Tag Archive for: grounds

All-Female Grounds Team Debuts at Twickenham

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All-Female Grounds Team Debuts at Twickenham: As the final whistle blows on an unforgettable Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, Allianz Stadium celebrates a landmark moment – the debut of its first all-female grounds team.

Brought together by the GMA from sporting institutions across the UK, this trailblazing group of professionals have not only upheld the highest standards of pitch care but also championed greater visibility for women in turf management.

All-Female Grounds Team Debuts at Twickenham

All-Female Grounds Team Debuts at Twickenham

From early morning preparations to post-match recovery, their expertise and teamwork have been truly inspiring. Their presence on the pitch marks a powerful step forward in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

The GMA is proud to support and spotlight the women who are helping shape the future of grounds management – one blade of grass at a time. This wrap-up video captures their journey, their impact and the legacy they’re building for generations to come.

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All-female grounds team make history

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All-female grounds team make history: For the second time in as many years, history will be made on the pitch, but by the team preparing it.

On Saturday 27 September, an all-female team of 15 grounds professionals will take charge of the pitch at Allianz Stadium ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final and bronze medal match. It marks the first time in rugby history that a women-only grounds team has prepared the surface for a showpiece global final.

All-female grounds team make history

All-female grounds team make history

Brought together by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), along with England Rugby and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, the 15 behind the 15 will feature pioneering pitch professionals and volunteers from some of sport’s most iconic venues, from Wimbledon and Wembley to Lord’s, Leicester Tigers, UK Ryder Cup Venue, The Belfry and Ipswich Town FC – as well as leading schools and colleges.

The landmark initiative aims to spotlight female talent in grounds management and inspire more women to consider careers in the sector. It follows the landmark moment at the Emirates Stadium in March 2024, when the first-ever all-female grounds team prepared the pitch for Arsenal vs Tottenham in the Women’s Super League.

The move shines a light on both opportunity and challenge in the sector. The latest GMA industry data shows 77.5% of head grounds managers feel recruitment is the biggest challenge facing the industry. Almost half of groundspeople are aged 45–64, and around 1,500 retire every year. Women are key to closing the employment gap but currently make up less than 10% of the professional workforce.

Head of Grounds at Allianz Stadium Jim Buttar, says: “Encouraging more women to consider a career in grounds management is so important and where better to profile the profession than at Allianz Stadium during the Rugby World Cup Final.

“We are really pleased to be working with the Grounds Management Association and Women’s Rugby World Cup to bring in an all-female team for the final. Our team is really looking forward to meeting the 15 highly skilled women involved and supporting them as they prepare the pitch for the teams.”

The all-female grounds team is made up of:

  • Georgia Edge, All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon
  • Liddy Ford, Wembley Stadium
  • Beth Gibbs, Wellington School
  • Cheryl Hill, Leicester Tigers
  • Rachel Hunter-Worrell, Queen Ethelburga’s York
  • Jessica Jackson, Wellington College
  • Meg Lay, Lord’s Cricket Ground
  • Pippa Lewis, Haberdashers Boys School
  • Naquita Lloyd-Edwards, Weymouth and Portland Rugby Club
  • Emma Lynch, Lord’s Cricket Ground
  • Jasmine Nicholls, Yorkshire County Cricket
  • Anna Nilsson, Brabazon Golf Course at The Belfry
  • Zibby Parker, Ipswich Town FC and Essex County Cricket Club
  • Lucy Rogers, Kings Lynn Golf Club
  • Sofia Sousa, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Jennifer Carter, Director of Communications and Marketing at the GMA , said: “Everyone involved is proud to be part of history and looking forward to creating the perfect pitch for the showpiece matches.

“Last year we put women in grounds management on a national stage. Now, we’re taking this a step further, showcasing their skills and leadership on a global scale with the view to encouraging more people to consider in the industry.

“These females are fantastic role models – not only for their peers in the industry but for the next generation of women aspiring to work in sport and grounds.

“As a female myself having worked in the sports industry for many years, I know first-hand the perceptions and assumptions that are often made in a male dominated industry – we are here to break down barriers.”

Jennifer adds: “Groundspeople make sport possible, from grassroots games to the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final. It’s a fantastic career offering unique opportunities – like working at world-class venues such as Allianz Stadium.”

The event is part of the wider work the GMA is doing to secure the future of the industry. This includes the NextGen team, young ambassadors inspiring the next generation of groundspeople, and a new online hub to help people take their first steps in the sector.

To find out more about careers in grounds management, visit www.thegma.org.uk/what/support-the-sector/get-into-the-industry/

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Jacobsen AR 522 helps Taynuilt keep grounds match-ready

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Jacobsen AR 522 helps Taynuilt keep grounds match-ready: Taynuilt Sports Council in Argyll has bought a Jacobsen AR 522 rotary mower from Fairways GM to maintain the village’s large grass sports pitch.

As a charitable organisation, the Sports Council is committed to providing recreational facilities for the local community and the wider public through Taynuilt Sports Hub. The pitch is in use year-round for shinty, football, cricket, juvenile rugby, and hockey.

Jacobsen AR 522 helps Taynuilt keep grounds match-ready

Jacobsen AR 522 helps Taynuilt keep grounds match-ready

Ross Dunsmore, current Chair of Taynuilt Sports Council, said:

“Our previous machinery had reached the end of its life. We sought advice on the best replacement, then made successful funding applications to three sources: The Carraig Ghael Community Wind Farm Benefit Fund; The National Lottery Community Fund and Taynuilt Community Council. We’re incredibly grateful to all three for making this possible.

“We had heard good reports about Jacobsen equipment and Fairways GM.  At first, Stuart Cameron, Area Manager,  at Fairways didn’t have an AR 522 in stock. But two weeks later, he contacted us to say a unit was coming in from one of Scotland’s best known clubs, which could be refurbished and delivered with a three-month warranty.

“We took delivery in April, and it has definitely helped us produce a better pitch—we are delighted with the quality. In addition, the AR522 is better suited to the sometimes-wetter conditions we get here for cutting the pitch. The machine also deals with the excess grass on top well, leaving a good playing surface.

“On the service side, Fairways lead service engineer, Stuart Mulholland helped us resolve a small issue early on, and between the two Stuarts we’ve had exemplary support.”

The Jacobsen AR 522 is a five-gang wide-area rotary mower equipped with SureTrac™ four-wheel drive traction, weight transfer control, and TrimTek™ cutting decks, enabling it to manage uneven ground and slopes with ease as well as the flat.”

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Habs grounds team more efficient with Ventrac

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Habs grounds team more efficient with Ventrac: Habs Boys and Habs Girls are two leading independent schools, dating back to 1690, on a fabulous 104 acre, co-educational campus in Hertfordshire.

Mike Kemmett is Head of Grounds & Gardens. He and his team are responsible for maintaining the extensive grounds to a high standard. Football, rugby, lacrosse and cricket, to name a few, all have to have turf playing surfaces maintained.  As with all establishments, however, Mike’s budget needs careful control. In September 2024 Habs was reconsidering its ageing machinery fleet. It was at that time that Mike considered their first Ventrac package from RT Machinery. Versatility and multi-tasking were high on the list of requirements from new machinery and the combination had perform more efficiently than the outgoing fleet. Has the plan worked?

Habs grounds team more efficient with Ventrac

Habs grounds team more efficient with Ventrac

Mike commented that previously Habs had an out-front rider with flail mower for their rough areas, tractors with rear mounted rotaries for quick pitch recovery between games and cylinder mowers for cricket and fine turf maintenance. In fact Mike’s first experience with Ventrac was a demonstration of the 4520 tractor with a Power Rake. “A cricket net area had been let go and needed reclamation. We had concrete rubble, bits of steel and other rubbish, it was a mess” says Mike. “A demo from Ventrac restored it in a few hours to a point where we could replant the area”. Mike also commented that “In addition we saw the stump grinder and trenching attachment, both of which completed tasks that would have taken us much longer to do otherwise. I was impressed”

On the back of these demonstrations Habs purchased a Ventrac 4520, MU720 Finishing Mower, an HQ682 Rough Cut Mower and a KM500 Fore-end Loader, knowing that other accessories could be purchased or hired in future. Mike likes the one power unit, many attachments concept. One immediate advantage being it saves space in his barn. Another advantage is “One operator can swap from one attachment to another in minutes” says Mike. “The Tough Cut mower has cleared woodlands that haven’t been touched in years, we even cut twelve foot bamboo down. It was an old assault course we will now use for something else.”

The Wide Area Mower allows Mike and his team to repair divots and pitch damage even in winter. “We’re predominantly clay. Our pitches take a punishing sometimes” said Mike. “The rear roller stripes the pitches nicely and makes the pitch safer even if the pitches are over used during events like rugby sevens”. With their old fleet of tractors and mowers they would not have got onto the pitches so play would be cancelled or held elsewhere. Mike has found that the compactness, low ground pressure and articulated steering of the Ventrac allows him to turn faster at the end of each run on a pitch without turf damage. “A job that took three and half hours now takes two and half” commented Mike, a 28% improvement in efficiency.

Habs continues to expand its horizons and is introducing new facilities, planning for the future. The versatility of more than thirty two attachments will ensure the Ventracs indispensability in helping to maintain the campus to the high standard that is expected. The plan is working.

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Power the future of grounds management

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Power the future of grounds management: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) is proud to reaffirm what truly sets SALTEX apart: every penny generated by the show is reinvested directly into the grounds management industry, supporting the people that keep sport and community spaces thriving across the nation.

For nearly nine decades, SALTEX has existed with a singular purpose: to elevate and advance the profession of grounds management. As a not-for-profit, mission-led event, SALTEX reinvests every pound it generates back into the industry – supporting everyone from grassroots volunteers maintaining local pitches to elite professionals delivering world-class playing surfaces around the globe.

Power the future of grounds management

Power the future of grounds management

Revenue from SALTEX 2024 has enabled the GMA to subsidise approximately 63% of its membership base, delivering essential support to both professional and volunteer grounds staff. Community and the brand-new free student memberships have benefited most, strengthening the GMA’s promise to nurture new talent and ensuring the highest standards of grounds care are applied across the country.

SALTEX profits also support the funding of the industry’s gold-standard training. In the last financial year, income from the show subsidised over 2,000 GMA training courses and qualifications, helping more groundspeople to upskill and grow. The subsidised fees have attracted an extra 7% of learners this year, widening access and upskilling even more people across the sector. The GMA remains the only sector body accredited under the Department for Education’s matrix Standard – a testament to the quality of the association’s training and support.

The GMA’s work to champion the sector wouldn’t be possible without SALTEX. The exhibition enables key initiatives like the annual Industry Awards, recognising excellence at all levels, and #GroundsWeek, the GMA’s national campaign shining a spotlight on the vital work of grounds teams. This year’s #GroundsWeek reached more than 20 million people, the biggest audience to date, inspiring future recruits and building recognition for the profession.

For over ten years, SALTEX has served as a vital meeting ground for the UK’s leading sports governing bodies (NGBs) including The FA, Football Foundation, ECB, RFU and RFL, who consistently choose the show as a trusted platform to engage with the industry. Their presence enables a shared focus on improving facilities at every level. By aligning with the GMA and SALTEX, the NGBs are investing in the long-term sustainability and success of the spaces where sport happens.

Sarah Cunningham, Director of Commercial, Membership and Events at the GMA, said: “SALTEX is the engine room of our industry. Every exhibitor and every visitor helps us reinvest in the people who make sport possible, from the volunteers who keep local pitches playable to the professionals preparing world-class surfaces and green spaces.

“And the impact is far-reaching in helping fund the training, resources, initiatives and recognition our sector needs to thrive. When people choose to be part of SALTEX either as an exhibitor or a visitor, they’re directly supporting the future of grounds management, and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of.”

As the only event of its kind that gives back to the industry, SALTEX remains the professional choice for those committed to the future of grounds management.

SALTEX takes place at Birmingham NEC on 12-13 November 2025. Exhibitors wishing to secure their place at Europe’s cutting-edge grounds management show should contact saltexsales@thegma.org.uk.

For more information and to register for your FREE ticket, visit www.saltex.org.uk.

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

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