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IOG NEWS
IOG report shows action needed to keep Britain active INDUSTRY RESEARCH CARRIED out by the IOG reveals a potential decline in groundskeeping skills and manpower that will reduce pitch availability. Results of the IOG’s industry-wide survey, Groundsmanship – Sport’s Vital Profession, have been published. The report shows the scale of the contribution made by grounds staff to maintaining the nation’s sports and amenity grounds, from grassroots up to elite sport level. However, the report also highlights that if action is not taken, an ageing workforce and lack of resources could mean a decline in groundskeeping skills and manpower that would ultimately lead to fewer usable sports grounds in future.
“The report shows that two in five grounds persons are over 50”
6 THE GROUNDSMAN November 2019
The survey results show that the UK sports turf groundscare sector employs more than 26,000 people as well as 37,000 volunteers. Its value to the economy is a huge £1 billion a year. However, it also shows that two in five grounds persons are over 50, with 20 per cent potentially ready to retire in the next five years. Availability of training and cuts to budgets for grounds maintenance are also areas of concern raised by the research. Geoff Webb, chief executive of the IOG, said: “These are just some of the subjects raised by the survey – not forgetting the issues of diversity and pay discrepancy voiced by some respondents, as well as concerns over climate change and water management – that not only the IOG but the industry as a whole needs to address if we are to continue to produce grounds people and playing surfaces that are the envy of the world.” Find out more about the research in our feature on page 20.
COVERAGE OF WOMEN’S sport is set to ’skyrocket’ amid rising levels of investment in TV and digital coverage, according to an industry survey. Some 94 per cent of industry professionals are set to increase investment in the creation, production and distribution of women’s sport content, according to research from Imagen, the SaaS video management platform business. Its survey of more than 300 senior sports industry executives found that this development is motivated by commercial interests and new opportunities for digital distribution.
NEW DISCOVERY
KNOTWEED HYBRID SCIENTISTS FROM SWANSEA University have discovered a rare Japanese knotweed hybrid in south Wales. Although this could mean further proliferation of the destructive plant, the scientists believe the discovery could help them develop new ways of managing its spread. The hybrid, known as Conolly’s knotweed, was discovered during a study led by PhD student Sophie Hocking. The research has been undertaken in partnership with Complete Weed Control and Advanced Invasives, a company that has grown from the research.
The new strain