GROW WITH THE IOG
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
The IOG’s Pitch Grading Framework will enable 21st century groundskeepers to maximise the potential of every playing surface
T By Chris Gray IOG learning programme architect
and Dan Prest IOG head of technical and learning
36 THE GROUNDSMAN November 2019
oday’s groundscare skill sets are as varied as the wide range of playing surfaces being maintained, yet the IOG has developed a training and education system comprising both short courses and longer, more formal qualifications to meet these diverse needs. Developing a suitable education system is challenging, even more so when the design needs to be carefully considered to provide a platform for courses that remain respected and appropriate in the long term. Supporting the wider health and welfare agenda is an embedded outcome for the sports surfaces which are maintained and prepared. Indeed, everyone can engage with a suitable learning programme that will be relevant to their needs in producing a certain type and standard of sporting surface. With this in mind, the IOG – along with other partners – has developed the Pitch Grading Framework (PGF).
One of the aims of the PGF is to provide a holistic baseline to which we can all relate: groundskeepers, employers, funding partners and so on. This will help to provide a foundation on which to achieve the desired minimum standards for playing surfaces that are safe to play on, where resources (physical input in hours, equipment and materials) are used effectively without wastage, and with appropriate education and training for the desired expectations. A significant benefit of the PGF will also be the support it gives employers, volunteermanaged organisations, funding agents and the governing bodies of sport to better identify what is a fit-for-purpose approach to getting the most out of what they have. The PGF also helps to identify appropriate levels of knowledge and skills, which can then be more specifically related to job descriptions and person specifications, further helping to