GMA launches Grounds Management Framework

The GMA setsthestandardsfornatural turf sportssurfacestohelppeople, bothinside andoutsidethe industry, to betterunderstand what it takes toprepare high-quality, safe playing surfacesforsport

BYLINE: OLLIE SWAN, GMA SENIOR PR AND COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE

The GMA has officially launched the Grounds Management Framework (GMF) at an event hosted at Lord's Cricket Ground and attended by key industry personnel, including GMA members and representatives of the national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport.

To support the sports industry in better understanding how to maintain natural turf sports surfaces to the best possible level, as well as presenting grounds management as a viable career path, the GMA has developed the GMF to offer a set of standards to benchmark pitch quality and educational skill sets. With the quality of playing surfaces directly impacting the amount of sport played on them, the GMF shines a spotlight on the importance of grounds management in a way that is simple to understand for people outside of the industry, such as facility operators, club chairmen and directors.

Raising The Bar

Developed by the GMA and experienced sports consultant Tim Nicholls, the GMF combines long-standing performance quality standards with relevant skills and knowledge.

Backed by NGBs, the easy-touse framework will determine whether pitch standards are at a 'basic', 'good', 'advanced', 'high', or 'elite' level, and will ensure that those responsible for their upkeep are aware of the characteristics, resources, skills and knowledge required for their playing surface, and how to progress the pitches to the next level.

The framework is already in use on the Football Foundation's revolutionary PitchPower app. Furthermore, the GMA has aligned its courses and qualifications to the different levels of the GMF.

During the launch event, the England and Wales Cricket Board's head of facilities services, Dr Iain James, discussed the impact the GMF will have on improving cricket playing surfaces. Simon Barker, assistant CEO, Professional Footballers' Association; Hannah Buckley, FA senior facilities and project manager - women's professional game; volunteer groundsman Wesley Matthews; and GMF consultant Tim Nicholls answered questions from the floor that related to how the GMF will benefit both professional and grassroots sport.

Speaking about the framework at the event, GMA CEO GeoffWebb said: "The

AITHOUGH THE GMFHAS ONLY JUST BEEN LAUNCHED, IT'S ALREADY PLAYING AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN INNOVATIVE NEW STRATEGIES

that almost two million more children will benefit from improved playing surfaces.

"Our work is focused on getting the best for the industry and highlighting the hard work, knowledge and skills that go into making sport possible. This framework will make it clearer for people inside and outside of the industry, from club chairs to stadium managers, to understand what it takes to prepare playing surfaces at all levels, and will better match the required training and experience to the quality of playing surfaces."

Central To Sport

Having played a key role in the development of the framework, sports consultant Tim Nicholls said: "The Grounds Management Framework has taken a lot of work and time to get it to where it is today.

Grounds Management Framework has been in development for a long time and has been a big focus for us as an organisation, so it's great to finally see it officially launched."

He added: "The grounds management industry already employs around 26,000 people [and has] more than 37,000 part-time volunteers, but more people are needed to join our sector if we are to keep up with the increasing demand for sport. We need 1,000 newcomers a year, as we know from our research

"Although it has only just been launched, it's already playing an essential role in innovative new strategies to improve our pitches through programmes such as PitchPower. I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes our industry and its place in sport over the coming years."

■ The GMF is free to use and is targeted at grounds staff, grounds managers, club committees and senior management at all levels, including those at community clubs, local authorities, educational establishments and professional sports clubs. For more information, please visit: thegma.org.uk/GMF