We would like to thank all Clubs that took the time to nominate their Groundsman for The FA Groundsman of the Year Awards 2018. These nominations were open to Clubs at Step 7 and below and followed the fantastic success of previous year’s awards.

We have been collating nominations over the last two months, in order to identify their top 3 Groundsmen to submit to The FA for independent judging, as part of their annual National Awards. 

Derbyshire has an excellent reputation in these Awards with two previous Groundsmen from the County going on to win the National FA Award in this category and who both attended an awards ceremony at St George’s Park and met Alan Ferguson (Head Groundsman at St George’s Park) and Karl Standley (Head Groundsman at Wembley Stadium).

These awards provide a great opportunity to recognise and reward club groundsmen who dedicate endless hours to improve grass pitches in Derbyshire. Following the receipt of nominations, a Panel from Derbyshire County FA selected their top three nominations to submit to The Football Association.

The top three Groundsmen in Derbyshire were from Clay Cross Town FC, Hilton Harriers FC and Wingerworth Junior Sports Association. Derbyshire County FA will be providing a reward voucher to the respective Clubs and their Groundsmen, to put towards the upkeep of their Grounds.

We would like to commend all Club Groundsmen for the great work that they do on a day to day basis; in particular, we would like to congratulate those three shortlisted:

Winner – Clay Cross Town FC: Lee Watson (who will receive a £250 voucher and a Kombi Line Marker & 2 Drums of Super C Paint courtesy of Fleet Line Markers).

Runner-Up – Hilton Harriers FC: Kevin Harlow (who will receive a £150 voucher and 2 Drums of Super C Paint courtesy of Fleet Line Markers).

Third Placed – Wingerworth Junior Sports Association: Phil Toy (who will receive a £100 voucher and 1 Drum of Pitchmarker C Paint courtesy of Fleet Line Markers).

In addition, the panel have deemed the groundsmen at ADASC; Barry Newton and Roger Kerry as ‘highly recommended’. ADASC will receive a £50 voucher and 1 Drum of Pitchmarker C Paint courtesy of Fleet Line Markers.

Our top 3 winning County Groundsmen will also be invited to our Annual Awards Evening in September, to share their success with other grassroots football volunteers from across the County. 

In the meantime, The FA judges will now use their discretion to score the top Groundsmen from across the Country, based on their individual contribution and ambition to improve their pitches. 

It would be fantastic if another Groundsman from a club in Derbyshire was again recognised at a national level and we look forward to hearing of their decisions in due course!