FOOTBALL


When you hear of St. George’s Park, you immediately think of the home of England football – twenty-seven teams to be precise! It lies within 330-acres of stunning Staffordshire countryside and Assistant Head of Estates Matt Arnold and his team have the enviable task of developing and maintaining the estate to offer visitors the ‘wow’ factor. Kerry Haywood reports


O


n the few occasions I have previously visited St. George’s Park for various events, I have taken the entrance and long driveway of livestock, rolling


hills and mature trees somewhat for granted! Knowing I would be speaking to Matt about the estate changed my focus, and I was surprised by how vast it is… so much so, it took me a while to locate him! Matt’s passion and enthusiasm struck me as soon as we met, as he told me it has always been one of his career goals to be interviewed by Pitchcare. He had previously worked at the venue for three years under Alan Ferguson, looking after


the grounds and everything deemed to be ‘customer-facing’ for the estate and Football Centre. In 2015, Matt moved to JCB Golf & Country Club as Assistant Head Gardener and, as the impressive new course was built, the landscaping around it also grew. As things continued to develop, Matt’s role evolved into Golf Course Estates Supervisor, looking after the clubhouse, lodges and the infrastructure surrounding the course. “The General Manager, Euan Grant, put a lot of faith in me to develop the landscaping how I wanted it” Matt commented. “Essentially, we knew where the lawns and buildings were going to be situated, but it was a real opportunity to further my passion


The beauty here is that the possibilities are endless. The management team are so supportive and completely on board with where we want the park to develop and how we want to promote the estate. I’m proud to be a part of it


PC August/September 2020


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