PITCH MANAGEMENT
The John Deere , Farol and St George ’ s Park team that agreed the new fleet deal are ( left to right ) Nikki McKenzie , Tom Spencer , Matt Arnold , James Moore , Jacob Shellis , Dan Oliver and Andy Gray .
Great expectations : presenting world-class football pitches at St George ’ s Park
A new John Deere fleet will help meet the demands of maintaining surfaces used by some of the best players on the planet .
For the grounds team at St George ’ s Park , the home of England football , maintaining a world-class venue is a 365-days-a-year , 24-hours-a-day passion .
Located six miles from Burton in Staffordshire , the park is home to 14 pitches and sprawls across 330 acres with 150 acres actively maintained by a 15-strong team .
Andy Gray , Head of Grounds and Estates , is in charge while 10 take care of the pitches and four work on the wider estate .
“ The sheer size of the estate is the biggest challenge ,” says Andy , who joined The FA from Southampton FC .
A key part of his job is to foresee issues that will crop up in the future and putting a strategic plan in place to meet these potential challenges .
“ I ’ m also responsible for making sure my team has all the tools they require to do their job effectively ,” he adds .
To help them in their quest to continue delivering world-class excellence , the centre has invested in a brand new fleet of John Deere mowers , gators and tractors to maintain the England teams ’ pitches and the wider estate .
THE PITCHES “ It ’ s a high-pressure environment because you ’ re constantly trying to meet everyone ’ s expectations and when you have a small team on both sides it is hard ,” says Dan Oliver , Assistant Head of Grounds .
Adaptability and responding to the UK ’ s unpredictable weather patterns is key . “ The weather is the biggest thing ,” adds Dan . “ There are peaks and troughs , depending on how wet or warm it has been .”
With major Premier League and European teams plus sides from further afield making the journey to train at St George ’ s , Dan and the team feel the pressure to deliver a world-class experience .
24 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | July 2022