FOOTBALL/RUGBY


After an early start and a long drive from Oldham, Lee Williams pulls up outside Rodney Parade Stadium situated in the centre of Newport, South Wales. At the time of writing this, Newport have just reached the fifth round of the FA Cup. Lee met with Mark Jones, Head of Operations, to discuss developments and his time at Rodney Parade


W


e head to a local coffee house, Hortons, which Mark regularly frequents to take a break from his hectic schedule, and he


tells me that, when he left school, his first thoughts weren’t to become a groundsman and manage his own ground; like many of us who end up in the turfcare industry, fate led him here. “When I was fourteen, I signed with Sheffield United FC to be an apprentice footballer, however, it was short-lived as, at sixteen, I was promptly released and the dream of being a professional footballer vanished. I returned home knowing I didn’t want to work in an office or factory and was adamant that I wanted to work outdoors. Before too long, I managed to get a job at a local golf course, before swiftly following


my passion of football with a move to Cardiff Athletic Club. It was here, at just nineteen, I was approached about the position of grounds manager at Newport Athletic Club. At such a young age, the opportunity was brilliant; the position came with a three bedroomed house, however there was a big but; I didn’t want to leave home! My boss at Cardiff, Albert Francis, immediately told me I had messed up and that I should take the job whether I wanted to live in the house or not. I quickly realised my mistake, only to be told by the club secretary that they had already appointed someone else. The funny thing was, the job was already sort of paved out for me and they took me on. So, in 1985, I joined with excitement about the future ahead and the rest, as they say, is history. Back then, it was called Newport


PC February/March 2019


79


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