The relative status of grounds staff in employing organisations

This report examines the relative status of grounds staff by examining views of the organisations within which grounds maintenance takes place. It was commissioned by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) via the 2012 fund and undertaken by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University. The research is complementary to the findings of previous research which identified a potential 'skills time bomb' among sports grounds staff at the beginning of 2008. The main aim of the study was to identify attitudes of senior management to grounds staff and the perceptions they have of actual and potential skills shortages and skills gaps in the industry. The study also investigated senior management views on the utilisation of grounds staff in the future. The methods employed included an online survey, completed by 124 senior managers, and 20 semi-structured interviews with both grounds managers and senior managers within the industry.