GROUNDSKEEPING
My Path to Wimbledon : Conrad Cavill , Groundstaff
Written by Aman Ahmed nspiring new recruits
I from all walks of life to join the sector is the critical , but concerning focus for # GroundsWeek 2024 .
The main characters of sport ’ s folklore are almost always its coaches and athletes . The set designers for those stories , however , are in short supply . Research carried out by the Grounds Management Association highlights that 40 per cent of the current workforce is over 50 years old and without an influx of new recruits , this could result in a significant employment gap within five years .
Through speaking to the All England
Club ’ s Conrad Cavill , we hope to illuminate the art of Groundsmanship and demystify the industry sport is indebted to .
Pathetic fallacy in most narratives would involve a scene with the sun smiling down bright and beaming rays . This biography , however , is not like the rest . Unique in that a summer ’ s day shine , spurred an imminent escape :
“ When I was in college , I did a week ’ s work experience at Southampton ’ s training ground .
“ Years went by jumping around jobs . I was working in a call centre . I looked out on a day like this . It was sunny and I thought , I just don ’ t want to do this . I want to be outside .
“ I remembered my time at Southampton . That ’ s when I looked into Grounds again . I found a Sports Turf Degree and went straight into education again .”
Incredible that a throwaway week ’ s work experience at the age of 17 years old would be the catalyst to an extraordinary Grounds career that would later cross Atlantic and Pacific Oceans .
Initially dropping out of a Football Business degree , Conrad ’ s first attempt at university didn ’ t stick . His second however , fared much better , returning to education a few years later through the University Centre Myerscough to undertake a Sportsturf degree . This time accompanied with lived experience shaping an unshakeable ambition :
“ I wanted a degree . I wanted something .
16 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | May / June 2024