Tag Archive for: Four

Four GMA NextGen Members Receive Pioneer Marks

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Four GMA NextGen Members Receive Pioneer Marks: Four members of GMA NextGen have been presented with their Pioneer Marks as part of the Pioneer Legacy initiative, recognising the contributions of past and present members of the group.

The Pioneer Mark is a distinctive legacy number that symbolises the impact each member makes on the grounds management profession. The awards were presented during the GMA Industry Awards, held at Edgbaston Stadium last week.

Four GMA NextGen Members Receive Pioneer Marks

Four GMA NextGen Members Receive Pioneer Marks

Luis Arregui (#036) is Deputy Grounds Manager at Real Madrid and plays a key role in maintaining elite playing surfaces at one of the world’s most recognised football clubs.

Flynn Good (#037) is a Skilled Sports Turf Operative at Leicester City Football Club. He first entered the industry at the age of 10 by volunteering at his local club. He then joined Leicester City at 16 and now plays a key role in maintaining the club’s training pitches. Flynn was also named Young Groundsperson of the Year at the GMA Industry Awards 2026, recognising his outstanding contribution and promise within the industry.

Jack Leather (#038) works as a Specialist Groundsperson at Liverpool Football Club. Jack helps deliver high-performing playing surfaces across the club’s facilities, supporting the demands of elite football.

Oliver Mahon (#039) is Head of Grounds at Bradfield College. He oversees the maintenance and development of the school’s sports facilities, ensuring consistently high standards across multiple playing surfaces used by students and teams throughout the year.

All four members joined GMA NextGen in February 2025 and were formally recognised with their Pioneer Marks at the GMA Industry Awards.

Jennifer Carter, GMA Director of Communications and Marketing, said: “The GMA is proud to recognise Luis, Flynn, Jack and Ollie with their Pioneer Marks as part of the Pioneer Legacy initiative. The group plays a hugely important role in representing the next generation of grounds professionals so recognising members in this way celebrates their contribution to the industry and highlights the important role young professionals play in shaping the future of grounds management.”

They join the ranks of respected NextGen alumni who have received their Pioneer Marks, which can be viewed here.

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Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

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Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion: Leading arboricultural specialists Jack Cotterill Tree Services have strengthened their operations with the addition of two EVO 205D and two EVO 205 Safe-Trak woodchippers from GreenMech.

Delivered in September 2025, the four new machines are already enhancing productivity, reliability and on-site efficiency across their expanding portfolio of tree surgery and maintenance projects.

Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

Four GreenMech EVO’s drive efficiency and expansion

With a team of 17, including 14 qualified tree surgeons, Jack Cotterill Tree Services operate nationwide, delivering top-quality tree care to both domestic and commercial clients. The recent investment made by Managing Director Jack Cotterill marks the next stage in the company’s ongoing growth and commitment to operational excellence.

“Our decision to purchase the four EVO machines was triggered by a combination of expanding our operation and modernising our fleet – with the key objective of minimising the downtime and maintenance we were experiencing with our older machines” Jack explains. “As demand for our services grows, it’s vital we invest in equipment that can keep pace, both in terms of volume and the varying demands of each job.”

After evaluating the options available, it was the EVO’s proven performance, reliability and operator-friendly features that sealed the deal for Jack, alongside GreenMech’s UK-based manufacturing and strong local support. “Having GreenMech on our doorstep gives us confidence in the availability of parts, service and support.” He adds, “It feels good to be building a strong partnership with a local business that prioritises customer service and shares our commitment to quality.”

The company’s fleet now includes both road tow and tracked EVO models, giving Jack and the team maximum flexibility for vast and varied job types and terrains. The EVO 205D’s are perfect for quick deployment across domestic jobs, while the EVO 205 Safe-Trak’s are already proving invaluable for large-scale commercial projects, those on rougher terrain and others with restricted access.

“The team really appreciate the wide infeed hoppers, no-stress feed system and overall ease of maintenance with the EVO machines. These features make the operation more efficient and user-friendly, helping us to get through jobs more quickly and safely. The build quality and quiet running are also big positives.”

Jack also praised the support provided throughout the purchase process by GreenMech, in particular Neal Hussey. “Neal has been exceptional – knowledgeable and responsive to any questions we’ve had along the way. It’s that level of service that really sets GreenMech apart” Jack concludes.

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GMA NextGen welcomes four new members

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GMA NextGen welcomes four new members: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) is pleased to announce the addition of four new professionals to its NextGen group.

GMA NextGen, sponsored by Reesink UK, is comprised of talented young grounds professionals who represent the grounds management industry and act as ambassadors for the GMA. Their mission is to encourage more young people to consider a career in grounds management.

GMA NextGen welcomes four new members

GMA NextGen welcomes four new members

Luis Arregui, Deputy Grounds Manager at Real Madrid City, joins the GMA NextGen group with the aim of promoting a profession he believes is key to sports success. With a degree in Forest Engineering, he combines agronomic knowledge and a passion for sports to advance in his career, aiming to inspire the next generation in grounds management.

Flynn Good, Skilled Sports Turf Operative at Leicester City FC, is hoping to connect with others in grounds management and inspire future professionals. He began volunteering at his local club at the age of 10, driven by a love for maintaining high-quality playing surfaces and takes pride in his team’s impact on players’ success.

Jack Leather, Specialist Groundsperson at Liverpool FC, aims to raise awareness of grounds management as a viable career. Inspired by his father, Jack developed a passion for the industry early on. He enjoys seeing the direct results of his work and is especially passionate about using science and data to improve surfaces and sustainability.

Oliver Mahon, Grounds and Gardens Manager at Monkton Combe School, joins GMA NextGen to promote grounds management to the next generation. His love for sports, the outdoors, and machinery led him to study horticulture and agriculture. He takes pride in preparing high-quality pitches for students, enjoying their appreciation for his team’s work.

Jack Langley & Meg Lay, GMA NextGen Co-Chairs, said: “We’re excited to see more young professionals joining the GMA NextGen group and helping to raise awareness of the incredible career opportunities in grounds management. It’s an industry that offers so much variety, and we’re looking forward to working alongside our new members to showcase the value and impact of our profession.”

With an estimated 1,500 professional grounds staff potentially retiring each year, workforce development is a pressing priority for the industry.

The GMA NextGen group plays a vital role in addressing this challenge by not only promoting the opportunities available within grounds management but also providing a platform for emerging professionals to share ideas and learn more.

By engaging with younger generations, the group helps ensure a sustainable pipeline of talent to safeguard the future of the profession and maintain the high standards expected across sports and green spaces.

Jennifer Carter, Director of Communications & Marketing at the GMA, said: “We know the industry is facing significant challenges in terms of workforce shortages, but the GMA NextGen group continues to make a real difference in addressing these issues. They’ve done an outstanding job in attracting talented young professionals, not only to the group but also into the wider industry, showing the rewarding careers available in grounds management. We’re really pleased to welcome the four new members to the group and look forward to seeing their contributions as they help shape the future of our industry.”

For more information about the GMA NextGen programme or the new members, please visit thegma.org.uk/who /ambassadors.

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Four acres of Capillary Bunkers at Sagamore

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Four acres of Capillary Bunkers at Sagamore: Founded in 2004, the Sagamore Club to the north of Indianapolis has a lot of bunker sand. In fact, according to superintendent Dan Grogan, who has been with the club since 2006, it has a total of four acres of formal bunkers, with high-sand flashed faces into the bargain.

It isn’t surprising, then, that bunker maintenance has always been a big job at Sagamore. “When the course was built, there was a liner installed under the original sand, but as the bunkers were repeatedly edged, more and more soil was exposed around them and the sand got more and more contaminated,” says Grogan. “Inevitably, it took us a long time to get the bunkers back into condition after severe rain – we had to pump them out, which took a lot of time and a huge amount of labour. We had to do something about it.”

Four acres of Capillary Bunkers at Sagamore

Four acres of Capillary Bunkers at Sagamore

Grogan started looking at the best options available to line his bunkers. After research, he concluded that the Capillary Bunkers solution seemed best for Sagamore’s needs. “I started doing some homework and talking to other superintendents about bunker liner technology, and I realised that Capillary Bunkers had one key advantage for us over competing products – we could install it ourselves,” he says. “So, in 2016, we did so on an initial test bunker. We picked one that washed out regularly and didn’t drain too well, and we were very pleased with the results. Based on that, we started an in-house bunker update project, picking off the bunkers one by one.”

This went on for a while. “Eventually, we had done more than fifty bunkers in-house – more than two and a half acres of them,” he says. “There was only one greenside bunker left, but it was an enormous one, more than 20,000 square feet. I realised it was time to bring in the cavalry!”

The cavalry, in this case, was a crew from contractor Landscapes Unlimited, which owned Sagamore at the time. “They mobilised on site in September 2018 and were onsite for two and a half months to complete the remaining bunkers,” says Grogan.

Four years on, Dan Grogan is still extremely happy with his decision. “We are delighted with our bunkers,” he says. “Sometimes we get a huge rain event, and there’s a tiny bit of contamination, but it isn’t anything we can’t easily deal with, and apart from that, there’s nothing. Before we installed the Capillary Bunkers liner, if we had an inch of rain, half of our bunkers would need to be pumped out. Maybe a third of them would be back in play the first day after the rain. Now, we are fully back up and running by lunchtime on the first day. This fall, we had six and a half inches of rain in eighteen hours. There were definitely some washouts – we have steep faces that are eight to ten feet high – but we were back to normal in two days. That would have been an impossible dream beforehand.”

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Only four weeks until SALTEX

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Only four weeks until SALTEX: With more exhibitors returning to this years’ SALTEX than ever before and a plethora of new exhibitors joining the line-up, event organisers at the GMA are keen to remind visitors not to leave it too late to register for their free ticket to SALTEX, which gives direct access to the biggest brands in the industry and the latest technology all under one roof.  

SALTEX is the annual one-stop-shop for thousands of individuals working to install, manage and maintain the UK’s outdoor green spaces whether that be sports pitches, fine turf, estates and landscapes, schools, colleges and universities or parks and playgrounds and this year more than any other visitors from all these sectors can be guaranteed to have more products, more technology and more innovations available to them at the show.

Only four weeks until SALTEXOnly four weeks until SALTEX

Only four weeks until SALTEX

Geoff Webb, GMA CEO, says: “With the huge array of exhibitors at the show this year, attendees can be guaranteed of a worthwhile trip. There are innovations and product launches, with industry favourites alongside the new and unique, meaning a terrific line-up of kit for visitors to see. The vast range of subjects being covered in this year’s expansive Learning LIVE seminar schedule, means there is something relevant for all groundspeople today, addressing the issues whether working at grassroots level or the very top of the industry.

“We know many people leave it until the last minute to book events and make plans, however we encourage printing your badge in advance to gain fast tracked entry with no queuing, squeezing every available minute out of the networking and learning opportunities, whilst doing business and making deals with businesses in all sectors of the industry.”

With the ECO Village programme jam-packed with daily demonstrations for the show duration, Learning LIVE sessions extended to over 30, and with an award nomination for an EN Indy Award for ‘Trade Show of the Year’ in its pocket, the 2022 show really isn’t one to miss.

Conveniently centrally situated at the Birmingham NEC, there are plenty of transport options to access the show. For those coming by rail, the NEC is just a four-minute walk from Birmingham International railway station and for those driving, there is ample parking, with GMA members’ receiving free parking with their membership for the duration of the event. There’s also the option of bus, tram and even aeroplane for those travelling from overseas.

So there really is no reason not to register today for your free ticket to SALTEX at saltex.org.uk  or you can register here

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