Tottenham Grounds Team win ‘prestigious’ Premier League award

Tottenham Hotspur’s Grounds Team has won the Premier League Grounds Team of the Season award for the 2021-22 campaign, the club has announced. 

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turf has been put through its paces this season and is approaching 26 matches as host for the Spurs first-team. 

Meanwhile, the second retractable pitch was used for two NFL games in October, its first rugby match in Saracens’ meeting with Bristol Bears, and September’s World Heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. 

The arena is also set to host rugby league’s Challenge Cup final later this month and concerts from Guns N’ Roses and Lady Gaga in July.  

And the work of Darren Baldwin, head of playing surfaces and estates, and stadium grounds manager, Wayne Billing, in keeping the surface looking immaculate has not gone unnoticed by the Premier League.

Baldwin said: “This a very prestigious award within our industry and it really means a lot to everyone involved. Why? It’s been a long time coming, we last won in 2007, and to win with this new technology, the first ‘hybrid carpet’ pitch, is phenomenal.

“We’ve seen pioneering work here. It’s a real game-changer, and I’m sure other venues will soon follow our model. 

“The work that goes into it shouldn’t be underestimated. For example, our pitch is grown in a turf nursery near Lincoln, but we play a big part in the management of that surface, even while it’s there.

“I was there earlier this week, and we’ll have our guys visit every week. That is the level of dedication we’ve put in to be where we are today.

“This award is a testament to Wayne Billing, our Stadium Grounds Manager, who is hands on day-to-day at the stadium, and his team, for all the hard work they’ve put in.

“It’s been a long, hard road, and we’re continuing to learn, but we’ve embraced the technology and to get to where we are today means everything.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

The team at Tottenham has put in a great amount of work to keep both pitches at the stadium looking immaculate and up to a good standard given how much they have been used this season. 

It is only right that they have been rewarded for their work with what has been described as an important prize from their perspective. 

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