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Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy: GroundsFest is proud to announce an exciting new initiative: the GroundsFest Academy, which has been designed to provide free education for anyone working in groundscare and landscaping. By reinvesting profits from GroundsFest back into the industry, the Academy aims to boost education, nurture talent, and help bridge critical skills gaps. A […]

Saints are marching in

January 15, 2025/in Turf Spotlight/by Admin

Saints are marching in: Susan Lindsay paid a visit to St Andrews to see the work first hand of the grounds team at the oldest university in Scotland. The University of St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest and highest-ranking, is home to Saints Sports. Stretching over 40 acres, the grounds were gifted to the University in 1904 […]

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Saints are marching in

January 15, 2025/in Turf Spotlight/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

January 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy: GroundsFest is proud to announce an exciting new initiative: the GroundsFest Academy, which has been designed to provide free education for anyone working in groundscare and landscaping. By reinvesting profits from GroundsFest back into the industry, the Academy aims to boost education, nurture talent, and help bridge critical skills gaps.

A Mix of Theory and Practical Learning

The GroundsFest Academy offers a unique blend of theoretical and hands-on practical education, covering a wide range of essential topics. In its first year, the Academy will focus on key subjects such as drainage and irrigation, machinery maintenance, synthetic surfaces, line marking, and end-of-season renovations. These topics are just a taster of what the Academy has planned, with even more areas of expertise to be covered.

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Participants will not only gain insights from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the field but will also earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points and certification, further enhancing their credentials and career prospects.

Accessible and Inclusive Learning

The GroundsFest Academy will see free educational days taking place at various accessible locations across the UK. Whether you’re an experienced professional looking to stay ahead of the curve or a student eager to enhance your studies, the GroundsFest Academy has something for everyone.

This initiative is also valuable for organisations, companies and local authorities. By providing free, high-quality training, the Academy supports employers in developing their teams and filling critical skills gaps. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for students to gain industry-specific knowledge, helping them transition into the workforce with confidence.

Supporting the Next Generation

GroundsFest has teamed up with Sports Turf Lecturer Bradley Tennant to lead the delivery of the Academy. Bradley brings years of industry experience and a passion for education.

“Education is key to the continued success and development of our industry,” says Bradley. “The GroundsFest Academy is an incredible opportunity for anyone in the industry to gain free access to valuable training. It’s about equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, and I’m proud to be leading this initiative.”

Bridging the Skills Gap

“In many organisations, time and resources for training can be limited,” continues Bradley. “Through no fault of their own, senior management often lack the time or capacity to provide one-on-one training in essential skills and certain topics simply aren’t covered in traditional education pathways. The GroundsFest Academy addresses this gap by offering targeted training on subjects that matter most to professionals and employers alike.

“Whether you’re looking to advance your career, improve your team’s skills, or explore new areas of expertise, the GroundsFest Academy is here to help.”

This initiative highlights GroundsFest’s commitment to giving back to the industry that supports it. By reinvesting profits into education, GroundsFest continues to make an impact that goes far beyond the event itself.

More information on the GroundsFest Academy, including session dates and locations, will be announced soon along with a dedicated education and training portal.

For more information, please visit www.groundsfest.com

You can also follow GroundsFest on X, Facebook and Instagram @GroundsFest for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Saints are marching in

January 15, 2025/in Turf Spotlight/by Admin

Saints are marching in: Susan Lindsay paid a visit to St Andrews to see the work first hand of the grounds team at the oldest university in Scotland.

The University of St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest and highest-ranking, is home to Saints Sports. Stretching over 40 acres, the grounds were gifted to the University in 1904 by Andrew Carnegie.

Saints are marching in

The sports grounds combine 13 grass pitches, eight football pitches, two rugby pitches, one lacrosse, one shinty, one ultimate frisbee and two cricket fields. The pitches are overseeded using BAR 7 RPR grass seed mixture and 500 tonnes of dune washed sand is applied annually. Soil is also tested regularly to assess the quality.

There really is a sport for everyone. You might be wondering what ultimate frisbee is – simply known as “Ultimate”, it is a non-contact sport that involves “hucking”/throwing the frisbee long distances and trying to “Sky”, that is grab the disc in the air over the opponent. There are seven players on each team.

I met up with the Estates team and was greeted with smiles and cups of tea all round. With drinks in hand, we settled down to chat about the sports grounds and all that come along with them.

Dressed crisply in well-ironed trousers and Saints Sports polo shirts, the team looked every inch the personification of attention to detail that their jobs require and demand.

This has been my experience of the greenkeeping industry, throughout my travels around Scotland. Along with this comes the ubiquitous and somewhat compulsory working greenkeeper’s/apprentice’s shorts.

Even on a cold, frosty day like today in November, when the thermometer doesn’t reach much further than one degree and there is a yellow snow warning dominating the country, the shorts are out!

Present today is John Reid – Grounds and Facilities Manager, Fraser Wright – Head Groundsman and Gary Brankin – Assistant Director of sports operations and facilities. I will also get to meet the current apprentice, Gary, and the assistant groundsman, Ross, along with Fraser’s Deputy, another Gary.

Saints are marching in

The team meet on a Monday morning to discuss the week’s schedule and Fraser encourages each member of the group to participate in discussions and rotate tasks. In the 2018 industry awards, the team were finalists. It was the first time they took part and rate it as a very good experience and something that John Reid plans to do again.

2018 industry awards, the team were finalists. It was the first time they took part and rate it as a very good experience and something that John Reid plans to do again.

Being interested in sport as well as keeping the grounds in pristine condition is pretty much a prerequisite here and all the lads are interested in and have played football, along with
golf. Nowadays, Fraser prefers to cycle to raise money for charity and the boys are kept active maintaining the grounds.

Gary (Brankin) was keen to emphasise that all the work done to the grounds is for the student and the student’s experience, first and foremost. They prioritise reinvesting
back into the grounds and facilities for the students. Once an energetic sportsman himself, Gary now puts his energy into family life and is proud to tell me his daughter plays in the under-tens.

Students and young people starting out in their careers and developing their education is at the heart of all they do at Saints Sports. This is evident in the grounds at the University and the time and investment they put into apprentice greenkeepers coming in through SRUC.

At St Andrews and at SRUC the apprentices learn good turf management and aeration techniques, two skills that the team at the Saints Sports grounds put into practice to keep the grounds from suffering over-watering and keeping them disease free.

I asked the football team for some of the club’s thoughts on the sports grounds:

“The quality of both grass and 3G pitches allows us to train and play at a very high standard, similar to professional players. Playing on the same quality of pitches as the professionals is a great privilege and it’s special for us to be able to gives our players the opportunity of developing as much as possible. The high standard of our pitches has been proven as teams such as Manchester United, West Ham and Brighton have used them for training camps.”

Saints are marching in

The pitches have contributed to the success of the club and its development to where it stands today. Currently the men’s section of the football club has seven competitive afternoon in the Scottish University Leagues throughout the full academic year and a membership of around 180 players from all over the world.

The men’s first team have just won tier two of the Scottish University leagues to be promoted to tier one next season. They have also won the Conference Cup for the third time in the last four seasons. In 2018 the team won the prestigious Queen’s Park Shield for the first time in 75 years.

“We currently have around 80 members to the women’s part of the football club which currently makes up three competitive teams. The women’s section is one that has grown a lot in the last ten years from initially one team to now having three who all represent the University in the BUCS competitions throughout the full academic year,” said the team.

“Our first team previously competed in the top Scottish university league and for the previous three seasons won the top Scottish league (1A), winning all games in the process. Following promotion at the end of last season, we now play in the British North League, the highest league we can play at in the university level and recently won that league for the first time in the club’s history. Our second team and third team are both top of their respective leagues and will hope to be promoted at the end of the season.”

Further information on the football club can be found on their website: football.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk

To the question of what the future holds and John doesn’t hesitate to tell me that they plan to further improve the pitches and upgrade the irrigation systems. They also aim to invest more in equipment and continue work organically and manage water usage.

Currently they are completely chemical free with no use of fungicides or pesticides and they utilise fertiliser in the form of a seaweed formula from Orkney.

Another item of equipment that the team currently possess is a beam rider for laser line marking. This takes the place of apprentices past use of string lines.

The 3G synthetic pitch features 100 per cent recycled fibre playing surface with a biodegradable non-toxic cork in-fill and was the first pitch of this kind, provided by FieldTurf, in the UK.

Saints are marching in

The third-generation synthetic surface is made using cutting edge methods to reduce the waste and pollution being created each year and contributes to a healthier environment in sport.

The 3G pitch at St Andrews offers a top level playing surface and is suitable for hosting international level matches and has achieved both FIFE Quality and world rugby regulations 22 certifications.

As to what the rest of this frosty day brings, the boys will be cleaning out and tidying up the shed. Even at the most prestigious University in the country, the shed takes priority sometimes! It’s always a satisfying job on cold days like these anyway and some of the best ideas are borne out of time spent in the shed.

There are some beech hedges to be cut back but I think, with the excitement of getting those knees out today, they might be better suited to a calm afternoon in the shed to recover.

They are all keen to tell me that working at the University of St Andrews sports grounds is a pleasure and a privilege and that they are a strong team who work well together to provide each skill needed in a profession where teamwork is critical.

They also enjoy the setting of St Andrews itself, with cafés, restaurants and beaches set in a picturesque location. With a quiet beauty, a calming atmosphere and an air of respect for your privacy, St Andrews continues to attract and gain enquiries from far afield.

Today might be overcast and cold, but the future looks bright for the Estates department here at St Andrews – and the guys are ready to continue to provide excellent facilities for many students to come.

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Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Saints are marching in

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Saints are marching in

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Introducing the GroundsFest Academy

Saints are marching in

Saints are marching in: Susan Lindsay paid a visit to St Andrews to see the work first hand of the grounds team at the oldest university in Scotland.

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