Pioneer Athletics

Today we published our 100th Groundskeeper Chats episode: Better Mental Health with Mike and Lisa Goatley. Thank you to everyone who has listened and supported our show for the past 5 years. What started as a pandemic project has flourished into another avenue for connecting sports field managers with the resources they need to succeed, with a lot of laughs and new friendships along the way. Whether you're a SFM looking to expand your network, or an Athletic Director looking to better understand the challenges facing your groundskeeper. Or simply a sports fan who is interested in what goes in to setting the stage for your favorite players, we've got the episode for you. Start listening today: Spotify: https://bit.ly/3DIjW7r Apple: https://bit.ly/41OHQ9d

Congratulations to our teammate, Karl Harris, on his recognition of Employee of the Quarter. We are better because of dedicated, go-getter and positive teammates like Karl. Karl promotes a commitment of going above and beyond and we love the opportunity to celebrate him.

We are thrilled to announce 79 winners to our 2024 Fields of Excellence Awards. Special congratulations to our scholarship winners: Bartram Trail High School and Plymouth Joint School District. See the complete list of winners: https://bit.ly/4hW4PWz Follow us throughout the year to see other Fields of Excellence winners.

Working hard to produce the best possible pitches for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025? and FIFA World Cup 2026? - Canada, Mexico and the United States! ?? This week, FIFA visited the innovative turf and research development facility in Knoxville, Tennessee that aims to make the perfect pitches for both competitions. When Host Cities and venues for FIFA World Cup 26? were announced in June 2022, FIFA’s Pitch Management Team implemented a research and development project to produce perfect surfaces for the tournament and consistency for the players irrespective of the climate or stadium type in which they would be participating.. The partnership with the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University has since been expanded to include the biggest-ever FIFA Club World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “The quality of the pitches is important for these two fantastic competitions in cities which all have different conditions: some are at sea level, some are at altitude, some are in domes and covered, so we want to make sure that the quality of the pitch is the same for all teams and all players in all cities.”

SFMA - Sports Field Management Association conference in Palm Springs was one for the books! Thank you to everyone who helped bring our LIVE Groundskeeper Chat series to life to year. All the episodes were recorded and will be available soon. Til next time friends!

Denver Broncos, Chris Hathaway's #GroundskeeperChat explores everything from visibility to data-driven groundskeeping. Meg Kruger and Daniel Peer go live from Empower Field to bring you this episode, enjoy! Spotify: https://bit.ly/3PMduio Apple: https://bit.ly/4hasnqD

Our final episode of 2024 is here! Relive our #GroundskeeperChat highlight reel as we look forward to 2025. Thank you to everyone who listened along this year or joined us for an episode, what a year! Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3BEfwO9 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4fUOe49

Congratulations are in order for our Employee of the 1st Quarter, Steve Frederick! Since joining our team, Steve has made a tremendous impact at Pioneer. From improving internal production processes, redesigning stripers to implementing capital improvement projects, Steve’s contributions are vital to our success. Steve, thank you for your commitment and for inspiring those around you. We’re proud to have you as part of our team! Congratulations on Employee of the Quarter, keep up the great work!

"I keep coming in, day in and day out, for the people I work with" - Josh Lenz, @ Arizona State University Athletic Field Manager Catch a glimpse of what paint day looks like for the ASU Grounds Crew as their entire team comes together to set the stage for the Sun Devils!

Longevity. One of the first things that resonates with anyone who has the chance to meet our team. Long term commitment/dedication is one of Pioneer's core values and something we love to aspire to when we bring someone new on board. This past week we celebrated the longevity of 3 Pioneer teammates who have committed their careers to making us better. Joe Biltz (35 years), Bobbi Paul (30 years) and Melvin Tate (17 years) all embody the best of Pioneer and we wish them each a happy retirement. Your Pioneer family will always be here!