Ambitious Oliver Deeming successfully executes his vision at FC Copenhagen

When Oliver Deeming moved from the UK to become Head Groundsman at FC Copenhagen, he didn’t expect to be working in a stadium where the pitch gets no sun from October to February, or that he’d be named both Employee of the Year and Colleague of the Year within 12 months.

But Oliver has embraced the challenge, and the opportunity to shape his own vision. After several years at Tottenham Hotspur, both at the stadium and the training ground, he was ready to take the next step. “The best part of this role is that I get to set the strategy,” he says. “The pitch had been inconsistent for years. My first goal was to stabilise quality, and from there I could start improving sustainability — reducing chemical use, fertilisers, and water.”

Lighting plays a key part in that strategy. With a retractable roof over Parken Stadium, Oliver has to carefully manage airflow and light. “I try to keep the roof open as much as possible,” he explains. “If it’s closed, the grass gets stressed. But when needed, we use nine LU440 HPS units and fans to create a microclimate.”

Always looking to innovate, Oliver recently trialled LED grow lighting technology for the first time. “I’d never worked with LED units before, so I wanted to see for myself if they could match the performance of HPS,” he says.

To put it to the test, he set up a direct comparison: one goalmouth with LED, the other with HPS — both shaded throughout winter. “We’d just come out of the winter break, and neither side had seen any sunlight. It was the perfect time to compare.”

The results? “We achieved 100% coverage in both goal areas. That gave me the confidence that LED can absolutely match HPS. I was genuinely impressed.”

For Oliver, the benefits of LED go beyond just turf quality. “Big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City are already going all-in on LED. That says a lot. And now I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

He’s especially enthusiastic about the energy savings and control LED offers. “With LED, we don’t need to run heat constantly. That helps us avoid heat stress and saves on water and fertiliser — which also means lower costs.”

So, what’s the verdict? “I’m definitely converting to the LED side after this trial. I’m 100% convinced. You get the same results, with more control and greater efficiency.”

From managing a pitch in one of Europe’s coldest football environments to trialling new lighting technologies with clear success — Oliver is proving that a strong vision, and a willingness to evolve, can go a long way.