Warrington Wolves’ George Williams holds onto the ball on the pristine pitch at the Halliwell Jones Stadium
RAISING THE GAME
Warrington Wolves head groundsman and GMA Award winner Niall Hazlehurst talks about teamwork, why he moved from football to rugby league and how he’s helping to raise pitch standards BY KAREN MAXWELL
T
he recent improvement in pitch standards is getting noticed at Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium – by players and management alike. This is due to the hard work and dedication that 30-year-old Niall Hazlehurst has put into his new role as head groundsman since he joined the
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club in February last year – after making the move from football to rugby league. He’s not the type to take all the credit, though, citing the invaluable advice from Leeds Rhinos’ head groundsman, Ryan Golding, the support of the club’s CEO, Karl Fitzpatrick, and chairman, Stuart Middleton, and the help of his newly recruited grounds assistant, Phil Bannon.
The club’s ambition is to secure its first Super League win and Niall’s ambition is to deliver the best pitch possible to help them do so – and he has been busy educating the club on why pitch standards are so integral to the team’s success. Since joining the club, Niall has been impressed by its team spirit. “Our CEO
