Volunteer Groundskeepers Win Competition to get Wembley Pitch Ready
Two volunteer groundskeepers were given the experience of a lifetime today (Friday 1 December 2023) by helping to prepare Wembley's pitch ahead of the Lionesses' game against the Netherlands.
This competition was run by the Premier League, The FA and Government's Football Foundation as part of their campaign celebrating the importance of grass pitches and the groundskeepers who maintain them for the grassroots game.
Trevor Chenery and Tony Hesketh are volunteer groundskeepers Halesworth Town Juniors FC in Suffolk and Acton Ealing Whistlers AFC in West London respectively.
As well as helping Wembley Grounds Manager, Karl Standley, put the finishing touches on England's most prestigious pitch, Trevor and Tony were given tickets to watch the Lionesses crucial UEFA Women's Nations League fixture against the Netherlands.
Here's what Trevor had to say about the experience:
The pair were selected at random from users of PitchPower - the Football Foundation's free web app for inspecting and improving grass pitches.
Through PitchPower, anyone responsible for a grass pitch can inspect their pitches and receive bespoke advice from experts at the Grounds Management Association on how to improve them. After receiving these recommendations, PitchPower users have the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £12,800 per pitch through the Foundation to put them into action.
Halesworth Town Juniors FC and Acton Ealing Whistlers AFC have received a total of over £129k in grant funding from the Foundation to get their pitches looking and playing their best.
On his experience of using PitchPower and accessing this funding, Tony said:
Karl Standley, Wembley Grounds Manager and Football Foundation supporter, said:
To help more people enjoy all the benefits of grassroots sport, the Foundation has set the target of reaching 20,000 'good' quality grass pitches across the country by 2030.
For more information, head over to the Foundation's website:
https://footballfoundation.org.uk/get-your-pitch-match-fit
About the Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government's charity that delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.
The Foundation's goal is to unlock the power of pitches ensuring everyone has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.
Since its creation in 2000, the Foundation has invested more £975 million to improve grassroots facilities across the country - including 1,000 3G football turf pitches, 11,000 natural grass pitches and 1,300 changing rooms. This has attracted an additional £1.4bn of partnership funding - totalling over £2 billion investment in grassroots football so far.
In partnership with local authorities, County FAs and other community stakeholders, the Foundation has created Local Football Facility Plans for every local authority in England. These Plans act as a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements that each community needs and deserves across the country.
Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation and view the Plan for your local area.
About the Football Foundation's Get Your Grass Pitch Match Fit campaign
The Premier League, The FA and Government's Football Foundation is on a mission to revolutionise the quality of grass football pitches across England - unlocking the power of pitches to transform lives and strengthen communities.
To help more people enjoy all the benefits of grassroots sport, the Foundation has set the target of reaching 20,000 'good' quality grass pitches across the country by 2030 and is investing £21 million a year to reach this goal.
Whether it's guidance on maintaining a grass pitch, training for groundskeepers, or funding for pitch improvement works, the Football Foundation is providing the support needed to get England's grass pitches match fit.
The first step for anyone looking to transform their grass pitches is PitchPower - the Football Foundation's free web app. Through PitchPower, anyone responsible for a grass pitch can inspect their pitches in just a few simple steps.
After they've submitted these inspections, they'll receive bespoke advice from experts over at the Grounds Management Association, including how to apply for grants of up to £12,800 per pitch through the Foundation's Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund.
For more information, head over to the Foundation's website: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/get-your-pitch-match-fit