Natural grass pitches at grassroots sports facilities throughout England are to benefit from expert turf care advice in a new £1.3 million programme funded by national governing bodies of sports, Sport England and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG).

The new Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme is designed to raise the standards of sports surfaces as well as the understanding of sports turf management practices among the army of volunteer groundsmen and women who look after these pitches.

Funded by the IOG, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), The Football Association, the Rugby Football League and Sport England, the initial three-year programme – which builds on the established success of the IOG/ECB-funded regional advisor network – will be headed by national manager Jason Booth, formerly head groundsman at Leeds Rugby. He will lead a team of eight turf care expert regional pitch advisors covering: 

• London – Andy Clarke
• South east – Ian Norman
• North west – Ian Mather-Brewster
• North east & Yorkshire – Ian Powell
• West Midlands – Kevin Duffill
• East – Daniel White
• South west – Rob Donnelly
• East Midlands – Tom Rowley

Starting in April, the regional pitch advisors will liaise with the national governing bodies and will report directly to the Programme’s national manager. They will provide support services, training and education to grassroots clubs and sites, while also managing the development of pitch performance standards through reporting and advising on grounds improvements.

As a result, grassroots sports clubs will be able to access expert turf care advice, training and technical knowledge as well as guidance on coping with flood damage.

National manager Jason Booth will lead and manage the advisors, and will be the key conduit between the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme and its local delivery.

Importantly, the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme will also:

• Enable players to access the best possible facilities in their local community and therefore maximise potential opportunities for growth locally
• Provide practical guidance and training to the voluntary network that empowers volunteers
• Deploy a strong infrastructure of support to the public and voluntary sectors particularly during a time of financial austerity
• Reduce the likelihood of cancelled matches and training helping economic viability

 Commenting on the agreement, IOG chief executive Geoff Webb said: “The IOG’s regional advisor network has over the years helped to vastly improve the standards of many sports surfaces, especially at grassroots and volunteer level where funding is often very limited. Now, with additional support from more national governing bodies of sports, we will be able to continue this important work at a much higher number of venues from the north to the south of the country.”

He added: “This agreement builds on our established partnership with the ECB and reinforces how the IOG continues to forge strong links with sports’ national governing bodies to further improve playing surfaces at clubs of every size.”

Tessa Hayhurst, national funding operations manager at the ECB, said: “The Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme will support the ECB’s mission to get more people playing cricket, more frequently in teams. Central to this mission is the continued improvement in the quality of pitches and working closely with the voluntary groundsmanship sector. The expansion of the IOG’s regional pitch advisor network will enable cricket to extend its offer of high quality support and services to local people, affiliated clubs and leagues to ensure people continue to enjoy playing and feel valued for the time they commit to the game.”

www.ecb.co.uk

Kelly Simmons, director of National Game and Women's Football at The Football Association, commented: “The FA is pleased to be part of the Programme which will help deliver and support The FA’s targets in the National Game Strategy. It will help deliver against the key aims of growing the game, the retention and development of players and raising standards. The quality of natural turf pitches is key if we are to continue improving and attracting more people to play and enjoy participating in football.

“The network of regional pitch advisors will enable football to offer support, guidance and training to affiliated clubs and leagues to ensure that they have all the resources and information required to enable players to play on the best pitches possible. The Programme will also inform how we can best direct our investment and ensure that we provide value for money.”

www.thefa.com

Carol Doran, national facilities manager at the Rugby Football League, said: ““The RFL is committed to increasing regular participation in rugby league and therefore believes it is crucial that the sport has access to good quality pitches. The Programme will have a significant impact on the standard of rugby league natural turf pitches by helping to provide essential services and support to volunteer grounds staff. We look forward to working with the IOG and NGB partners on the implementation of this exciting new scheme.”

www.therfl.co.uk

Charles Johnston, Sport England property director, commented: “Good quality grass pitches are important for helping people get out and play sport. We recognise the real value and importance of the volunteer groundsman in maintaining and delivering quality pitches every week and are very pleased to support this new network of Regional Pitch Advisors who will provide the necessary support and guidance the voluntary groundsmen deserve.”

www.sportengland.org