Have you ever wondered how the grounds staff who prepared sports pitches for the London 2012 Olympics did things differently from their predecessors the last time the capital hosted the Games in 1948? What methods, customs and traditions have changed and which have remained constant?

Now a group of young people will be able to find out with the help of a £43,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) – their efforts steered by a young task force at the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), based in Milton Keynes.

Milton Keynes is a priority area for the Heritage Lottery Fund and the ‘Get into Grounds’ project is part of the IOG’s drive to get more young people interested in grounds care as a career. The organisation last year set up the Young IOG Board with six directors aged from 18 to 25. It is these who will take charge of the Olympic project and encourage young volunteers to carry out the research and help create a touring exhibition that will visit a range of venues and events.

The project will work with a range of partners, including the Sports Heritage Network, the National Football Museum and Wembley Stadium, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme plus the Hall and Duck Trust, which boasts the world’s largest collection of vintage lawn mowers.

The young researchers taking part will be drawn from the IOG Apprenticeship scheme as well as Duke of Edinburgh Award participants from the Milton Keynes area. They will learn a range of new skills as they go in search of information and prepare it for public exhibition. The findings will also be presented in a way that will appeal to young people.

Stuart McLeod, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South East England, said: “Maintaining sports grounds and parks for public and competitive use is a demanding task and this project will provide a fascinating insight into how this was achieved in the past compared with today. Those taking part will benefit from acquiring new skills and the profession could be helped in acquiring some new recruits.”

Commenting on the project, IOG Chief Executive, Geoff Webb, said: “It is an IOG strategic aim to encourage as many young people as we can into the industry – an industry that provides enjoyment and reward for thousands and one that continues to evolve in terms of the ‘science’ and application of managing and maintaining playing surfaces. Participants of the ‘Get into Grounds’ project will be working with the IOG’s Young Directors, a team of grounds professionals who are shining examples of what can be achieved by dedicated young people in this sector.”

If you’re aged between 18 and 25 and would like to help steer this project, please contact Karen Woollard on 07966 937 101, [email protected] before 30 November 2012.