these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

Winter Sports
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Our anonymous football league head groundsman,
Mr AKA Grasscutter, offers some advice to
youngsters wishing to get into the industry GRASSCUTTER
“The issue is identifying those who
are genuinely interested in finding
out more about our industry, and not
just at the club to be around football
players”
Since writing these articles for
Pitchcare, I have been most
pleased by the generally positive
response from readers and the
powers that be at the magazine. I
hope I do not come across too negative
about all things groundcare-wise, I tend
to tell it as I see it.
A work colleague thought that, after
reading one of my articles, it was enough
to put any young person off joining our
industry. He was commenting very much
tongue in cheek, but I take his point.
Attracting quality, committed young
people to groundsmanship is, I would
say, not a problem. Judging by the letters
we get at our club asking for work
experience places there would appear to
be a lot of genuine interest in the job.
The problems start when you get the
young people on site and what they can
do. Due to Health & Safety regulations,
operating any sort of machinery is totally
out of the question, so they finish up
painting goal posts or sweeping up, not
ideal as an insight into groundsmanship.
Another issue is identifying those who
are genuinely interested in finding out
more about our industry, and not just at
the club to be around football players.
We have had a few of those; one lad
openly admitted it, saying he wanted to
go into catering when leaving school and
viewed his two weeks with us as a chance
of some fresh air away from the
classroom.
At the other end of the scale, a young
man once contacted me asking if he
70 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
could come to the club once a week on a
volunteer basis to help out. He was at the
local college doing a horticulture course,
but had decided he wanted to get into
football groundsmanship. It quickly
became apparent, after a couple of days
helping out, that not only did he have a
hunger to learn, but was very skilful.
The club were very accommodating and
took him on for thirty hours a week
whilst he did his groundsman’s NVQs.
He passed with flying colours but,
unfortunately, the club were not
prepared to employ him full time, not
because of who he was, but the fact they
could not afford to take another
groundsman on. This did not deter him
as he continued to work the thirty hours
a week at our club on a minimum wage,
whilst applying for jobs at football clubs
around the country. He aimed high and
was selected, out of over fifty applicants,
for an interview at one of the top
Premiership clubs. He was unsuccessful,
but did not give up and, three months
later, secured a position with a very good
Championship side at their training
ground.
The moral in that story is, without doubt,
if at first you don’t succeed try again. If
you have confidence in your ability, and
show good practical skills, there will
always be an opportunity within the
industry. Do not get put off by one or
two setbacks when applying for positions.
Always ask at your local club if there is
work available on a volunteer basis, we
have three or four lads who come in on a
matchday to help, mainly with divoting.
There may be a chance to help out in the
week here and there, but do not get
upset if it’s not marking out the stadium
pitch for a big game; groundsmen are
very protective, and most will start you
off at the far end of the training ground
on some grids to see how you go.
Whilst working as a volunteer may not
appeal to some, it does have its positives.
If you are lucky enough to volunteer and
get accepted at the club you support, it
does mean you get to see games for free.
Also, on a serious note, volunteer work
always looks good on your CV, I feel it
shows a willingness to get stuck in
regardless.
Working outside in the cold and wet is
my biggest dislike of the job, but in
reality there are not that many days of
the year when this occurs and is easily
negated by nice warm dry days when
acres of grass need cutting.
All in all, I would not swap my job for
anything and, in that respect, I am lucky.
I would encourage any young person
thinking of going into groundsmanship
to do so. You need to be thick-skinned if
you enter into the football side of things.
The banter and general mickey taking is
of the highest order, right from the
manager, coaches and players down to
the grumpy head groundsman but, all in
all, everyone is pulling in the same
direction.
Keep the faith; and keep cutting the
grass, after all that's all you do.