A Thankless Task?

A Thankless Task?

A recent conversation with a fellow groundsman made me think back to our role in preparing sports surfaces and how it is perceived by the athlete, spectator and employer.

We were discussing how he is working in a school environment and how many unseen hours we can put in preparing safe surfaces that perform well and that are visually appealing.

Many times, our professional pride gets in the way of saying "enough is enough" and getting a break. It is important to know when to stop and recharge ourselves. Quite often we are our own worst enemies striving for perfection.

Many times, employers don’t understand how much time goes into preparation and maintenance of sports surfaces. It can be like a curved graph preparing a playing surface. The effort to make an Ok surface can be quite simple and quick but as we make the surface great we require a lot more effort and if we want the best surfaces there is a lot of work to make small improvements.

Many times, we get the pitches better condition and more events are put upon us increasing the challenge and deflating the sense of achievement when we have managed to beat one adversity and found a load more challenges.

Many times, it can be perceived as a thankless task.

I reflected at my time at Liverpool FC incredibly rewarding as a grounds manager, but it can be hard both physically and mentally. And not just on ourselves but on our family’s and friends as the job consumes us.

When it comes to a match day, I have had people ask what we do? I have flipped that and asked what do you think we do? “Well, you cut the grass the day before and paint the lines and that’s it isn’t it? I don’t even know why you need to be there on a match day, you did it the day before!”

A good example is the build-up to a Champions League game. Over Matchday and the day before, we can clock up 30 hours over those 2 days.

If you are interested this is a rough idea of what we would do…

We would start the preparation immediately after the last home game. This can be from a week to as little as two days.

Real prep starts Matchday -2

Three staff putting in solid 8-hour days conditioning the grass ready for play, assessing pitch conditions and applying products or processes that will make the surface play well for the players and the ball interaction. Presentation is important, UEFA Champions League want the pitches prepared in a standard way with a standard mowing pattern. So we work towards having an aesthetically pleasing surface too.

3staff x (8hours)

Matchday – 1,

Prep is around doing the finishing touches, however we will have the centre circle banner rehearsal 4pm, referee team training around 5pm and the visiting team training around 7pm. We will have three Anfield staff in from 8am to 5pm but joined by 5 other staff at 5pm, these staff are mainly form the other club sites so will have put in a full days work before they arrive for the evening session. The 8 staff will remain at the stadium after the training sessions to repair pitch damage, sweep or vacuum off torn grass. This typically can be completed by 10pm

8staff x (12hr day)

Matchday

Depending on how the clean-up went after the training. It can be a 7am start for the stadium team, final mow, check over and repair any scars missed last night, and mark out. There is a camera test and Referee inspection to be ready for along with Hawk eye goal line testing and VAR tests. The rest of the matchday grounds team will arrive around 5pm. Now it is the final set up, portable goals, ball stop netting, match day pitch testing.

Grounds team is busy removing portable goals and ball stop nets after warmups. Quick walk over the pitch and tap back the worst of the scars from warmups, splash of irrigation water to make the surface quick. Half time is a quick walk over, to repair scars, water if needed.

After the game once pitch side interviews have taken place, we can get on and start the clean-up and repairs. We will sometimes bring the grow lights back in to speed up the recovery of the pitch. We can finish sometimes around 1.30 am.

8staff x (approx. 18hours)

Matchday +1

Next day, bleary eyed and struggling from lack of sleep it is back to work 8am to do a second clean up and walk over and apply a recovery spray and aeration if required and depending on gap to next game.

3staff x (8hours)

Over the Matchday -1 and Matchday we work 30 hours in 2 days. But also, we can’t have days off either side of the game, as the prep work and repair work is so important. However, again it goes unseen and mostly unnoticed.

However, it is noticed if the pitch doesn’t look good or one of the team plays badly or a player gets injured.

Our job is to minimise the risk, increase the playability and have an attractive playing surface.

Of course, it’s not just the playing surfaces the bigger the club, the bigger the team managing the surfaces. When it comes to managing a team of people this can be a thankless task.

It can go totally unseen the challenges you have with HR teams, Line managers, dealing with complaints made against your team or about the surfaces we manage. Trying to develop them further with training, trying to purchase the right equipment, get wage increases, benefits,A is a hard mostly unseen battle. Some challenges you win, some problems you deflect some challenges you lose. However much goes unnoticed by your team.

Team behind the team.

It’s not just the grounds team though. A football game like many other major events, has a huge team not just on the day but throughout the year ensuring the club is successful. Many that work in that team can’t influence the result but are there to support the many clubs’ operations.

What are your experiences around thankless, hidden or unnoticed work?