Whether customers are proud parents of England's future football stars or simply proud lawn owners, Johnsons Lawn Seed's Turfline ‘2016’ is an amenity ryegrass mix that presents the opportunity to raise the game by offering the same varieties of grass supplied to the majority of the Euro 2016 stadia.

Johnsons Lawn Seed expert Guy Jenkins said: "’2016’ provides retailers with a unique opportunity to tap into the football fever scheduled to kick off in the run up to the event and long after.   Being able to sell the same lawn seed being used on the world stage will delight customers that will ask 'how can I create my own football pitch for my back lawn?”

To celebrate the launch of ‘2016’ at Glee 2015, Johnsons Lawn Seed’s stand is going football crazy, with a football trickster performing for the crowds and lots of freebies and giveaways available on stand.  

Essential stats for player-managers

The new blend is designed to create a hard wearing lawn that establishes quickly and provides an all year round playing surface, while retaining a good colour and appearance.  Sowing anytime between March and October will result in seedlings appearing in 7-14 days in good growing conditions. 

The Science of Football pitches - and how to upsell with linked products

Professional football pitches are serious business. Here we look at the science behind the pitch and how retailers can incorporate aspects into their retailing methods.

• Size - interestingly professional pitches can measure anywhere between 100 yards (90 metres) and 130 yards (120 metres) in length, and between 50 yards (45 metres) and 100 yards (90 metres) wide.  To scale that down for the average back lawn, simply measure the width of the proposed playing area and add 30% for the length to ensure correct proportions for the pitch.  Pitch marking can be done with twine of course, but for established lawns, offer chalk spray markers such as Johnsons Lawn Seed's Grass Graffiti.
• Drainage - playing areas must be situated on a free draining surface and FIFA guidelines state that the gradient should be between 1 and 100, allowing for any surface water to drain at a minimum of 100mm/hour.   Professional pitches have networks of underground drainage pipes to make sure pitches drain quickly and efficiently, so if the customer is starting from scratch you may want to offer professional landscaping services to help them create a surface to rival the top teams.
• Irrigation - if the pitch drains efficiently it is important to make sure it doesn't dry out during hot weather - offer sprinklers for customers to purchase and employ on the most used areas.
• Maintenance during the playing season - goalmouths and other worn out patches will need addressing during the playing season, so advise customers to keep a ready-made supply of seed and sand or lawn dressing - mixed at a rate of approximately 50/50.  Professional groundskeepers keep a stock of pre-germinated seedlings - but growing in small batches is advisable to avoid wasting seed.

Find out more