Winter Sports - Football
Clive Pring
Exeter City Football Club The other
Exeter City have played at St James Park since 1904. The club is one of the richest in the lower leagues as it has no debt, but also runs on one of the smallest budgets as it is fan owned and with no financial backer.
Stadium Manager and Head Groundsman, Clive Pring, explains how he operates such a tight ship, in keeping with the club’s financial controls
40 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
St James Park C
live Pring has a lot to thank Nigel Mansell for. Well, perhaps not Nigel himself, but his decision to buy a golf course at Woodbury Park in Devon, for it was here that
he began his career in turfcare. “My friend, Ian Chenery, who is now Course Manager at Woodbury Park, asked in the pub one night if anyone fancied a job as a greenkeeper. After giving it some thought - about one pint - and being bored of my delivery job I went for an interview and I’ve never looked back.”
Clive continues; “I left the golf industry after about seven years to become Head of Grounds at a local private school. This introduced me to many different sports, including the wonderful world of cricket. It’s from here I was approached by the football club to become their Head Groundsman. Apparently, my name was put forward by Ian when he had been approached by one of the directors. He has a lot to answer for!” “Since being with Exeter City, my
position has evolved into one that encompasses both Head Groundsman and Stadium Manager.” “Whilst at Woodbury Park, I was lucky to be given the chance to complete an HNC in Golf Course Management at Cannington College in Somerset. While there have definitely been people who have influenced my career path and my management style, Ian being one of them, I have been inspired and stimulated by learning and understanding the science side of our job, which is sometimes ignored,” states Clive. “I never do anything just for the sake of it and always look to understand what the grass plant needs.” As an example, Clive says that, whilst
presentation is important, it doesn’t rank as his first priority. This statement may seem at odds with an industry that prides itself on the quality of its pitches, but he goes on to explain; “My first priority is root depth, without which you get an unstable surface. If everything you can’t
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