Brad Jefferies - Colchester United Football Club - Head Groundsman
Brad leads the management of both stadium and training surfaces to the highest professional standards. With over a decade of experience in the grounds management industry, Brad has built a career across cricket and football, delivering elite playing surfaces on national and international stages and mentoring the next generation of grounds professionals.
He began his career in professional cricket, working at Edgbaston as summer staff before joining Worcestershire CCC full time. During this period, he contributed to producing five Test match pitches and received a commendation from the ECB for Outground of the Year while serving as Head Groundsman at Kidderminster CCC. His work included hosting first-class county championship games and developing pitches.
Transitioning into football, Brad became Head Groundsman at a young age, first at Kidderminster Harriers at 22, then Lincoln City at 24, whilst also gaining experience with the matchday grounds teams at Wembley Stadium and Leicester City. In October 2023, he further broadened his international experience by working as a Pitch Manager consultant for the African Football League in Cairo, delivering quarter-final and semi-final matches and providing training for local grounds teams.
At Colchester United, Brad inherited a stadium pitch with significant challenges, including poor drainage, black layer and aging equipment. Over his first season, he implemented a major renovation and grow-in programme, improving drainage, installing sand bands, rotovating the top four inches and overseeding to enhance playability. At the training ground, he has overseen renovations across five pitches including aeration, scarification, topdressing and primary drainage improvements, all completed in-house with his team.
He has helped elevate the professionalism and respect afforded to grounds teams, mentoring his deputy to achieve a Distinction in the GMA Level 3 in Sportsturf. He has also championed sustainability, reducing water consumption at the training ground by 50% through innovative irrigation, fertilisation and plant health management practices.
Looking ahead, Brad aspires to become a Premier League Grounds Manager whilst continuing to work internationally and inspire young people to join the industry. He remains active in supporting initiatives through the GMA NextGen programme, where he’s recently received his Pioneer Mark, and projects with the Essex FA, ensuring that the next generation has access to meaningful opportunities within grounds management.
"Since Brad came to Colchester his attitude towards to grounds team and the wider club staff has been infectious. His positive mentality and problem solving approach always seeking solutions to problems. He has increased the professionalism of the department no end and as a result we have a stadium playing surface that the club has never had before."
Tim Waddington, General Manager - Colchester United FC
