As we look ahead to the spring & beyond in anticipation of grassroots football finally being able to resume, Staffordshire FA organised an online Pitch Maintenance Question & Answer session, to provide some additional support to volunteer groundspersons across Staffordshire.

The webinar was a great opportunity for volunteer groundspersons from across Staffordshire to ask questions, seek further guidance on any queries they currently have, and to listen to the advice & guidance that was provided throughout the evening to a variety of different topics and questions raised.  

The session was hosted by Gareth Thomas and Kevin Staples from Staffordshire FA, who were joined by our two Staffordshire FA Pitch Advisors – Kevin Duffill, Regional Pitch Advisor at the Grounds Management Association, and Andy Jackson, Grounds Manager at Stoke City Football Club.

Gareth Thomas, Partnerships & Communications Officer, said: “The aim of the session was to cover some of the frequently asked questions at this time of year, as clubs continue to work around the challenges presented by Covid-19, as well as looking ahead to spring/summer renovations and general ongoing pitch maintenance ambitions beyond that.”

“Attendees were invited to submit questions they would like to see covered, either in advance of the session or during the evening itself via the online chat facility. During the 90-minute session a wide variety of topics were covered – including current maintenance work, spring/summer renovations, funding, machinery, products, seed & fertilizer plans, and some site-specific issues. It proved to be a very useful, informative and enjoyable session with some excellent questions raised and some really good feedback received.”

The Q&A session was recorded, and a copy of the meeting recording can be found below, along with a copy of the slides used during the evening. In addition to that, please also find below some useful links to additional online support resources for volunteer groundspersons, provided by the Grounds Management Association and Football Foundation. 

GMA Football Grounds Maintenance – Toolkit

GMA Football Grounds Maintenance – Online Courses

Football Foundation – Online Groundskeeping Community

Q&A Meeting Slides

Q&A Meeting Recording