Grow with the GMA

Now 29 years old, I have been involved in the industry for around nine years. After leaving college, my first job was in landscaping, for a contractor, and I built an adventure play park. Along with this I was doing regular private work in gardens, from building brick walls and patios to undertaking complete landscaping projects. When the play park was complete, I moved across to the contractor’s parks and gardens department which saw me cutting play parks, football pitches and gardens around the town. I spent a couple of years doing this before joining the University of Sussex, which at that time Brighton & Hove Albion FC was using as a training ground. The university’s head groundsperson for the sports pitches was retiring and I spent three months learning as much of the role as possible before taking over.

What is your current place of work, job title and role? What tasks do you undertake?

I currently work at Brighton & Hove Albion FC as a deputy head groundsperson at the club’s training ground. My tasks are varied, from staff management and the implementation of health of safety and standards, through to the everyday maintenance of pitches, surrounds, lawn areas and planting. Back in the office, I also liaise with coaches and other staff, provide pitch allocations for the teams and keep up-to date work profiles for each pitch.

Colin Hoskins

Tom Bilton, currently deputy head groundsperson at Brighton & Hove Albion FC, highlights how his accreditation to the GMA Level 3 Technical Diploma has provided him with in-depth knowledge of the science of turf care

How long have you been involved in grounds management?

Editor

Visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning for details of the Grounds Management Association’s education and learning programmes You’ve recently been accredited to the GMA Level 3 Technical Diploma. What was the driver for this qualification?

I wanted to expand my knowledge and have the qualification to back this up. The science behind what we do in our industry interests me, so having a more in-depth knowledge of this has helped me a lot.

What other training have you undertaken before this?

I spent two years at Plumpton College studying a National Diploma in Horticulture, and various jobrelated qualifications have followed.

What is your next step – in terms of both training/qualifications and aspirations for career progression?

I would always like to work in sport, and it would be great if I could in some way incorporate this with my love of travelling. ■

Tom says his work at Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s training ground is wide and varied