Marshalling his troops - Pitchcare

Excellent results at the training ground
“During the worst time,
we were all in the
boardroom waiting to
hear our name called
out for redundancy”
be out of football altogether,
to return to private sector
education most probably,
where he enjoyed many years
of experience and where he
believes considerable work is
still needed.
“There’s been significant
under-investment in these
sports facilities in recent years
and, apart from a few notable
exceptions, many are
generally of a poor standard,
so a position where I could
help change things could be
an option,” he adds.
While Mark recognises that
a Premiership role would be
the next natural progression
for him, he also views posts in
the top flight remain “a
closed shop.” “Few are ever
advertised. The most realistic
hope I’ve got of becoming a
Premiership groundsman is if
Palace gains promotion,” he
admits. “Whilst a return to
the premiership for Palace
would be welcome, along with
the resulting additional
budget, I don’t believe the
game is heading in the right
direction,” he continues in
typically candid fashion.
Big money is now part and
parcel of football yet, for
clubs like Palace, in the
Championship or lower
leagues, it is in danger of fast
becoming an unsustainable
and potentially damaging
aspect of ‘the beautiful game’,
he adds.
“What I’ve seen happen
here has given me real doubts
about how long it will all
last,“ he reflects. “We’ve
reached a position where the
Premiership is seen as the be
all and end all, with clubs
striving to get into the top
league and, where finishing
fourth from bottom of it, is
seen as a success, by avoiding
relegation and the fall-off in
funding that goes with
playing in that league. For
me, that isn’t what football
should be about - it’s more
than just the top league.”
The plight of home grown
players in the Premiership
has been another
development that Mark
believes will only serve to
damage the English league.
Only 38% of current
Premiership players were
born in England, he notes,
which he believes is creating a
growing disincentive to
nurture home grown youth
players, as the big money
foreign players take
precedence.
”The one good result of
clubs like Palace having so
little money is that they
simply cannot afford to buy
in loads of players, so have to
rely on fostering their youth
sides and scouring the
leagues for good deals and
free transfers. It’s not all
about the money, it’s about
good management, and
being able to pick out good
players from the lower
leagues.”
Palace is in a prime
position to make the best of
that opportunity and help
develop the next crop of
promising English players.
And, whilst it goes about
doing that, Mark will
continue to produce a
Premiership standard
pitch on a lower
league budget.
ONLY
£420
• Suitable for aluminium & steel goals
• No need to lift the goal as the cantilever arm
lifts the goal for you
• Micro Cellular Polyethylene NON PUNCTURE WHEELS
Sufficient quantity for 2 goals
•
MIND YOUR BACK!
NEW IMPROVED
EASY LIFT
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Goals make games. We make goals.
Talk to Mark on 01502 710039 or visit markharrod.com
Shelton Chain Trencher
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49
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