GMA Young Board

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR NURTURING SKILLS AND CAREER GROWTH

Joe had an interest in all things green from a young age and has since gone on to represent the environmental side of groundskeeping. In his role as events organiser on the GMA Young Board of Directors, he hopes to not only raise awareness of careers in grounds to young people, but highlight the many different avenues outside of sport available in the groundskeeping industry.

Why did you decide to get involved with the GMA Young Board of Directors?

I want to be able to make a positive change in the industry. I’ve been on the recruitment side of grounds management and seen there’s not enough new people coming in. I found out about the Young Board and the work they were doing such as Schools Into Stadia and knew I wanted to be a part of that effort of getting young people into grounds.

What’s your role on the board?

I’m on the events side of things which involves setting up and managing events throughout the year.

What do you enjoy most about being involved?

It’s nice to see the engagement. We’ve had some really great events like World Skills where we get to speak to kids at the stage of picking their options. Most of them don’t even know grounds is a profession, so getting to show them football stadiums and pitches and the machinery we use and seeing their excitement, that’s really rewarding.

What do you most hope to achieve?

To get more young people aware of the industry and get them engaged with it. We can do an event and speak to 500 kids and for one of them this might be a real career prospect that they might not have otherwise considered.

Where do you work and what does that involve?

I’m freelance working on a variety of projects from water management and irrigation to environmental and horticultural projects. It’s quite a broad spectrum, but less so on the sports side. Quite a few of the board are involved in the professional sports industry whereas I’m more involved in conservation, ecology and water management. I think having that variety on the board is important.

How did you get into the industry?

I fell into it. My grandparents were very keen gardeners and outdoorsy people. I think I would struggle in a job sitting at a desk, so I knew I had to do something outside for a job and be involved in something green.

What’s your advice to those thinking about a career in grounds?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my experience, it’s that there’s so many industries under the umbrella of ‘grounds’. There’s agronomy science, trees, ecology, waterways, environment agencies, mechanics, and from my perspective there’s something in the grounds management industry for everyone. People are so unaware of the possibilities. It can be a tough industry to get into, but once you’re there it’s really rewarding.