Abi Moss-Coomes Reports

‘Is it hard to be a groundsman though?’ The age-old question heard from the side lines, from people who still believe all it entails is a quick mow of the grass before a game. It’s a rhetoric the industry is working hard to dispel and one that Sky Sports has quickly reinforced.

A recent episode of ‘The Bench’, a Sky Sports Rugby league podcast presented by Jon Wilkin begins their conversation with ‘you have to be weird to be a groundsman’, before going on to describe the role as ‘constantly cutting one piece of grass’.

Wilkin was joined by Catalans Dragons player Sam Tomkins and St Helens Full back Jack Welsby, both of whom echoed the dismissive discussion of grounds teams, even going as far as labelling them ‘psychopathic’.

The podcast clip is a difficult watch for people within the turfcare industry, who spend their time fighting for the recognition the role deserves. Although people outside of sport may be forgiven for initially misunderstanding the crucial role grounds people have in the game and overlooking the tireless work that goes on behind the scenes; it is harder to see this opinion being voiced from professional sports people, who rely on the ground staff to produce the pitches they make their livelihood on.

As the camera pans round to the newly installed Hybrid Desso pitch of St Helens RFC’s Totally Wicked Stadium, a development that has brought the grounds up to Premier League standard, conversation turns to the installation. ‘They’ve just thrown £1million at a new pitch… That’s not the groundsman that’s £1million’- As though the instillation is the end of the work, and pitch will not now need an even higher amount of care and attention over the coming months to ensure it’s success.

Here at Turf Business, we respect the tireless work that grounds teams put in all year round, we acknowledge the intricacies, the care and the dedication that comes to producing playing surfaces at all levels. And we hope that Sky Sports use their large platform to correct this undermining of an entire profession, instead shining a light on the importance of ground staff to sport.

In further developments The GMA released the following statement on Thursday;

The Grounds Management Association (GMA) is deeply disappointed by the recent comments made on Sky Sports’ ‘The Bench’ podcast.

Such remarks not only undermine the tireless efforts of grounds staff but also disregard the essential role they play in the success of every game.

As a result, the GMA has been in contact with the podcast’s producers, Sky Sports, and the Rugby Football League (RFL), to voice, on behalf of the profession, our disappointment at the comments made, however unintentional. We understand the feelings that many working in the industry have also expressed through social media.

Grounds teams are the bedrock of sports, creating world-class surfaces for athletes to play on, often working in challenging conditions to ensure all playing surfaces are in pristine condition.

It is extremely disappointing that current and former professional rugby football league players would belittle the vital work of our sector. Without grounds staff, sport would not be possible, and players would not have the high-quality and safe surfaces necessary to compete on.

The GMA has reached out to the grounds teams at Wigan Warriors and St Helens to offer our support.

Following our communication with the RFL, Sky Sports, and Jon Wilkin, we acknowledge and appreciate the apology from Jon. We are also pleased to see such a united front from within the industry, however, we do not condone any aggressive or offensive behaviour towards those involved.

We welcome the opportunity for our Chief Operating Officer, Jason Booth – formerly a groundsperson at Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club – to appear on a future episode of the podcast to highlight the critical work that goes into preparing the playing surfaces that these players rely on.