A new groundsmanship website has been designed as a training resource which will support volunteers who are preparing their sports pitches for the new 2021/22 season.

Featuring written content, short videos and easy-to-digest seasonal guides, the Grounds Management Association’s (GMA) recently-launched online ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’ helps ground staff and the general public understand how to prepare pitches for players across the community. The toolkit is backed by Sport England.

By relaunching the website, the GMA aim to continue increasing the skills and capabilities of practicing, and future, grounds volunteers, engage them further with common practices involved in grounds maintenance. The toolkit follows the launch of GMA Level 1 and Level 2 online courses, with modules covering the basic grounds maintenance tasks required at grassroots level.

Jason Booth of the Grounds Management Association said: “We know that volunteers can sometimes only offer a few hours of their time each week, or that some local clubs struggle to find regular grounds volunteers. Without pitches, there is no sport.”

The ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, funded by Sport England and Other Media, can be accessed for free via this link. To upskill your knowledge through GMA training courses, or for more information on bespoke training sessions, visit the website here or E-Mail learning@thegma.org.uk.