Cowdray Park Polo Club, West Sussex
Grounds Manager
Cowdray Park Polo Club is seeking an exceptional and experienced Grounds Manager to lead the management, development and long-term strategy of its internationally recognised polo grounds.
Home to some of the most important polo played in the UK, including The British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup, Cowdray has a longstanding reputation for excellence. The quality, consistency and safety of our playing surfaces are fundamental to that reputation.
Reporting to the Managing Director, this is a senior management position with overall responsibility for the Club’s polo grounds, agronomic programme, grounds team, machinery, irrigation infrastructure and departmental budgets.
The Role
We are looking for an accomplished turf professional who can combine outstanding technical expertise with strong leadership and strategic thinking.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Developing and delivering a long-term agronomic strategy for all Cowdray polo grounds
- Ensuring playing surfaces achieve the highest standards of performance, consistency, presentation and safety
- Leading, developing and motivating the grounds team
- Planning annual maintenance, renovation and improvement programmes
- Managing departmental budgets and long-term capital expenditure
- Overseeing machinery, irrigation, drainage and grounds infrastructure
- Driving sustainable turf management, soil health and responsible water use
- Maintaining robust health & safety standards
- Advising Club management on ground conditions, availability and recovery programmes
- Preparing grounds to an exceptional standard for major tournaments, including hands on work where required, particularly the Cowdray Gold Cup
About You
You will ideally have a recognised qualification in Sports Turf Management, Agronomy, Horticulture or a related discipline (NVQ Level 3 or above) and significant experience managing high-performance natural grass surfaces.
Experience of polo grounds would be highly desirable, but we particularly welcome applications from experienced professionals working within golf, racing, equestrian sport, football, cricket or other elite natural-turf sporting environments.
You will bring strong knowledge of soil science, turf nutrition, irrigation, drainage and machinery alongside proven people-management, budgeting and planning skills. Above all, you will have a genuine passion for producing exceptional natural playing surfaces and the ambition to continually improve them.
Why Cowdray?
This is a rare opportunity to lead the grounds operation at one of Britain’s most prestigious polo clubs, taking responsibility for the long-term development of internationally recognised playing surfaces within the unique environment of the Cowdray Estate.
Location: Cowdray Park Polo Club, West Sussex
Salary: Competitive remuneration and benefits package, commensurate with experience
Contract: Full-time, permanent
To apply: Please submit your CV and covering letter outlining your relevant experience and suitability for the role; enquiries@cowdraypolo.co.uk
