The Football League Groundsman of the Year 2012 for each division has been announced,
celebrating the best playing surfaces across the Football League’s 72 clubs.

The award acknowledges groundsmen across the country who, throughout the 2011/12
season, have consistently produced the best playing surfaces in each division come rain,
sun or snow.

npower Championship Winner – Tony Bell – Middlesbrough

Tony Bell of Play-Off chasing Middlesbrough claimed the award for the Championship, whilst
his counterparts Paul Bradshaw at Burnley and Leicester City’s Ed Mowe were highly
commended.

npower League 1 Winner
David Mitchell – Carlisle United

Carlisle United’s David Mitchell picked up League 1 award for the second year running,
whilst David Brown and Phil Collinson received commendations for the surfaces at
Hartlepool United and Rochdale respectively.

In League 2, Terry Roberts of Cheltenham Town picked up the title, with Burton Albion’s
Simon Marshall and David Radmore at Plymouth Argyle being highly commended.

The awards are determined using marks from referees and away team managers for each
game, which are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management
operations. These visits were carried out in late March and early April by Dr Stephen Baker,
Head of Soils and Sports Surface Science at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI).

Handed out by the Playing Surfaces Committee, the Groundsman of the Year awards is
designed to recognise the importance of the quality of pitches and to acknowledge Head
Groundsmen and their staff.

John Nagle, Head of Communications at The Football League, said, “The Groundsman of the Year Award is an opportunity to honour some of The Football League’s unsung heroes and rightly recognises the efforts made by club groundsmen to prepare the best possible playing surfaces.

“It has been another tough season with some challenging weather conditions, however the quality of pitches across The League has been excellent.”

For more information on the awards, please visit: www.football-league.co.uk