Tag Archive for: Derby

All-female grounds team revel in derby delight

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All-female grounds team revel in derby delight: Last weekend, history was made for the grounds management industry. For the first time in Football, an all-female grounds team prepared the pitch at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal vs Tottenham in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, a sold-out crowd of over 60,000 fans flooded into the Emirates Stadium to watch the game, making it the highest attendance of a women’s domestic football match in the UK. It was also the most-attended sports fixture in London that weekend, including Premier League games, putting the grounds management industry firmly in the spotlight, highlighting the vital role of grounds staff in making sport possible.

All-female grounds team revel in derby delight

All-female grounds team revel in derby delight

Not only was history made off the pitch but also on the pitch, by the grounds team who prepared it. Thirteen trailblazing women from various grounds management settings, from cricket and football to educational facilities, worked hard over the days leading up to the match to prepare the pitch.

With women making up less than 2% of the grounds management industry, the all-female grounds team’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed and received praise from across the sporting world, with support shared by Lionesses legends, Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo and Beth Mead amongst many others, as well as widespread media coverage.

This historic moment was the result of collaboration between the Women’s Super League, Arsenal FC, the Grounds Management Association and Women in Football, and put women in grounds management at the centre of one of the greatest sporting stages in the country.

Leading the GMA’s involvement in the project, Director of Communications, Jennifer Carter was proud of the day:

“To see a team of thirteen experienced and talented women prepare the iconic Emirates Stadium pitch in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators and viewers across the UK, was a highly significant moment in the GMA and grounds management industry’s history.

“The lack of visibility of women in this field remains a significant barrier, but we’re confident that moments like these, and more in the future, will be pivotal in convincing more young people, especially females, to explore this promising career path. Those who took part are incredible ambassadors for the industry, and I have no doubt that their work will have inspired many and shed light on the grounds management profession.

“We’re hugely grateful for our partners at Arsenal, the WSL and Women in Football for working with us to make this happen and we’re immensely proud of the thirteen inspirational grounds women.”

Vinai Venkatesham, Arsenal’s Chief Executive, was full of praise for the grounds team’s efforts:

“This is a celebration of what’s been achieved for women in sport, but also serves as a reminder of the work we need to do together to ensure more young girls are encouraged to break into the game. It’s important we continue to build on these moments to inspire the next generation and accelerate the sustainable growth of the game.”

The Grounds Management Association is encouraging sports fans to share their appreciation for grounds staff during #GroundsWeek, the association’s annual awareness week, from 18 – 24 March 2024. For more information about #GroundsWeek and how to support it, visit: thegma.org.uk/groundsweek.

If you’re interested in working in grounds management, you can find out more about careers and training at thegma.org.uk/learning.

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Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

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Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch: Derby County boss Wayne Rooney says groundsmen up and down the country are “doing everything they can” to make sure pitches are in the best condition possible.

Read the full article from the Derby Telegraph here

Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

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Derby At Forefront Of Football Pitch Revolution

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Derby At Forefront Of Football Pitch Revolution: Derby County Football Club is at the forefront of the biggest change in sport surfaces in over 20 years.

The club has worked with Talbot Sports Turf on installing revolutionary POWERgrass on an academy pitch at its Moor Farm Training Centre.

Derby At Forefront Of Football Pitch Revolution

Invented in Italy, POWERgrass has increased traction, stability and softness and is more robust than any other hybrid sports carpet.

Darren Wassall, Derby County’s academy director, said: “The POWERgrass hybrid carpet at our Moor Farm academy has exceeded all expectations with regards to wear, surface softness, reliability and playability.”

Sean Goodwin, Director of Talbot Sports Turf, which has exclusive rights to install POWERgrass as a turf in the UK, said: “We have decades of experience and we believe this is the best hybrid carpet system available on the market and is the biggest change in the industry in two decades.

“We are convinced it will become the turn-to surface for football clubs across the UK and Europe.”

He added: “We met with the inventor, Dr Niko Sarris, and have examined POWERgrass very closely. We believe he was the only individual who considered how the grass plant would grow within the hybrid system because his background is agronomy.”

POWERgrass has a bespoke root zone as part of a system, which improves the growing environment and, at the same time, has more synthetic fibre filaments per square metre than any other product.  This, together with the patented backing to the carpet, makes it unique.

Sean added: “One of the issues with hybrid carpets is the ability to be renovated at end of the season.

“If a hybrid carpet does not have very good tuft-lock, synthetic fibres will be removed when old grass is taken out. We are delighted to say that the tuft-lock of POWERgrass is the highest available on the world market.

“It is also the only carpet with tri-coloured fibres which ensures it marries into the grass sward as well as possible.”

Talbot won a prestigious BALI National Landscape Award for the installation of a POWERgrass pitch which has been hailed as ‘our Wembley’ by grassroots footballers in Regent’s Park, London.

The pitch, which is the first of its type at an outdoor public sports facility in the UK, was initially a Royal Parks’ pilot but has been a huge success because of its quality and robustness.

Mark Rowe, assistant park manager, said: “POWERgrass is now in its second season and through last winter and up to now this winter, we have seen no games called off due to adverse weather conditions apart from when the playing surface was covered in deep snow.”

POWERgrass has enabled thousands more people to enjoy sports in Regent’s Park and Sean believes that it has set the benchmark for other public facilities across the country.

He said: “POWERgrass is the best surface available and offers a cost-saving. It will change the face of sports surfaces for sports clubs from The Premier League to the local park.”

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