When Green by Nature took on the challenge of reconstructing Auckland Council’s Keith Hay Park for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, we knew we were in for an exciting project. Little did we know that Mother Nature had some surprises in store for us!

Our mission was clear: transform Keith Hay Park into a top-tier training facility that would meet FIFA’s exacting standards. This wasn’t just any renovation – it was about creating a home base for our beloved Football Ferns during one of the most prestigious tournaments in women’s sports.

As we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, Auckland decided to throw us a curveball – or should we say, a waterball? The city experienced its wettest summer in years, with not one, not two, but four severe flooding events hitting us during construction. Talk about a challenge!

Each time the floods receded, our team sprang into action. We had about 48 hours after each event to get the field back into shape. This meant moving sand back to where it belonged, grooming the turf until it shone, and reseeding bare patches. It was like giving the field a spa treatment after each muddy bath!

These unexpected water features forced us to rethink our game plan. We had to adjust our fertilizing schedule to help the grass bounce back faster. It was like being a coach and a groundskeeper rolled into one – we needed to nurture and motivate our grass to grow stronger after each setback.

But here’s the kicker (pun intended): all this extra TLC paid off big time. When FIFA’s independent turf testers came around, they ranked our field as the second-best training venue in all of New Zealand. Not too shabby for a pitch that had been underwater more times than we care to count!

Oh, and did we mention that the field is right next to an ecologically sensitive stream? We couldn’t just focus on creating a great football pitch; we had to be environmental champions too. We upped our game by adding extra silt socks around the site. These unsung heroes helped us prevent debris from migrating into the stream, keeping our local ecosystem as happy as our grass.

So, what was our winning strategy? In a word: flexibility. We learned to bob and weave with each new challenge, adjusting our maintenance schedule and methods on the fly. It was all about identifying problems quickly and tackling them head-on with the right solutions.