IOG Awards Celebrate The Best In UK Groundsmanship
More than 400 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading groundscare experts from both the professional and volunteer sector, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators, have honoured the expertise, dedication and passion of the country’s grounds profession at the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) annual Industry Awards, in partnership with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA).
The award finalists at the IOG Industry Awards 2014.
Now in its sixth year, the prestigious ceremony at Milton Keynes’ stadiummk recognised leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of groundscare – from grassroots pitches to professional stadia. The awards also celebrated the quality standards of groundscare achieved in public and private sports venues, and highlighted the progress of young/student grounds professionals as well as entrants’ innovative developments.
Hosted by talkSPORT radio presenter Mark Saggers, the sell-out IOG Awards ceremony with a record attendance followed a day-long series of IOG ‘Turf Matters’ Conference presentations by some of the biggest names in the sports, parks and groundscare industry from both sides of the Atlantic.
The winners of the 2014 IOG Industry Awards are:
The IOG Vitax Amenity Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Robert Stretton, Aylestone Park FC, Leicester
Finalist: Ian Williscroft, Potton UFC, Bedforshire
Robert Stretton has been responsible for Aylestone Park FC’s playing surfaces for the past 30 years. With no formal training and a limited budget, Robert has consistently presented the pitches to ensure the 42 teams that use the site – adult men and women, youth teams and disability sides, as well as local university and college teams – enjoy the surfaces.
The club moved to its current site in 2010 and Robert has been instrumental in the installation of drainage and irrigation systems, plus the construction of a new third-generation playing surface.
Robert also works closely with the nearby agricultural college on an 18-month rolling programme of apprenticeships
The IOG Toro Most Promising Sportsturf Student of the Year
Winner: Dean Bryce, Campbell Park, Milton Keynes
Finalist: Michael Crew, The Hurlingham Club, London
Dean, who works at Campbell Park as well as multiple sites across Milton Keynes and the surrounding area, is part of a team of four in a family business that maintains 20 hectares of cricket, football, rugby and athletics fields.
He is now in his third year of study, currently taking his Level 3 accreditation to add to his PA 1 and 6 spraying certificates, as well as Foundation and Intermediate cricket training courses. He is also a qualified cricket coach for under 11s/12s.
Dean is also a member of the IOG Young Board of Directors which, he says, is the ideal vehicle for him to actively encourage young people into the groundscare industry
The IOG Rigby Taylor/Top Green Young Groundsman of the Year
Winner: Martin Stephenson, Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland
Finalists: Josef Farrow, Oakham School, Rutland, Leicester; Alex Hudson, Nottingham Forest FC
Martin’s success this year follows hot on the heels of him winning last year’s Award for being the country’s Most Promising Sportsturf Student of the Year.
Aged 26, Martin joined Ashbrooke Sports Club in 2007 and plays a key role in the maintenance and management of two rugby pitches, a full-size football pitch, a cricket pitch, three artificial tennis courts/one five-a-side football pitch and a bowling green.
With a colleague, he also looks after the ground’s floodlights (fixed and portable), changing rooms, squash courts and gym, as well as another rugby pitch on the neighbouring Ryhope Road ground.
As the club’s grounds assistant manager, Martin is qualified to Levels 1, 2 and 3 in the work-based Horticulture/Sports Turf Diploma as part of an Advanced Apprenticeship, and has attended training and development courses for bowls, cricket and football.
The IOG National Governing Bodies Grassroots Sports Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: One Leisure, St Ives, Cambridgeshire
Finalist: Beversbrook Sports Facility, Calne, Wilts
One Leisure is following its success in last year’s competition when it won the award having the Best Maintained Artificial Pitch in the UK. With a full-time head groundsman Rob Bradshaw, plus casual worker Mark Thompson, One Leisure’s 52-acre site accommodates a host of sports – cricket, football, rugby league and hockey on both natural and artificial playing surfaces – plus a full-size athletics arena with eight-lane running track.
With a limited portfolio of turf management equipment and strict budgetary requirements, Rob and Mark strive to make the facility the best in the county and continue to improve the playing surfaces for their playability and presentation – especially the cricket square (improved rootzone growth) and football pitches (now with consistent ball roll).
Their efforts are clearly paying off as the pitches are in use every day of the week.
The IOG Kubota/Redexim Charterhouse Best Maintained Artificial Pitch of the Year
Winner: St George’s Park, Burton upon Trent, Staffs
Finalist: Hampton School, Middlesex
The grounds team at St George’s Park maintains an array of pitches at the National Football Centre – including an indoor third-generation synthetic playing surface that is built and maintained to FIFA 2 star standards.
With a specially-trained grounds team using a specific range of equipment to keep the surface clear of dust and debris, including brushes that are regularly applied in eight different directions, the result is a playing surface that could host football (or rugby) on 365 days of the year and for at least 30 hours a week.
The British Sugar TOPSOIL Environmental Project/Innovation of the Year
Winner: Forest Green Rovers FC, Nailsworth, Glos
Finalist: University of Warwick, Coventry
Having won the award for Environmental Project/Innovation of the Year in 2012, and being shortlisted last year, Forest Green’s head groundsman Stewart Ward continues his quest to produce a superb 100 per cent organic playing surface for the Nailsworth club. This he does by using the most sustainable methods and ingredients, by replacing non-organic products with their organic counterparts.
These include: cutting the pitch using an electric ‘robot’ mower that is charged from solar panels on the stadium roof; the use of an electric pedestrian sprayer also helps reduce the club’s CO2 footprint; a compost tea system to encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria, fungi and nematode levels; and an irrigation strategy to minimise water usage/costs.
A high level of computer technology is used to maintain meticulous records to monitor and control the use of treatments, the machinery and its service and maintenance, plus pitch condition reports. Also, specific strategies are in place for testing and monitoring the soil (pitch) profile.
The club is also involved with a local secondary school undertaking a biology project on the school’s football pitch, and with A Level students on how biology can solve environmental problems.
The IOG National Governing Bodies Spectator Sports Ground of the Year
Winner: Goodison Park, Everton FC, Liverpool
Finalist: Boldon Community Association Sports Ground, Jarrow Roofing FC, Sunderland
Goodson Park has been home to Everton FC since its completion in 1892. The groundscare team not only ensures the Desso playing surface is presented in the best possible way, but the team also maintains the ground’s rockeries, herbaceous borders and shrubberies, as well as ensuring that weeding, edging and pruning, for example, is carried out to keep the surrounding environment in top-class condition.
Head groundsman Bob Lennon, who has spent 25 years at Everton (10 at the training ground and 15 at the stadium), manages 11 groundsmen plus two part-timers across both sites.
The Souters Sports School, College, University or Sports Club Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Harrow School, Middlesex
Finalists: The Honourable Artillery Co, London; Whitgift School, South Croydon
Maintaining 350 acres of sports grounds and facilities, Harrow School’s 14-strong groundscare team maintains of the extensive playing surfaces that are used intensively (over 800 games a year) for cricket, rugby and football. The team also looks after a nine-hole golf course and tennis courts, and in addition is charged with cleaning and maintaining 12 boarding houses.
The school’s interim grounds manager, Lee Marshallsay, points out that the team is always looking at ways that their duties can be completed more effectively, to improve efficiency levels when working to tight timeframes as the pitches are used most days.
The IOG Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Finalists: Derbyshire County Cricket Club & Warwickshire County Cricket Club
The Worcestershire CCC grounds team performed heroics earlier in the year in re-establishing the New Road Stadium square back to first-class standard after suffering weeks of flooding, with the pitch under several feet of water at times.
Headed by Tim Packwood – who this year is celebrating 25 years at the ground – the team brought the pitch back to life and successfully staged County and T20 games, the Royal London 50 over competition as well as England Lions fixtures.
The IOG Mansfield Sand Professional Rugby League Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Wigan Warriors
Finalist: Castleford Tigers, West Yorkshire
Hosting both football and rugby games, as well as training sessions and friendly fixtures, a high the standard of pitch care is attained at the D W Stadium by its four-strong groundscare team.
With 16 years’ experience, head groundsman Ian Forshaw says he is committed to sharing his knowledge in the hope of helping others – and that includes keeping a watchful eye on the weather to ensure the pitch is ready and playable every time!
The IOG Professional Rugby Union Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Worcester Warriors, Worcester
Finalist: Harlequins RUFC, Twickenham
The two-man grounds team at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium maintain a total of 50 acres – in addition to the Warriors’ stadium and training pitches, there are six senior and 13 junior pitches of varying size – plus an indoor third-generation synthetic surface training area.
The duo – Martin Knight and Stuart Lambert – has a heavy workload: the stadium pitch, for example, annually hosts between 30 and 35 games plus 80 training sessions. But Martin says they are both happy to work whatever hours are needed to ensure every game goes ahead, and during the summer months it is not unusual for them to start at 5am and continue through to 7pm to keep on top of all the mowing.
The IOG John Deere Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: York Racecourse, North Yorks
Finalist: Ripon Racecourse, North Yorks
York Racecourse’s groundscare team maintain their impressive success rate in the IOG awards, after winning the Spectator Sports Ground of the Year Award in 2011, and last year head groundsman Adrian Kay won the Groundsman of the Year and the Professional Horse Racing Groundsman of the Year accolades.
York’s team of seven full-time groundscare staff maintain 10 hectares of racing surface and more than 5,000 metres of running rail, plus 3,500 sq metres of high-specification lawns, 500 floral displays and 5,000 metres of roadways. With 17 race days at the venue, head groundsman Adrian Kay emphasises that a good working team is essential.
With this in mind, team morale is a main focus and not only is adequate training provided and innovative ideas encouraged among the staff, but the group also regularly meets socially outside of work hours.
The IOG Headland Amenity Professional Tennis Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham
Finalist: Nottingham Tennis Centre
The Edgbaston Priory Club’s five-strong groundscare team maintains at total of 14 acres, including eight championship standard grass courts, seven synthetic carpet courts, four clay, eight indoor Plexi-Pave courts and three tarmac surfaces.
The team – which every year lives on-site during the build up to Aegon Classic tournament, so that they are on hand virtually 24/7 – also look after the club’s ornamental lawns, trees and shrubs, borders and hedges, and on one occasion completed the planting of more than 2,500 shrubs plus undertook a substantial amount of turfing during one of their busiest periods.
However, the standard of the tennis courts didn’t falter, thus maintaining the team’s ethos of achieving courts that perform similarly to those at Wimbledon.
The IOG Campey/Imants Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year
Winner: Manchester United FC, Old Trafford
Finalist: Burnley FC, Turf Moor
The Red Devils’ 30-strong groundscare team looks after four sites covering 20 hectares in total – Old Trafford stadium and the AON training complex, as well as two additional training grounds that are used by the club’s academy teams, the Salford league and the local community.
The team, says grounds manager Tony Sinclair, has desire and determination in abundance, and they adopt the latest and best pitch maintenance methods – underpinned by the appropriate training – to, he says, “produce the best pitches possible”.
The Alex R Millar DLF/Johnsons & Ransomes Groundsman of the Year
Winner: Tony Sinclair, Manchester United FC
Grounds manager Tony has in the past been voted United’s employee of the year – and that’s no surprise when you hear him talking about the importance of the pitch: “It’s the team’s most vital tool. If the pitch isn’t right then the repercussions can be great.” Tony says he feels privileged to do the job at Old Trafford, the world’s most famous stadium.
The IOG Everris & Syngenta Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Derek Walder
A past member of numerous IOG committees and the IOG board of directors, plus stints as national chairman and president of the IOG, Derek was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1991 for his services to groundsmanship.
This includes 26 years as grounds manager at Wimbledon FC’s training ground and for almost 40 years site manager of the annual SALTEX exhibition. In addition, he has regularly written, lectured and broadcast on all matters relating to turf care – including running lawn clinics for the BBC Gardeners World Live exhibition and having involvement with the annual Chelsea Show as well as the Britain in Bloom competition.
Derek says that one classic memory of his time at Wimbledon was when the club won the FA Cup and he was entrusted with the cup’s safekeeping overnight until it was collected for the next day’s open-top bus parade. He says he got very little sleep that night worrying about the responsibility of having such a valuable trophy in the house!
However, it is also as much for Derek’s long-standing and voluntary service as the SALTEX site manager that he is best known by many. His unswerving dedication to the success of the event has rightly earned him the nickname of ‘Mr SALTEX’ and, indeed, this year saw him win the Unsung hero award from the Association of Event Organisers.
Now 77 years old, Derek took control of SALTEX operations during the 1970s, each year giving up most of his holiday entitlement to manage the event. In fact, he stays in temporary accommodation onsite at the showground to ensure he is the first to arrive and the last to leave the show – from well before exhibitor build-up to the final day of break-down – usually a total of over 20 days. Unbelievably, Derek’s sacrifice of his holidays and spare time to SALTEX amounts to a total of over four and a half years!
Despite his age and the physical demands of the job, Derek’s unwavering spirit, enthusiasm and ‘will do’ attitude continues to present SALTEX as the most professionally-run event of its kind. Indeed, his dedication is surpassed only by his modesty and his desire to create the best possible event for every one of the show’s stakeholders.
Winners of the BIGGA Awards
The BIGGA BASF/Sherriff Amenity Young Greenkeeper of the Year
Winner: Stuart Imeson, Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club, Northumberland
Finalist: Ben Evans, Altrincham Golf Club
Stuart became head greenkeeper at Dunstanburgh Castle, a links course on the North East coast situated on National Trust land, at the tender age of 18. Managing a small and equally youthful greenkeeping team on a tight budget, Stuart implemented an ambitious and progressive action plan to ensure excellent surfaces all year round.
The BIGGA Baroness Championship Greenkeeping Performance of the Year
Winner: Ian Kinley and team at Royal Porthcawl
Finalist: Scott Fenwick, Steve Chappell and the team at Gleneagles
In early January and February this year, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on the South Wales coast was badly affected by unprecedented flooding – the height of which saw the first three holes under ten feet of water! This was just a few months prior to the British Senior Open, yet the greenkeeping team pulled together and the tournament took place as scheduled and was a huge success with praise from organisers and competitors alike.
The BIGGA Ransomes Greenkeeping Achievement of the Year
Winner: Edward Ainsworth, Avro Golf Club, Stockport
Finalist: Rhys Butler, Royal St David’s Golf Club
Edward is leading the way in environmentally sustainable course management, promoting diverse wildlife through creating several new wildflower areas. This has helped encourage a huge variety of species onto the site. As a qualified beekeeper, he has established hives on the course and trained other course managers in this activity.
The prestigious UK-wide IOG Award scheme highlights the high standards of volunteer and professional grounds professionals and facilities, from grass roots to professional stadia level. The awards are judged by an independent panel on criteria that included effective use of resources, budgetary control, presentation and housekeeping standards, as well as environmental considerations.
The IOG is the leading membership organisation for everyone involved in the management of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities – the annual awards embrace categories of entry covering sport, young people and the environment.
The 2014 IOG Awards, in partnership with BIGGA, are sponsored by the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC), Baroness, BASF, British Sugar TOPSOIL, Campey Turf Care Systems, DLF Trifolium, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Everris, The Football Association (The FA), the Football Foundation, Headland Amenity, Imants BV, John Deere, Johnsons Sports Seed, Kubota, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Mansfield Sand, the Premier League, Ransomes Jacobsen, Redexim Charterhouse, Rigby Taylor, Rugby Football League (RFL), Rugby Football Union (RFU), Sherriff, Souters Sports, Syngenta, Top Green, Toro and Vitax Amenity.
Visit www.iogawards.com for more details.