimbledon, BBC (2002)
Nadal-Federer 2008 final, extended highlight
Djokovic-Federer 2019 final, highlight
Wimbledon a living English garden, Sport24
Eddie Seward (photo)
The floral display at Wimbledon, Telegraph (2008)
SET PIECES
SportsField Management Magazine (Formerly Sports Turf)
The Moon's a Balloon, by David Nevin
Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography, by Alex Ferguson
1979 FA Cup final highlights