International Series – Wembley prepares
by
Simon
·
September 28, 2016
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Wembley Stadium prepares to host the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts this weekend.
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It’s game 15 of the London Series
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It’s also the first time the Colts will have played in London.
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The holding area between the locker rooms sports Jaguars and Colts logos and some motivation in their team colours
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The Jaguars are the home team though, so they get the full works in the tunnel itself.
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The seating covers were in, and the final preparations were being made to the field ahead of painting.
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The digital hoardings were being installed around the perimeter of the pitch.
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Each one was placed in to position and connected to the previous section.
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There were already a lot of wires, and this was before the TV crews came in to set up!
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The World’s media will descend on Wembley on Sunday to cover the game for TV, radio and printed publications.
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Of course, the best views in the house are reserved for the TV broadcasters. Their booths were being constructed in sections. The sound insulation was already very effective!
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There was much discussion amongst the ground crew before they started marking out the field.
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Everything is done with stakes, nails and string initially before the paint comes anywhere near the field.
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The end zones are measured and marked first, and then a quick check that everyone’s happy before they continue.
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From there they work down the field, measuring and then measuring again as they go…
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Flags mark yardage points and intersections. Pretty straight!
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Once all the strings are in place and the ground crew are happy, the painting can begin.
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Colours are mixed to specific formulas and loaded in to the compressors for spraying.
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The white lines are marked in with a roller before templates are laid out in the end zones for the logos. They can be re-used over and over, this one last used for the Super Bowl.
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Once measured out and pinned, the spraying begins. Just “dotting in” initially to mark out. They’ll go back to completely spray in on Friday.
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The “C” of the Colts logo slowly but surely begins to take shape.
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Once sprayed, each marker is wiped down with a rag to flatten the paint and remove any excess.
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The Ground Crew were all experienced guys who had worked on some of the biggest games.
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All marked up and ready to go for another game at another field. Notes made of when the template was last used.
