Friday night’s Isuzu UTE A-League Elimination Final made history for Western United in Tarneit and it also shined a light on the venue’s pristine surface. aleagues.com.au’s Sacha Pisani caught up with the brains behind the operation at Ironbark Fields.
There were more than two hours until kick-off when a figure came into vision on a picturesque night in Melbourne’s west.
He was busy inspecting the pristine Ironbark Fields pitch.
The gentleman in question? Meet Justin Lang.
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Western United’s turf manager has 33 years of experience, including 13 at AAMI Park. He has also worked at FIFA World Cups and is set to take his skills to the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Lang is 12 months into his role in Tarneit, where the Green and Black boast one of the best playing surfaces across the A-Leagues thanks to the exploits of Lang.
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Referred to as “the man” by many at the club, he is the brains behind the state of the playing surface, constantly liaising with Western United’s men’s head coach John Aloisi and his staff.
“(He’s the) best groundsman I’ve ever come across in all my years in professional football,” Aloisi said.
Before Friday night’s historic Elimination Final against Adelaide United – the club’s first Isuzu UTE A-League finals fixture at the venue, aleagues.com.au caught up with the Lang, who gave a detailed and fascinating rundown of his work heading into a gameday.
“I absolutely, passionately love playing a small part in the game,” he said.
It all started at 6:30am. Preparations got underway as the sun rose in Melbourne and it included a double cut.
Then there was line marking before the pitch is cut one last time at 2pm.
Closer to kick-off, there was a last-minute inspection, looking for any divots.
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After watering the pitch prior to the warm-up, Lang sought feedback from players as they headed back to the change room to see if thought the field needed more watering.
Then, when the full-time whistle blew, Lang and co. sprung into action once more. Folding the nets and clearing the goal area. Preserving the goalmouth is key, according to Lang, who said if the state of the goalmouth is compromised it is hard to restore.
“We are fortunate to have him on board,” said Western’s general manager of football Mal Impiombato. “The best in the business and he deserves every accolade he receives.”
A master of his craft.
