Tag Archive for: grounds

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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Grounds Management Heroes Celebrated at GMA Awards

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Grounds Management Heroes Celebrated at GMA Awards: The very best in the grounds management industry were celebrated at a dazzling evening at AMT Headingley Stadium, hosted by award-wining sports broadcaster, Hayley McQueen.

Over 300 attendees from across the sports turf industry, from grounds staff to grounds care businesses and representatives from sport’s National Governing Bodies, all gathered at the iconic AMT Headingley Stadium for an evening of celebration.

Grounds Management Heroes Celebrated at GMA Awards

Grounds Management Heroes Celebrated at GMA Awards

The awards recognised leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of grounds care, from grassroots pitches to professional stadia, over 17 categories.

Attendees celebrated new talent emerging on the scene, with two female winners of the Young Groundsperson of the Year and Newcomer of the Year award categories, whilst long-time industry stalwarts were honoured with Hall of Fame inductions and GMA Grounds Manager of the Year awards.

The awards ceremony recognised outstanding achievements in public and private sports venues and highlighted the progress of young grounds professionals as well as outstanding performance in environmental practices. Also new to 2023 was a Special Recognition Award which shone a light on a unique and inspiring individual who represents everything that is positive about the industry.

Geoff Webb, CEO of the Grounds Management Association, commented on the success of the evening:

“The GMA Industry Awards are always an important evening in the industry’s calendar. With the industry playing such a vital role in the country’s enjoyment of sport, it’s hugely important that we come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and grounds teams across all levels of sport

“The talent celebrated throughout the event is testament to the hard work and innovation of grounds staff across the sector, and we’re always delighted to see exceptional examples recongised and celebrated for their achievements. The iconic AMT Headingly Stadium provided the perfect backdrop for the awards.

“There were many highlights on the night, including two women taking home the Young Groundsperson of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards – opening the sector to a wider demographic has long been an objective of the GMA’s work, so to see two young women receiving recognition on the night was a real sign of progress.

“The surprise on Rod Heyhoe and Lee Marshallsay’s faces represented the full spectrum of exceptional grounds managers, from volunteers to professionals, as they received recognition for their outstanding contribution to sports turf. The story of Zeynu Bedru, who received a Special Recognition Award, and his journey as a refugee from Eritea to Harrogate RUFC, summed up the wonderful community our industry creates.”

The winners of the GMA Industry Awards 2023 are:

Young Groundsperson of the Year – Sponsored by Origin Amenity Solutions
Bethany Gibbs Wellington School

Newcomer of the Year
Meg Lay Gloucestershire CCC

Volunteer Groundsperson or Team of the Year
Clapton Community F.C

Community Groundsperson or Team of the Year – Sponsored by National Governing Bodies
Yeovil Recreation Centre

Environmental and Sustainability Impact – Sponsored by Syngenta
Leicester City F.C

Bowls/Croquet Groundsperson or Team of the Year
Wantage Bowling Club

Best Managed Artificial Surface of the Year
Yeovil Recreation Centre

Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year – Sponsored by Avant Tecno UK LTD
Lingfield Park

Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
Marylebone CC

Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year – Sponsored by Infinicut
Devonshire Park

Professional Rugby Union Grounds Team of the Year
Bath Rugby

Professional Rugby League Grounds Team of the Year – Sponsored by Agronomic Services Ltd
Leeds Rhinos

Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year
Stockport County F.C

Professional Football Grounds Team (Elite) – Sponsored by SGL
Leicester City F.C

University/College Grounds Team of the Year
Loughborough University

Independent School Grounds Team of the Year – Sponsored by ISEKI UK & Ireland
Eton College

Special Recognition Award
Zeynu Bedru Harrogate RUFC

GMA Grounds Manager of the Year – Sponsored by DLF Seeds Ltd
Lee Marshallsay Eton College

The GMA is hugely grateful for the GMA Industry Awards sponsors for their support of the industry:

Platinum sponsor and Independent School Grounds Team of the Year Category sponsor

ISEKI

Award Category sponsors

Amenity Solutions

National Governing Bodies (RFL, RFU, ECB, Premier League)

Syngenta

Avant Tecno UK

Infinicut

Agronomic

SGL

DLF Seeds

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Toro grounds mowers in stock

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Toro grounds mowers in stock: In the market for a new Toro grounds machine? Reesink Turfcare can deliver.

Reesink Turfcare, the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for Toro groundscare machinery, has five of Toro’s popular grounds mowers in stock and ready for swift delivery across the UK.

Toro grounds mowers in stock

Toro grounds mowers in stock

The Groundsmaster 3300 out-front rotary, LT3340 heavy-duty triple, LT-F3000 triple flail, LT2240 cylinder and the Groundsmaster 4000 rotary mowers bring new cutting concepts to rotary, cylinder and flail mowing and are in the UK and ready to order now.

Jon Cole, divisional business manager, turfcare, at Reesink Turfcare, says: “Reesink UK and The Toro Company have been investing resources to support availability including paying additional airfreight on accessory items and premiums to secure equipment from other Toro distributors, where there’s the option. We’re so pleased to see this approach working and stock arriving in the UK.

“Whether it’s a rotary, cylinder or flail mower customers want, we’ve got it covered.”

All of these machines are ideal for maintaining areas that are cut infrequently and can handle longer, wetter, coarser grass cutting, or finer, neater cuts depending on what is required in the green space being tended.

From light trimming to mowing dense overgrown areas, the Toro LT3340 will be appreciated for its durability, strength and performance. The LT-F3000 will impress by increasing the length of time between cuts, making grounds teams more efficient. If it’s wet, coarse, long, dense grass on the agenda, the Groundsmaster 3300 with flail or rotary deck, will deal with it.

The LT2240 works in areas with restricted access and limited manoeuvrability and is suited for fine-turf applications as much as densely packed, overgrown municipal grass, while the Groundsmaster 4000 handles cutting on hills and wet grass with ease and has the ability to turn on itself leaving a zero inch uncut circle adding to its already impressive productivity.

So, don’t delay, with these popular grounds machines in the UK and ready for delivery now, order today for guaranteed results within weeks.

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Toro U.K. Attends Sports & Grounds Expo

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Toro U.K. Attends Sports & Grounds Expo: Toro U.K. Limited, manufacturer of Hayter® and Toro® lawnmowers and turf equipment recently exhibited at the Sports & Grounds Expo in Malvern for the third consecutive year.

The large stand space gave the perfect background to exhibit the great selection of Toro-branded products including the new Toro® Grandstand® Revolution, a lithium-ion powered stand-on mower providing up to 7 hours of run time and with a 5-year commercial warranty. Additionally, the Toro® Dingo® compact utility loader range made for a great back drop during the U.K. Loggers National Championships 2023 held over the two days at the same event.

Toro U.K. Attends Sports & Grounds Expo

Toro U.K. Attends Sports & Grounds Expo

Local dealer Revill Mowers supported the show alongside the Toro U.K. team. Matthew Coleman, Toro U.K. Sales Manager for LCE and SWS – U.K. Direct Market, commented that “despite the low visitor numbers, the strength of enquiries taken were strong with demonstration requests to follow up on”.

For more information, please visit www.toro.com / www.hayter.co.uk.

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Countrywide Grounds Maintenance’s additional robot

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Countrywide Grounds Maintenance’s additional robot: Origin Amenity Solutions has recently delivered their latest GPS guided robotic line marking machine, the TinyLineMarker (TLM) Pro X, to long-standing customer Countrywide Grounds Maintenance (CW) in Devon.

Steven Hurley is the Regional Manager for CW Devon. one of 46 Nationwide Franchisees to provide complete grounds maintenance services for education facilities, housing associations, facilities management companies and estates.

Countrywide Grounds Maintenance's additional robot

Countrywide Grounds Maintenance’s additional robot

In early March 2023 Steven procured his second robot from Origin Amenity Solutions. He comments, “We carry out the line marking requirements for approximately 80 schools, colleges, and sports fields. There is planned acquisition of further schools this year so we need to be in a position to meet the additional requirements these will bring. After initial marking we carry out weekly over-marking so I anticipate both of our robots will be in use full time.”

TinyLineMarker robots are marketed and distributed exclusively in the UK by Origin Amenity Solutions which brings together four leading industry names – Headland Amenity, Rigby Taylor, TurfKeeper.com and Symbio.

Packed with a range of brand-new innovative features, the TLM Pro X is an exciting new GPS robot designed to make line marking projects as streamlined and effortless as possible.

Steven continues, “Our first robot is the Pro which has been brilliant. After five years it is still going strong, but it was time to add to the fleet.  We need to be able to offer high quality

line marking to all our customers in a timely fashion. The additional robot will ensure we can do that. Our original robot is a good robust machine, but I am very impressed with the new and improved Pro X. It is efficient and easy to use. The design and light weight of the machine makes it so convenient and easy to handle and transport. It has bigger wheels that are better at handling on rough or uneven ground which is ideal and well suited for the soft ground conditions we often have here in The Southwest.”

Steven is particularly impressed with one of the new key features, the multi-select tool. This tool gives users the ability to queue up multiple pitches to be marked out in a specific order of their choosing, and the robot will then mark out the designated areas. “This feature will be invaluable; it will save me so much time.”

When marking out multiple pitches, it is likely that any robot will run out of paint, which is where another of the new features comes in to play. The TLM Pro X features a simple yet revolutionary low paint alert system, ensuring no time is wasted. When the robot is running low on paint, an automatic alert is sent to the user’s hand-held tablet notifying them of the paint levels. This is a much-welcomed feature which avoids time being wasted marking out a field with no paint in the tank!

Not only does this feature notify the user of low paint levels, but the robot will also send an alert if there is a clog preventing the robot from line marking. A simple yet time saving feature which many TLM Pro X users are finding invaluable.

The Origin Amenity Solutions team offer onsite training, maintenance and general advice. “The robot is simply to set up and use but I like having the peace of mind that service is just a phone call away and my queries are always handled quickly and professionally.” Steven adds.

The TLM Pro X also boosts many more improvements, including general upgrades to the hardware and software for a largely improved experience on what was already a solid offering from the existing range of robots. The electronics within the robot have been enhanced, allowing for more reliable and powerful line marking in a range of project areas, and the external design has been enhanced, with the addition of buttons to activate pump and nozzle, enabling users to prime, clean and test without using the tablet.

Thanks to the design upgrade, the robot offers faster deployment and maintenance has been streamlined too, making all round care as minimal as possible to ensure users can focus on their line marking projects.

Steven sums up by saying, “I’m really delighted with the new robot. Its many new features are going to be invaluable to us and having a second machine mean we can service many more customers.”

Free demonstrations are being offered across the UK.  To book or enquire visit https://tinymobilerobots.com/tinymobilerobots-uk/

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