Grounds Management Association Expands Pitch Advisory Service Into Wales

The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has expanded its highly successful Pitch Advisory Service into Wales, marking a significant milestone in grassroots sports development.

Backed by the Cymru Football Foundation (CFF) with funding from the Football Association of Wales (FAW), it aims to elevate the quality of grass football pitches across Wales by providing local clubs with essential guidance and resources needed to maintain top-level playing surfaces.

Craig Bellamy, Head Coach of the Cymru Men’s National Team, said: “The Pitch Advisory Service Wales will make a huge positive difference to football clubs across Wales – it’s a great tool to tackle an ongoing issue across the country and hopefully we’ll start to see grass pitches improving and less games being called off as a result.”

Building on a decade of success in England, where the Pitch Advisory Service has transformed grassroots sports, the GMA is set to bring its expertise to Welsh football clubs.

Since its launch in 2014, the service has supported over 12,500 clubs, helping to assess almost 50,000 playing surfaces across football, cricket, rugby league and rugby union.

Jason Booth, Chief Operating Officer at the GMA, said: “Over the past ten years, the GMA’s Pitch Advisory Service has demonstrated just how critical quality pitch maintenance is to the success of grassroots sports.

“We’ve helped countless clubs across England to reduce match postponements and enhance the overall playing experience. By expanding into Wales, we’re excited to bring these same benefits to Welsh clubs and communities.

“Grassroots sport is the heartbeat of many communities, and we’re eager to support even more grounds teams and volunteers in creating the best possible playing surfaces for everyone, therefore increasing participation in sport across the nation.”

Currently, only 21% of grass pitches in Wales are rated as “good” against the GMA’s Grounds Management Framework, but with the launch of the Pitch Advisory Service in Wales, the GMA aims to raise that standard.

The initiative will work in tandem with the CFF’s Equipment Fund – a grant scheme that supports grassroots football clubs that re-opens on Monday 18th November – offering Welsh clubs not only financial support for equipment but also expert guidance on maintaining their pitches to the highest standards.

Aled Lewis, Director at the Cymru Football Foundation, added: “We are thrilled to be launching our partnership with the Grounds Management Association to support the improvement of grass pitches across the country.

“We recognise the current and future challenges in delivering quality grass pitch surfaces and we are confident this partnership will provide valuable support to our football family in addressing these challenges.”

Clubs can also explore the free resources available through the GMA’s Grounds Management Toolkit, which offers essential maintenance guidance for volunteers: resources.thegma.org.uk.

Image: GMA