Groundskeeping teams at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and Premiership rugby side Northampton Saints are among the winners of this year's Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) awards.
The awards celebrate the quality standards of grounds care achieved in public and private sports venues and highlight the progress of young/student grounds professionals – as well as entrants’ environmental considerations.
In all, winners were announced across 20 different categories.
IOG chief executive Geoff Webb said: "We've enjoyed a glorious year of professional sport, especially a summer of outstanding cricket, and this has highlighted the crucial role played by high-class playing surfaces – and, therefore, also our superb grounds care skills.
“Our awards also acknowledge the unstinting work of the army of volunteers who maintain grassroots pitches up and down the country, often on very limited budgets, to enable players of all abilities and ages to enjoy sport on well-prepared pitches."
The full list of winners of the 2019 IOG Industry Awards:Professional Football Grounds Team or the Year (Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League): Tottenham Hotspur FC
Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (English Football League 1 and below; Scottish Championship and below; Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues): Swindon Town FC
Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year: Sussex CCC
Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year: Castleford Tigers RLFC, West Yorkshire
Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year: Northampton Saints RFC
Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year: Warwick Racecourse
Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year: Callum Allsop, Leicester City FC
Young Grounds Person of the Year: Nick Pepper, Gloucestershire CCC
Volunteer Sports Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Andy Cambridge, Foxton FC, Cambridgeshire
National Governing Bodies’ Community Sector Sports Club Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Harborough Town FC, Leicestershire
Public Sector Sports Grounds Team of the Year: Prestige Grounds Ltd, Wiltshire
Bowling Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Polly Bowls Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
Best Managed Artificial Sports Surface of the Year: University of Warwick
Environmental/Ecology Project of the Year: City Football Academy, Manchester
University/College Grounds Team of the Year: Nottingham University
Independent School Grounds Team of the Year: Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh
International Award: Dean Gilasbey, ProPitch
Alex R Millar Groundsperson Award – chosen from the outstanding winner across all award categories: Danny Negus, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
Outstanding Achievement AwardsKeith Kent, former head groundsman at RFU Twickenham
Chris Wood, England and Wales Cricket Board pitch inspector.
