Winter Sports
No grass between the kerbs says it all about fine detail at Bulls Cross
Head Groundsman Paul Jones cuts one of the first team pitches
“There’s only a small minority of us groundsmen that are so lucky, and I have huge respect for fellow professionals working on a shoestring. It really makes me appreciate what I have”
twenty years ago. He recalls doing a tractor-mounted spray course there on a very clapped-out vehicle. Things would be very different now being next door to such prime facilities. Student groundsmen will get experience of working with equipment that’s as up to date as you can get and see, at very close hand, how 5-star pitches are achieved. “Our two gardening apprentices are students there,” said Darren. “In the fullness of time, we shall be playing a direct part in the college’s turf courses but, at the moment, its turf interests are based at Gunnersbury Park. When they do introduce them here, we will be very much involved and devoting time to help run courses and be very glad to do so.” Working at Bulls Cross for Spurs is much sought after. Darren tells me that, when a gardening position became available recently, there were over 350 applicants. It’s not quite as tough as getting over The Chair and into the first team playing squad, but not far off it. Transatlantic internships via the Ohio State University programme, and with the support of BUNAC (British Universities North America Club), are very much something that Darren has embraced. He’s already welcomed two American turf students into his squad there. Recently returned to the US was Matt Lane, who spent much of last season working on the newly established pitches alongside the regulars, and getting involved in the renovation work close season, all done by the Spurs groundstaff with the exception of top surface Koro removal. “It’s a really valuable work placement scheme,” said Darren. “It was a great
54 PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
experience for them and us, and I’d definitely like to have more interns.” Darren pointed out that the club was
properly vetted for this, as all companies are for such internships, to make sure students are not just used as additional cheap labour.
Despite all the pressure that life in football’s Premiership brings, it is so apparent that Darren, and for that matter all of his squad. enjoy what they do. “It’s a pleasure to come to work. I’m fortunate to have the most modern facilities there are at my disposal, but I do try to stay in touch with reality. There’s only a small minority of us groundsmen that are so lucky and I have huge respect for fellow professionals working on a shoestring. It really makes me appreciate what I have.” “The environment here is something special, but it’s important to keep your feet on the ground. Just to give you one example, Dougie Roberstson at West Ham and myself are lucky enough to be asked by the FA to judge the non-league Groundsmen of the Year Awards. It’s such a breathe of fresh air, seeing what these guys achieve. We never stop learning from each other, you know.” As Darren had earlier said, whatever anyone at Spurs does, it’s expected to be 5-star. The huge expectation there is this year, because of what has happened in the transfer market, actually changes nothing for the grounds team. It’s obvious, looking around Bulls Cross, that they already strive for, and achieve, the best. Spurs pitches are very much ahead of the game.
Matt Layne - not at The Lane!
I first heard about the Ohio State University program from one of my professors at the University of Tennessee. He told me that I could go almost anywhere and work at some of the greatest sport facility in the world. I had previously known two other turf students who had gone to England the year before, but did not know how, exactly, they had done it.
So my professor put me in touch with Mike O’Keeffe at OSU, who has been responsible for building up such a great program by giving students like me such great opportunities that simply would not be possible without his expertise.
Before working for Tottenham, I had no real experience working on a football pitch, but I had worked on an American football pitch for three years, both at college and NFL levels. This did help quite a bit because, in most situations, general maintenance practices translate both ways.
Working for the Spurs was an amazing experience that I would not trade for any other internship. Sadly, I could only stay for four and a half months because I had to come back to the States to finish my degree this year.
Whilst in the UK, I only worked for Tottenham, because of the time restraints that I had, unlike other students that go through the program at various locations.
Now that I am back in the States, I’m working part time at Neyland Stadium, which is the University of Tennessee’s American football stadium where I have worked for three years whilst completing my four year degree in plant science, with a concentration in turfgrass.
I feel that the experience and knowledge that I gained from working at Tottenham will help me find a full time job when I graduate in May 2014 and that it will continue to open doors for me as I progress my career.
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