SPIRITED... I
am 30 years of age, and this is my third year at the community project in Middlesborough. Prior to taking the
job here I had no previous experience in groundsmanship and worked in a foundry on the finishing benches making digger bucket teeth. I was really bored and saw this position advertised locally, so I thought I would give it a go. Both my dad and my granddad were farm workers, so I figure it’s in my blood to do this sort of work. I am the sole groundsman for the whole site and my jobs range from litter picking all the way through grounds maintenance to servicing all our machinery.
Earlier this year I went on the
Pitchcare Winter Sports Turf course at Carlisle United. I took Malcolm, my line manager, as I felt it would be useful for
us both if he came along. He now knows what I’m on about, at least half the time! Over the site I have numerous surfaces to deal with, there are three 1-a-side grass pitches, two 7-a-side grass pitches, one 7-a-side and two 5-a-side 3rd Generation indoor pitches and three more 7-a-side sand based Astroturf based outdoors. All were supplied by Tiger Turf.
There has been a lot of grant funding ploughed into the complex, which is the home of Middlesborough Football in the Community. As part of that funding we were able to purchase some fantastic machinery to help me carry out my work schedule. We have two tractors, a Kubota STV32 with loader and a Yanmar LD18, which I use in conjunction with a 5ft Major rotary deck, as well as an Agri-Fab
spreader and sweeper and SISIS drag brushes. I have two brushes, one that I use for the natural grass and one specifically designed for use on the synthetic surfaces. As well as the rotary deck for cutting
surrounds, I cut the grass pitches with a Toro 2000D Reelmaster triple mower, letting the clippings fly; we don’t have anywhere suitable to collect them anyway, and it returns nutrients back to the soil. For tidying up around the buildings, tanks and pathways I use an Etesia 20” pedestrian rotary mower. To finish my machine list, there’s a line marker, strimmer and Husqvarna 30cc hedge trimmer.
While I shouldn’t grumble about all this brand new equipment, I would still like to acquire a slitter, vertidrain and a seeder (well, that’s the wish list for now
“I worked in a foundry on the finishing benches making digger bucket teeth. I was really bored and saw this position advertised locally so I thought I would give it a go”
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