KAREN MAXWELL Editor of Grounds Management magazine
DR ANDY CARMICHAEL Freelance writer and sports-turf academic
ALASTAIR COX FIH facilities and quality programme manager
GEORGIA HADWIN GMA communications and marketing executive
COLIN HOSKINS Freelance writer and industry expert
GREG WHATELY Principal consultant, STRI Group
PHIL WILLIAMS Director, the Environmental Protection Group
Leading change across our industry I am delighted that we are extending our networking and learning opportunities for members this year by combining the GMA Conference with the GMA Industry Awards event at Edgbaston Stadium, and expanding our roll-out of six GMA Connect events across the UK.
Our extensive industry research into the issues facing our members has also been instrumental in powering the GMA Fair Work Strategy, which was launched this year to help us better understand and support the ongoing challenges of recruitment, hours worked and rates of pay.
As we build on our successful Pitch Advisory Service programme, supported by the Football Foundation, the FA, Sport England and the Football Association of Wales, we have also joined other sports bodies and organisations in supporting Sport England’s retention of its vital statutory status in its guardianship role as a protector of green spaces.
THE GMA FAIR WORK STRATEGY, LAUNCHED THIS YEAR, WILL HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT THE ONGOING CHALLENGES OF RECRUITMENT, HOURS WORKED AND RATES OF PAY
While attending the SFMA Conference in the US, it was a privilege to learn of the UK experts who are helping to deliver the 2026 FIFA World Cup –from equipment suppliers to grounds staff and agronomists – who represent incredible expertise within the UK sector. Many of these professionals will join us at SALTEX later this year to celebrate our 80th anniversary show.
Finally, I would like to recognise the incredible careers of David Withers, who has now joined the GMA Board, and Trent Bridge’s Steve Birks, both of whom have been vital assets in ‘making sport possible’ within our brilliant industry.
GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
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Published on behalf of the Grounds Management Association by: Think, 65 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7EH t: 020 3771 7200
Editor: Karen Maxwell t: 07866 736597
e: editor@thegma.org.uk
Director of communications: Jennifer Carter e: jcarter@thegma.org.uk
Managing editors: Kirsty Surgeon Designer: Abbie Bunton
Client engagement director: Jack Watts
To advertise in this magazine: Ben Muschamp t: 07939 633601 e: bmuschamp@thegma.org.uk
7 INDUSTRY NEWS
The latest developments from across the grounds-care sector
9 GMA UPDATE
Edgbaston Stadium to host GMA Conference and Industry Awards; Connect events expand for 2026; GMA sets out Workforce Strategy to address sector staffing challenges; news from SALTEX 2025 as the GMA gears up for the 80th anniversary of the show
16 PAS UPDATE
GMA delivers bespoke, on-site learning to pitch contractor Landscape Services
18 BEST PRACTICE: BRENTFORD FC
How Tony Stones built his in-house grounds team and realised the club’s vision for the Premier League club
25 NGB UPDATE
The Rugby Football Union has teamed up with STIGA to support grassroots rugby clubs, as well as the senior men’s team and the Red Roses
26 BEST PRACTICE: COMMUNITY SPORT
When Welshpool Town FC juniors lost their pitches, the community rallied to create new playing surfaces – with the help of the GMA and the Welsh FA
30 SPECIAL REPORT: DAVE WITHERS
The sales and supply guru brings his ‘customers first’ approach to the GMA board and the future of grounds care
50 60 SECONDS WITH…
Steve Birks on his award-winning career at Trent Bridge, his strategies for success and plans for retirement
33 BUILDING WATER RESILIENCE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
We delve into new water-use strategies to boost turf performance in the face of climate change
36 MULTI-SPORT SYNTHETIC SURFACE STANDARDS
How the FIH and FIFA are developing pitches that can be used for both hockey and football
39 IN ACTION
Products and services used by NEC Birmingham, Towcestrians Sports Club, Bedford School, Hibernian FC, GVA Training School and Leigh Sports Village
43 MAINTENANCE TIPS
Spring operations
47 PRODUCT NEWS
Product news and launches from STIHL, Makita, Campey Turf Care, Howardson Group, GKB and Suståne
How Welshpool Town FC worked with the Football Association of Wales and the GMA to convert a farmer’s field into safe playing surfaces for young football enthusiasts
BY DR ANDY CARMICHAEL, FREELANCE WRITER AND INDUSTRY EXPERT
George Best had a far-reaching impact on football, but he would probably have been surprised to learn he played a role in the recent revitalisation of playing opportunities for junior players at Welshpool Town FC.
Eva Bredsdorff, the current secretary at the club, says it was when watching the Manchester United FC legend play in her native Copenhagen that she instantly decided to commit her time to the sport. “Danish women’s football was booming at the time and I loved George Best, so I decided I should play football too,” she says.
Fast forward to 1987, when Eva moved to Welshpool in Wales to work as a museum curator and decided to spend her free time volunteering at the local football club. Welshpool Town FC had played in various Welsh League and Cup competitions since its foundation in 1878, enjoying considerable success throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, despite the team players coming from a community of only around 6,000 people.
Eva recounts that “taking the meeting minutes and being the programme secretary was all a woman within a club environment could do in those days”, so she only stayed on for a couple of years.
Then, in 2017, Eva once again volunteered at the club and became secretary, supported by 40 coaches and game volunteers. In 2019, the club was faced with a dire pitch-access issue that affected its younger players.
The club’s main ground had traditionally been used by its senior
teams, while three additional pitches, located on the outskirts of the town, were used for the thriving junior section’s 225 members, who played in 11 boys’ and girls’ teams. However, the youngsters’ playing surfaces were being replaced with a school building, which was planned on the pitch site, with no agreement in place for an alternative location.
Eva says this situation caused fury among the Welshpool community, with a former headmaster from the area, Paul Coakley, setting up a campaign group. Locating alternative sites for the junior teams wasn’t easy in a town whose name in Welsh, Y Trallwng, means ‘marshy land’
THE DROUGHT DURING THE PITCHES’ FIRST SUMMER WASN’T HELPFUL. HOWEVER, ONCE THE WEATHER BROKE, EVA NOTICED THE ‘FIRST HUE OF GREEN’ AND RECALLS SAYING SHE’D ‘NEVER FELT SO HAPPY’
and much of the surrounding land was privately owned.
One area that could be secured was a nearby farmer’s field, which was situated close to the canal. Perhaps not ideal topography for a sports-turf project, but it was the club’s only option.
In 2021, the club managed to secure a 25-year lease and over the next couple of years set about transforming the land into playable surfaces, thanks to a combination of community assistance – including generous donations of time and equipment – and the support of the Football Association of Wales (FAW), particularly its CEO, Noel Mooney.
Eva acknowledges that, in those early days, the way the project was handled
would probably not be considered best practice, but the club was fortunate to find several people who offered helpful advice and support, and grounds work finally began in 2022. This included help from the community and Eva’s partner, Ben Halliday, who became committed to undertaking the ongoing groundsmaintenance work.
The FAW helped the club to secure a £75,000 grant to help fund the development of the three pitches via the Grassroots Facilities Fund and UK Government support. Powys County Council – perhaps showing its support after the previous events surrounding the school development – picked up the cost of the lease.
As work progressed, the drought encountered during the newly created pitches’ first summer wasn’t helpful. The seemingly endless heat left a brown landscape where football games looked a remote prospect. However, once the weather broke, Eva noticed the “first hue of green” and recalls saying she’d “never felt so happy”. With the improving surfaces came the need for equipment – this time, help came in the form of local supplier Charlies Ag & Turf with machinery arrangements that enabled the club to maintain the pitch development within its budget.
This vital community assistance meant that by 2023 the Wayne Evans’ Playing Fields (named in honour of Welshpool Town FC’s most celebrated player, who sadly died just before the project was completed) were open for play. In the same year, Eva was named FAW Grassroots Volunteer of the Year for her outstanding efforts and success at the club.
In 2024, when the GMA’s Pitch Advisory Service Wales was launched, regional pitch advisor Daniel Bradley was able to provide Eva and her team of volunteers with further pitch improvement support and funding advice, which gave her the confidence to bid for ongoing funding support.
The club’s annual golf competition, held by the family of Wayne Evans in his honour, provides muchneeded funds to support the ongoing maintenance of the playing fields.
Welshpool Town FC can now ‘repair and prepare’ all its playing surfaces. Numerous club personnel, including Ben, have now undertaken GMA training courses and Eva says she proudly messaged Noel Mooney to say she would be relaying their story on a SALTEX stage to other club volunteers.
The Welshpool Town FC junior section is now thriving and Eva is pleased to say that young coaches now run the sides – with people getting involved even while they are playing in the senior teams to create a sustainable coaching model.
Eva says the area around the improved playing surfaces also lends itself to much more than football games. “We discovered we could apply to the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme
for assistance in developing the area around the pitches to make them more welcoming to the community. While this approach does risk inconsiderate use, Eva prefers to assume the best of people and part of that approach was reversing the usual ‘no dogs allowed’ message to create a place for responsible owners to bring their pets.
Being situated alongside the canal, the club has species-rich habitats, and the community has planted a wildflower area in partnership with the Montgomery Wildlife Trust and created paths for walkers. Bird and bat boxes have also been added, with information displayed about potential sightings.
Most impressive of all, claims Eva, are the toilets. With no electricity at the site, no water (apart from the canal) and a desire not to create anything irreversible, Eva undertook an exhaustive search for toilets, realising their transformative potential for
CAN NOW ‘REPAIR AND PREPARE’ ALL ITS PLAYING SURFACES, AND NUMEROUS CLUB PERSONNEL HAVE NOW UNDERTAKEN GMA TRAINING COURSES
the site. Something so mundane and functional can be a game-changer for so many people, with players, spectators and event visitors more likely to use the site, bringing in revenue for the club and fostering inclusivity in the community.
Some challenges remain in the immediate future of this community club. Eva suggests many of these fall under the heading of “expectations”, particularly when and how often the pitches can be used. The lowlying aspect of the pitches and the prevailing moisture in the area can be an issue when the grounds team looks to preserve the integrity of the surface. While match cancellations are disappointing, they’re essential to maintaining the viability of the site.
From George Best and Wayne Evans to Eva Bredsdorff, and all those in Powys who lend their support, these individuals’ efforts are the foundations upon which our grassroots football clubs are built.
