WINNING FORMULA
CONTRIBUTORS
KAREN MAXWELL Editor of Grounds Management magazine
DR ANDY CARMICHAEL Freelance writer and sports-turf academic
ASH WILLS GMA PR and communications manager
DAVID LYNCH Freelance writer
WELCOME
Supporting excellence
In this edition, we celebrate the GMA Awards, held at the home of newly crowned League Champions, Liverpool FC (see interview on page 20). The awards showcase the incredible diversity of our profession, from dedicated volunteers at grassroots clubs to top-tier professionals – all representing best practice across the industry.
Each year, our judges – all current or former practising grounds managers
– face the welcome challenge of reviewing an everimproving standard of nominations. Their peer-reviewed insights ensure that finalists and winners truly reflect excellence in grounds management.
This year, the awards ran alongside another successful #GroundsWeek campaign, which continues to grow in reach and impact. Our award winners provided powerful case studies picked up across TV, radio and print media, helping shine a light on the work that enables sport to take place at every level.
BEYOND THE AWARDS, THE GMA CONTINUES TO CHAMPION THE SECTOR THROUGH A WIDE RANGE OF INITIATIVES
ANDREW TURNBULL Bioagronomist, South West Agronomy
KELLY-MARIE CLACK Agronomy and technical manager, Origin Amenity Solutions
DAN PREST GMA technical and learning lead
IAN SOMERVILLE Regional pitch advisor (rugby union – north)
Beyond the awards, the GMA continues to champion the sector through a wide range of initiatives. In this issue, you’ll find updates on GMA Learning, our partnership work with national governing bodies, the expansion of the Pitch Advisory Service in Wales and the launch of GMA Connect, with events in Bristol and Durham.
We also feature GMA 35 under 35, sponsored by ICL, celebrating the next generation of talent. And we proudly recognise Hall of Fame inductee Andy Jackson of Stoke City FC for his outstanding career and commitment to grassroots sport. There’s a host of other features for you to read and enjoy as we spring into a summer of sport.
Geoff Webb, GMA CEO
GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
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BRIEFING
7 INDUSTRY NEWS
The latest developments from across the grounds-care sector
9 GMA UPDATE
GMA 35 under 35 initiative honours young talent; GMA Connect learning and networking events; training opportunities in the spotlight; GMA Awards celebrate the best in the grounds-care sector
17 PAS UPDATE
How the Pitch Advisory Service is helping raise pitch standards at Ambleside RFC
18 NGB UPDATE
Welsh grassroots football is benefiting from the Pitch Advisory Service Wales programme
FEATURES
20 GMA AWARD WINNER
Liverpool FC’s Warren Scott explains how his grounds team dives into the data to create award-winning pitches
25 GMA HALL OF FAME
How Stoke City FC’s Andy Jackson is dedicated to sharing expertise to raise standards at grassroots clubs
28 GMA AWARD WINNER
Will Rigg talks about rising to the challenges of keeping Ilkley Lawn Tennis Club courts in pristine condition despite frequent floods
50 60 SECONDS WITH…
Head groundsperson at Worcester
Racecourse Bryony Garness on her journey from eventing and grooming to grounds care
TECHNICAL
33 MANAGING TURFGRASS HEALTH IN VARIABLE LIGHT CONDITIONS
The impact of limited sunlight on grass and managing shaded areas
37 HOW TO PLAN A NUTRITIONAL PROGRAMME
Why understanding the various nitrogen sources is key to choosing the correct fertiliser for your needs
40 IN ACTION
Products and services used by Hibernian FC, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Greenstripe Groundcare, Watford FC, Haileybury School and Walsall Council
43 MAINTENANCE TIPS
Summer operations
47 PRODUCT NEWS
Product news and launches from GKB, Baroness, MyPitch, Makita, Agrovista and Fiata
SERVING AN ACE AT ILKLEY
GMA Award winner Will Rigg talks about the challenges met in preparing high-quality surfaces for major tennis tournaments by his “fantastic” team at Ilkley Lawn Tennis Club
BY DR ANDY CARMICHAEL, FREELANCE WRITER AND SPORTS-TURF ACADEMIC
Anfield has hosted some memorable moments over the years, but not many of them beat the 2025 GMA Industry Awards as far as Will Rigg is concerned. Will experienced collective success with Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club being named Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year, and gained individual acclaim as he took home the prestigious GMA Grounds Manager of the Year award for his work at the venue.
Will appreciates these victories were among exalted company and organisations with worldwide reputations. He tells me the awards are now in the club trophy cabinet,
with ‘Ilkley’ (as he was too modest to add himself) engraved forever alongside iconic sports venue names from previous years.
LEADING THE TEAM
Winning a GMA award takes a great deal of work, such is the standard to even be nominated. The team at Ilkley comprises just three permanent staff, with Will joined by Peter Crowther and Jamie Teal, both of whom he describes as “fantastic”.
When preparations begin for the Lexus Ilkley Open, an Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger and the Women’s Tennis Association event the club hosts in the second week of June, the number of people working on the tournament usually rises to seven or eight. It’s still a relatively small number given that the club has 13 grass courts, five indoor environments and various other year-round surfaces, including the fast-growing padel tennis.
During the tournament they support six match courts and five practice to elite standard. The club also offers a gym, and the team covers horticultural landscaping around the venue, which offers numerous social events throughout the year. Will says he “couldn’t ask for better people to work with”. He says: “They work well as a team, I trust them and I know they’re going to get the job done. They take pride in what they do.”
Will has worked at the club for nine years since leaving university and has led the team for the last three. He credits Richard Lord – “Lordy, as many called him” – the former head grounds manager who sadly died. “He was my boss and a friend for six years, and I learned a lot from him about grass, managing courts and life,” Will says. A great tribute – clearly Richard had a lasting impact on him.
Will is also employing skills he learned in his higher education study of sport business management, as he now deals with budgets, assessment of risk, and tracking spraying and fertiliser applications through what he describes
Above: The Lexus Ilkley Open Right: Will (second from top left) and team at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club
as “a lot more computer work”. It might be he only gets one day a week on the courts in winter, rising to three and a half in the summer. This is a familiar story for many who reach seniority in the profession – when the very thing that drew them to the work (being outdoors particularly appealed to Will) gives way to the demands of leadership.
CHALLENGES MET
Will’s biggest challenge for the courts has been water – both too much and too little. The River Wharfe lies around 15m from Will’s current office seat. The club, like many sports facilities, was built on a flood plain when the UK’s climate didn’t suffer from such frequent extreme weather events.
“The courts were underwater on the first day of the year,” he says. “The River Wharfe is a fast-rising river and also quick to fall, which means the courts drain rapidly, so by the second day of January the turf was visible again.”
However, the sediment left behind by flooding needs to be dealt with. As numerous sports venues can attest to, this can be a damaging mix of silt, mud, leaves and anything else the river has picked up. Will has his PA1, PA2 and PA6 certificates, so is educated on the legal obligations and correct approach to take. Powerwashing the courts and treating the surfaces to avoid permanent damage is a commitment that can obviously happen time and again, so much so that there’s a long-term plan to redesign and develop the layout of the courts.
When there’s excessive rainfall during tournaments, the club uses inflatable covers to protect the courts.
Water application when required will be part of the long-term plan. Currently, Ilkley has no irrigation system, apart from Will, Peter and Jamie deploying the hosepipes. “This is hard work and timeconsuming – one of the many ripostes to those who think we only cut grass,” says Will.
EXPERT ADVICE
The team benefits from Sports Turf Research Institute advice during the Ilkley Open, with court testing every morning to gauge moisture levels and develop responses. However, on a daily basis, it’s about keeping the 8mm height of cut perennial ryegrass in a healthy state amid whatever challenges are brought from prevailing conditions.
ON A DAILY BASIS, IT’S ABOUT KEEPING THE 8MM HEIGHT OF CUT PERENNIAL RYEGRASS IN A HEALTHY STATE AMID WHATEVER CHALLENGES ARE BROUGHT FROM PREVAILING CONDITIONS
The club has 3,000 members and around half of them are tennis players. That’s a lot of regular traffic to contend with as Will’s team seeks to ensure facilities reach ever higher standards – for member use and for the high-performance players within the international invitee Open event. Fortunately, the team has been able to avoid any outbreaks of disease and only had to contend with a small amount of moss where shadows are cast,
Will himself is not a racquet player. Preferring rugby, he says he would love to have an opportunity to see how different sports venue grounds teams meet similar challenges to those at Ilkley, so his team can continue to improve Ilkley standards even further.
He says he has benefited from camaraderie and support across the tennis industry. Will takes opportunities to visit other tennis tournament venues and finds the grass court seminar hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon of particular value. He says he enjoys meeting others in the
industry, learning how they do things and thinking “maybe I could try it that way, as it could be better”.
Professional development and contributing to the standards players experience is evident when he adds: “I’m going to work at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre for a couple of days in the summer to help out in the build-up to one of its tournaments. It will be great for my learning and experience, but also to help them out.”
Will likes keeping an eye out for what might be in other grounds team’s sheds on these travels, asking himself whether the different machinery other places have “might be something my team is in need of”.
According to the GMA Awards judges, Will has set a benchmark for his dedication, professionalism and keenness to learn, so no doubt he too will have turf managers beating a path to his door. He may not play tennis on his club’s courts, but this year’s leading turf professional clearly knows how to deliver an ace.
Right: Topdressing the courts Below: Ilkley has no irrigation system so the grounds team must set up hosepipes
