Meet Bruce Danbury: The hockey volunteer who has a way with water
Pitch side and soaking it all up: how one man became the Turf Whisperer.
Bruce Danbury is a familiar face on the sidelines of international hockey, having volunteered for many years for England Hockey and at numerous Hockey World Cups and Olympic Games. With hockey a part of his life since childhood (‘It is a sport for life, and it gives you friends for life.’) and having played at university, he is now an Honorary Vice-President of Ocean City Hockey Club in Plymouth.
When it comes to hockey fields, Bruce has a way with water, making them pitch-perfect for the game’s international players — so much so that he’s known as the Turf Whisperer. We sat down with Bruce to learn more about his extensive experience as a volunteer on the Field of Play and his upcoming role at Paris 2024.
On getting his start as a hockey volunteer...
It all started in 2010 with the Champions Trophy in Nottingham. London 2012 was on the horizon, and I wanted be part of it, so I became a volunteer with England Hockey for hockey and wheelchair rugby for the Games. Since then I’ve been involved in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup, Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Pro League games, Big Stadium Hockey in the Stoop, international matches and, of course, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and now Paris 2024.
“When it comes to hockey fields, Bruce has a way with water, making them pitch-perfect for the game’s international players — so much so that he’s known as the Turf Whisperer.”
On his role at Paris 2024...
I’m there as a volunteer, as part of the Field of Play (FOP) team, involved from pre-competition training right through to the finals. The FOP team look after all aspects of the competition area, working with all the other teams such as Athlete Services, Team Liaison Officers, each match’s FIH Technical official, and stakeholders like Broadcast and Sports Presentation, to make sure the pitch is in perfect condition. Pitch watering is obviously a key part of that delivery.
Achieving optimum turf irrigation is crucial and we work closely with the Team Managers and Technical Delegates to understand what the teams want. We review how temperature, humidity, drainage and the watering system effect water on the turf, and we take this information to the FIH, outline what is desired by the teams and how we can best achieve it. By the time the competition starts we will have a clear standard and approach.
On gathering crucial water usage information...
Turf performance and technology keeps improving. Having attended the Paris Test Event in May, my expectation is that substantially less water will be required for optimum performance — the Paris GT zero turfs hold the water so well.
The sport is focusing on reducing water usage, and we will capture irrigation information from the competition and training turfs during all the training sessions and matches and we will be able to compare this with the detailed information we have from Tokyo 2020.
“Turf performance and technology keeps improving. Having attended the Paris Test Event in May, my expectation is that substantially less water will be required for optimum performance — the Paris GT zero turfs hold the water so well.”
On being known as the Turf Whisperer...
Well, I don't know about that – it’s your nickname not mine! But turf watering has become a specialist topic for me, and I am very interested and invested in this aspect of turf performance. Hopefully as we move towards dry turf, this element in the FOP volunteer role will disappear, which has to be good thing for the environment and grassroots sport.
In multi-day, multi-team events you must work closely with the managers, so it certainly helps if they know you and appreciate your level of understanding. During training days we essentially ‘tune’ the turf for optimum performance, so that when the matches start, we no longer have to worry about this. Each team has its own preferences, so we must achieve a common standard.
London 2012
On watering the turf at London 2012...
London 2012 was a tricky venue, it was new, and its drains were clean, so it drained quickly in heavy rain, but during the actual Games we had hot weather. The stadium had a whirlwind effect, so a lot of water was lost and didn't land on the turf (which the crowd appreciated in that heat).
All in all, there were a few minor problems delivering consistent water on the turf, and often watering decisions were taken just before the matches started, which created quite a bit of excitement, including informing the broadcasters that they needed to cover their equipment fast.
On subsequent improvements...
Rio 2016 required less water and Tokyo 2020 even less, which was great. For Paris, my expectation is that a standard format four-minute water cycle will be enough, and the turf will hold the water for the full game. The sport has come a long way in the 12 years since London, and water coverage is a big part of that.
On his memories of Rio 2016...
Certainly the hosts were up against it, but it was a great Games and a wonderful time. And the hockey was spectacular: Germany's last-minute quarterfinal comeback against New Zealand was remarkable. I was the team liaison when Great Britain’s women’s team won gold, so I was next to the dugout for that thrilling match. In the end I was a wreck — I don't know how the players cope with the stress.
Rio 2016
Tokyo 2020
On the facilities at Tokyo 2020...
COVID made it a bit unusual, along with the extreme heat, but the hockey stadium was perhaps the best I have ever seen. It was beautiful: the construction and engineering were perfect, facilities for players and officials were second to none, and the turfs and watering system were exceptional.
In 2018, the FIH stated that wanted to proactively reduce the amount of water, with the goal of no water being required for Olympic-level performance. Tokyo was the first Games after this announcement, so we kept detailed water records, measured weather conditions, temperature, humidity and which cannons provided the best levels. The watering system was so good that the two middle cannons covered 90% of the turf.
On his picks for Paris 2024...
The Dutch women are strong favourites, but I think Argentina and the Australians will push them hardest. In the men’s competition, Belgium was incredible in Tokyo but are perhaps not quite as strong now. Great Britain is looking really good; they know how to score goals and their goalkeeping is strong. If I had to choose one, I think the Australians might be peaking at the right time.