Let’s make this profession a bit sexier

There are days when I drive home with a smile on my face. For example, when we manage to get a pitch match-ready at the very last moment, despite the weather being completely against us and the schedule leaving virtually no room for setbacks.

But there are also days when I have to swallow hard. When you’ve worked your socks off under difficult conditions to get a football pitch back into shape, only for it to rain heavily for hours just before the first match. Then you know there’s going to be a lot of damage again. That hurts. In fact, when I moved into the world of professional football after spending years in the golf industry, I was genuinely shocked the first time I saw how much damage a single match could cause. That was a very different story from maintaining a golf course.

Personally, I believe we need to make our profession more attractive to young people. There simply aren’t enough new entrants. Not because the work isn’t rewarding, but because it can be physically demanding at times, while appreciation and recognition are often limited. You work to tight deadlines, matches go ahead regardless, and nature simply doesn’t play by your rules. Drought, rainfall or recovering from damage — it all requires flexibility, expertise and sometimes very long days.

At the same time, that is exactly what makes the job so interesting. No two days are ever the same. You get to work in unique environments, support sports clubs and golf courses, enjoy plenty of scope for initiative, and see the results of your work first-hand. On top of that, the profession is evolving rapidly. Robotics, sensors and camera technologies used to monitor plant health are making turf management smarter and more challenging than ever.

We should take much greater pride in telling people what this profession is really about. It is technical, dynamic and highly visible. And yes, if we want to attract young people, perhaps we simply need to make it a bit sexier.

Martin Brummel
Sporttechnisch grasadviseur / Sports turf consultant | GrasMeesters