The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has issued a statement following some belittling comments on the profession of groundsman that were made during a recent episode of ‘The Bench’, a podcast that is produced by Sky Sports.
In the recent podcast, Sky Sports pundit Sam Tomkins described groundsmen as ‘weirdos’ and ‘psychopaths’ following an experience a number of weeks ago.
Apparently he said: “Groundsmen are so precious with their pitch. I walked across a corner of the pitch at Wigan last week, I’m in trainers and 95kg. The groundsman was scowling at me. You’ve got essentially 30 cows about to run on the pitch, what damage am I going to do? Why are they so protective of the pitches? You’ve got to be a weirdo to do it, they are all weird aren’t they? It’s psychopathic, you’ve got to be a psycho.”
The GMA statement reads, “such remarks not only undermine the tireless efforts of grounds staff but also disregard the essential role they play in the success of every game.”
As Geoff Webb, CEO of the GMA put it: “Ours is a proud profession (that is) often overlooked or under the radar.”
The GMA has been in contact with Sky Sports and the Rugby Football League (RFL) to voice, on behalf of the profession, the disappointment at the comments made. The statement acknowledges that the statements were unintentional.
The GMA undertook this step as it ‘understands the feelings that many working in the industry have also expressed through social media.’
The statement points out that “grounds teams are the bedrock of sports, creating world-class surfaces for athletes to play on, often working in challenging conditions to ensure all playing surfaces are in pristine condition.”
It goes on by saying that “it is extremely disappointing that current and former professional rugby football league players would belittle the vital work of our sector. Without grounds staff, sport would not be possible, and players would not have the high-quality and safe surfaces necessary to compete on.”
The GMA has reached out to the grounds teams at Wigan Warriors and St Helens, the crews that were targeted by the participants of the podcast, to offer their support.
Following the communication with the RFL, Sky Sports and podcast host Jon Wilkin, the latter has issued an apology which the GMA has accepted.
“We are pleased to see such a united front from within the industry. However, we do not condone any aggressive or offensive behaviour towards those involved.”
It welcomes the opportunity for GMA COO Jason Booth to appear on a future episode of the podcast. Booth is a former groundsperson at Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He will use the opportunity to highlight the critical work that goes into preparing the playing surfaces that these players rely on.