March 5, 2020 - Turf Matters

The IOG set to rebrand: Following independent research entitled ‘Groundsmanship: Sports Vital Profession’ which highlighted the urgent need for change, the IOG today announces its intention to re-brand. After a thorough selection process, the proposed new brand name and identity, unanimously backed by the Board of the IOG, will be the ‘Grounds Management Association’.

The IOG is calling on members to get behind the name change to modernise and widen the appeal and status of the profession to a more diverse demographic. The new, fresh identity befits the modern day approach to the management of sports turf in the 21^st Century.

The IOG set to rebrand

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) has been called, taking place on 2^nd April at Edgbaston County Cricket Ground, where members have the opportunity to vote in person for the rebrand. Alternatively, members can also vote by post.

The new name is part of a wider re-brand, including updated branding and the new tagline – making sport possible. The rebrand is designed to provide clarity on the role of the industry, and support the IOG’s current ‘Grounds for Sport’ campaign, which seeks to highlight how vital grounds management is to sport nationwide.

The rebrand comes following the organisation’s 2019 report ‘Groundsmanship – Sport’s Vital Profession’. The independent research found that 40% of the industry’s workforce is over 50, one in five grounds managers will be leaving their jobs within the next five years and only 1% of the current workforce is female. Furthermore, more than two thirds of community grounds volunteers are aged over 60 and almost all are over 50.

Further research, which looked at perceptions of the IOG, found that one in five thought the word ‘groundsmanship’ was a barrier to attracting new talent.

Following these findings, focus groups made up of current members, non-members, stakeholders, Board Directors and staff, led to the selection of Grounds Management Association.

Geoff Webb, CEO at the IOG, said:

“The future success of the industry depends on us attracting more people from all backgrounds to the profession, which is why we’re proposing a more modern brand and name.

“Our extensive research into perceptions of our brand and the profession more widely has shown us that it’s vital we respond to the industry’s needs and take the organisation in a new, forward-looking and exciting direction.

“We believe under the banner of the Grounds Management Association, we’ll be better placed to promote the industry to the wider public, attract a new generation of grounds staff to the profession, and encourage more investment into the sector.

“Crucially, we cannot do this without our members’ support. We urge every single member to get online and vote yes to this change to create the conditions to help us meet the challenges and expectations we face to elevate the standing, status and value of the vital role of sports turf management today. Whether a volunteer or paid professional, come to Edgbaston on 2^nd April to help us take the first step on this exciting new journey.”

The Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will be held on April 2 at Edgbaston County Cricket Ground at 12pm. All members are welcome to attend, but only eligible voting members can take part in the vote. If members are unable to attend, they can vote by post (prior to the EGM). Details of how to vote will be available on the IOG website: www.iog.org

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

What a signing!: Port Vale have made some terrific signings over the years although not many have given greater service than the 17-year-old groundsman they took on in May 1979.

Hard-working, knowledgeable, hugely dedicated to the club….oh, and best avoided if the Vale have just had a game called off.

What a signing!

That doesn’t happen very often, which is testament to the skill and experience of Steve Speed who has been defying the elements at the Vale for 41 years.

He doesn’t have the advantage of a modern pitch at 70-year-old Vale Park, but it takes pretty much an act of God to get a game off at the Vale, and even then it’s a close-run thing.

‘Speedy’, as the head groundsman is better known to colleagues and Vale fans, was poached from the city council, as he recalled in a Sentinel interview.

“I was training at the old Meir aerodrome to be a park keeper, but then the parks department reorganised and I was going to be sent to the closest job to home, which would have meant being a grave digger.

“As a 17-year-old I didn’t fancy that. I saw an advert in the paper for an assistant groundsman at Vale, got an interview and started on a bank holiday.”

Dennis Butler was in charge at the time, the first of 15 managers who have had cause to be grateful to Speedy’s expertise.

The club’s owners over the years have also appreciated what an asset they have got, a head groundsman who sometimes reports in at 4am to try to get a game on – and then has been the last to leave, keys jangling, at matchday’s end.

Of course there have occasionally been disagreements along the way, perhaps most famously when Bill Bell came up with a publicity stunt.

As Steve would recall: “We have about an acre-and-a-half of grass banking at the back of the Railway Stand which is a nightmare to keep short.

“So, tongue in cheek one night, I said to the chairman it was a pity we couldn’t get any sheep. He got talking to someone in the pub and a week later he told me he could get six or seven for the summer.

“It worked really well. They were eating all the grass and all we had to do was keep their trough filled up with water.

“The problem was Sky Sports got to hear about the sheep at Vale, not realising they were just at the back of the stand.

“The chairman decided it would be great publicity and told me to get them on the pitch for a few pictures.”

Steve, it’s fair to say, voiced his objections, but to no avail. Instead, legend has it that Mr Bell removed a cigar from his mouth and uttered the memorable line, “Speedy, round ’em up!”

Steve added: “We had these sheep running all over the pitch and Sky got their pictures. But could we get the sheep off afterwards? No chance.

“They wanted to stay on this lovely lush grass not go back to walking up the back of the stand. We were chasing them everywhere, it must have taken us an hour to get them off the pitch. To be fair, I have seen a few midfield players here who didn’t move as fast.”

He’s usually too busy to see 90 minutes of a home match, but is a regular at away games to keep an eye on the club he has served with distinction across six decades.

Vale’s owner, Carol Shanahan, is pleased to nominate him in the Service to Sport category at the Sentinel/City of Stoke-on-Trent Sports Personality of the Year awards.

She says he has done a wonderful job on the Vale pitch: “He looks after it with no mod cons. He has a mower and a nine-mile walk that he does regularly. His pride to keep that pitch in tip top condition is exemplary.

“He is very much part of the fabric of Port Vale. So, the club has been through all levels of turbulence over those 41 years but he has kept that pitch pristine.

“Despite any reputation to the contrary, I’m pleased to say he has a wonderful smile and I’m delighted to have seen it a lot this season.

“When Robbie Williams’ management rang me about the concert here, I wouldn’t have said yes unless Speedy said so.

“I am very happy to nominate him for this award.”

Click here to read the original article