Winter Sports - Football GETTING Personal...


James Williams ‐ Denzel Washington might well wonder what he’s walked into!


Who are you? My name is James Williams. I’m from Wales. I’m an avid Swans supporter. Moved here two years ago and


haven’t looked back since.


Family status? I am single. Recently separated.


What would you change about yourself? I’d like to switch off at night.


What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Becoming the head groundsperson of this stadium.


What are your pet peeves? People cutting corners.


If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? The Bahamas.


What’s the best part of your job? It’s very rewarding.


… and the worst? Things which distract from the pitch.


Do you have a lifetime ambition? To be known as one of the best at what I do.


Favourite record, and why? I don’t have a favourite album, but I like upbeat, funky disco.


Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Margot Robbie.


If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Buy shares in Swansea City Football Club.


Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Conor McGregor, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Denzel Washington.


If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Lionel Messi.


Do you have any bad habits? I bite my nails… a lot. ... or any good ones? I’m a good listener.


What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Believe in yourself.


What’s your favourite smell? Barbecues.


What do you do in your spare time? Anything that involves sport. Watching sport. Playing sport. Seeing my family.


What’s the daftest work-related question you have ever been asked? “What do you do in the summer?”


What’s your favourite bit of kit? The divotting fork.


What three words would you use to describe yourself? Intense, fair, passionate.


What talent would you like to have? I’d like to be good at rugby union.


80 I PC JUNE/JULY 2018


He then sprays once a week either for plant health, root development or colour to ensure the best appearance for the TV cameras.


“I won’t allow any products with a high pH,” he said. The pitch is currently at around 6.5 on the scale. “I won’t let it go high. I stay away from sulphur products, for example.”


“Then, of course,” James said, “most of your work tends to be divotting and repairing ready for the next match, in the Premier League and in football generally.”


“The cutting is done to 25mm, at the moment. For the games now, we’ll take it down to 23‐24mm. We have a lot of fixtures the next few days, so it’ll be longer for those, and then we’ll start to bring it down slowly for Manchester City.”


“For repairing, we tend to use a Honda and do brushing up afterwards. We’ll suck up all the debris. That’s usually Monday‐Wednesday. And, we’ll use restoration products if it’s knackered.”


“I’ll spray stabilisers to stand it up; some biostimulants. We’ll try to stay off it as much as possible. I think groundspersons these days push it too much.”


“They’ll do a lot of watering, a lot of feeding and the rest. I think one of the key lessons that you can learn is to stay off it as much as you can.”


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