The Grounds Team of Aston Villa has won the price for best performance in the English Premier League, while Leicester City, Carlisle United and Stockport County have been named the 2023/24 Grounds Teams of the Season in the EFL.

The awards celebrate the staff who work tirelessly throughout the season, and in all weathers, to ensure that pitch surfaces are of the highest quality.

Pitches are assessed by the referees for all league matches. The top Clubs from each division with the highest divisional average are then visited by members of the team from STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), where further assessments are carried out, which cover pitch quality, environmental conditions and usage, resources, management and sustainability. 

The pitch at Villa Park was commended for its exceptional quality throughout the season despite a high number of women’s and European fixtures as well as the 19 Premier League matches.

Title-winning Leicester City were the winners in the Championship, while Leeds United and Watford were highly commended. 

Despite a difficult campaign for Carlisle United, their home ground, Brunton Park, has been kept in exceptional condition. League One winners Portsmouth and Exeter City were also highly commended. 

League Two winners Stockport County won Grounds Team of the Season for League Two after being highly commended in 2022/23 for their Edgeley Park surface. Harrogate Town and Notts County were also highly commended in League Two. 

Premier League

• Aston Villa

Championship 

• Winner – Leicester City
• Highly Commended – Leeds United
• Highly Commended – Watford  

League One 

• Winner – Carlisle United
• Highly Commended – Portsmouth
• Highly Commended – Exeter City 

League Two 

• Winner – Stockport County
• Highly Commended – Harrogate Town
• Highly Commended – Notts County