Retaining the title is widely regarded as one of the toughest feats in the industry, making this year’s recognition particularly significant.

This year, the Grounds Management Association (GMA) has once again had the privilege of working alongside the Playing Surfaces Committee to determine the winners of the Grounds Team of the Season Award. The Playing Surfaces Committee consists of representatives from the Premier League, English Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association, Football Association, and the Grounds Management Association.

Head Groundsman James Williams said: “We are incredibly pleased and honoured to receive back-to-back awards. Winning this accolade once is a tremendous achievement, but to do it twice in succession is something truly special. At the end of last year, we came together as a team to discuss how we could maintain and push our standards even higher. We knew the challenge ahead would be significant, particularly with the stadium pitch returning to a grow-in as we renovated the existing Hero Lay and Play carpet, especially as many of our younger team members had never experienced a grow-in process before.

“To achieve this level of recognition in consecutive years requires an exceptionally high level of skill, attention to detail, and consistency every single day. I’m very blessed to have a team that shares the same drive and ambition as myself, and a huge amount of credit must go to them. I feel we have created a culture where every day is enjoyable. Even on the darkest days in the depths of winter, morale within the team remains high, and that is something very unique.

“Achieving this award has required immense hard work, determination, expertise, and many unsociable hours, and it’s fantastic to see the team receive the recognition they deserve for this achievement for the second consecutive year.”

Over the past 12 months, the success of the pitch has been matched by success within the team itself. Members of the Grounds Team have progressed and earned promotions across the structure, a clear endorsement of the stadium’s commitment to developing talent, retaining expertise, and building a high-performing culture.

This internal progression reflects both the strength of the team environment and the leadership driving continuous improvement behind the scenes.

This year’s award carries added significance given the technical challenge of renovating, rather than fully relaying, the playing surface. The decision to refurbish the existing pitch not only increased the degree of difficulty but also represents a more sustainable approach, maximising resources while still achieving elite performance standards.

This year’s award also reflects the team’s careful management of energy-intensive operations. The stadium grow lights, essential to maintaining elite pitch conditions, accounts for approximately 15% of the stadium’s total electricity usage. Over the past year, however, this demand has been significantly offset by the grounds team careful management of usage along with the installation of stadium roof solar panels, which now also generate around 10% of the stadium’s annual electricity.

Together, these measures underline a more sustainable approach to grounds management, balancing world-class performance with a clear commitment to reducing environmental impact.

Delivering an award-winning surface under these conditions highlights the team’s expertise, innovation and attention to detail at every stage of the process.