Winter Sports - Rugby Union
BT Murrayfield
The merry man at Murrayfield
Chris Bennett visits BT Murrayfield to catch up with Head Groundsman, Jim Dawson, and discovers that working at Scotland’s largest stadium brings plenty of headaches, but also plenty of accolades
P
icture the scene - the New Zealand All Blacks are performing the Haka, nearly 70,000 Scotsmen are belting out the Flower of Scotland anthem; battle is about
to commence and the atmosphere is electrifying. In the midst of all that infectious patriotism is a man who possesses the biggest smile in the stadium. He soaks it all up with a sense of pride knowing that this game is about to be played on the pitch he has laboured over… and it looks fantastic. “It makes the hairs on the back of my neck
stand up,” says Jim Dawson, Head Groundsman for Scottish Rugby at the BT Murrayfield Stadium. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be here? It’s the biggest stadium in Scotland and, when it’s busy, it’s one of the best places in the world to be.” The man from Isle of Bute originally learnt
his trade by working on golf courses and attending college one day a week to obtain the necessary qualifications. At the age of twenty-three, he swapped greenkeeping for
“
grounsdmanship and became head groundsman at Falkirk FC - a move which threw him in straight at the deep end. “It was just me, myself and I, so I had no option but to adjust very quickly. The very first game I had as the head groundsman was against Rangers FC and that was an experience. I’d never lined a pitch in my life - my very first time was before that game.” Not daunted by the pressure of preparing
his first ever pitch for one of the most legendary football teams in Scotland, Jim passed his initial test with flying colours. He eventually went on to win the Scottish Football Groundsman of the Year Award twice, and he also picked up third place in the award for the Professional Football Groundsman of the Year - an award which takes into consideration the work of every groundsman in the UK. It is accolades such as these which made
the dream move to the largest stadium in Scotland possible and Jim admits that he owes a lot to the club where his
It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be here? It’s the biggest stadium in Scotland and, when it’s busy, it’s one of the best places in the world to be
Jim Dawson PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 I 95
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164