Posted by: Neil Rodger, Principal Project Manager
The level of skill, knowledge, experience, and hours of hard graft devoted to delivering elite level playing surfaces in football is phenomenal. Grounds teams can sometimes go unrecognised yet are pivotal in enabling elite level sport to take place week after week and are an important part of any professional football club.
Working on behalf of the Playing Surfaces Committee, we have the honour of helping to determine the Premier League and EFL grounds team of the season award winners, which provides recognition for these highly skilled professionals.
The shortlist for the awards is established from pitch marks received for every league match throughout the season. The pitches are scored by the referee and match delegate in the Premier League, and by the referee and away team manager in the EFL.
The shortlisted clubs all receive an end of season visit from STRI Group which allows us to gain a snapshot of the pitch conditions and provides an opportunity to meet the grounds teams.
Following the visit, the overall winners are determined by STRI using a weighted system of marks for specific aspects of pitch management and environmental conditions. This takes into account various factors such as the condition of the pitch at the time of STRI’s visit, the specific stadium environment (shade and airflow), pitch construction type, local climate conditions, pitch usage levels, the pitch maintenance programme, match footage, staffing levels, resources, innovation, and sustainability.
STRI’s recommendations for the awards are discussed and ratified by the Playing Surfaces Committee, which is made up of representatives from STRI, Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Professional Footballers Association (PFA), Grounds Management Association (GMA), English Football Association (FA) as well as grounds person representatives from the Premier League and EFL.
The 2022/2023 season brought with it several challenges, all adding to the complexities for clubs to manage. The World Cup in Qatar meant a winter break for all Premier League and EFL clubs which allowed some grounds teams to carry out ‘mini renovations’ which are not typically feasible during this time of the season. The break also allowed the pitches a period of recovery following the first three and a half months of the season. The downside of the World Cup break was it meant a condensed fixture schedule in 2023, placing an added pressure on the pitches.
2022 was officially the warmest year on record in the UK with temperatures above average for every month except December. Temperatures in excess of 40°C were recorded in the UK for the first time, meaning grounds teams faced very challenging growing conditions during the establishment phase and early part of the season, characterised by increased irrigation inputs and elevated turfgrass disease pressure.
In addition, the UK has experienced record high energy prices. This has had a significant impact on pitch management, particularly in relation to the usage of supplementary lighting rigs.
Despite the challenges, the standard across all grounds shortlisted was extremely high, testament to the hard work and skill of grounds teams across England.
As designers and consultants working across a wide range of sports, this awards process provides a great opportunity for us to spend time with those in the industry who are at the heart of sports surface maintenance and development. Understanding their everyday challenges, opinions on the future of the industry and chatting to them about sport in general.
Across the industry, there are many conversations about how the awards are determined, and as to be expected when discussing an area people feel so passionately about, not everyone agrees! If you have thoughts on the subject, we’d love to hear them, there’s nothing better than a healthy debate.
