Grounds & Pitch Care Operative
At the Staffordshire Football Association we know that a quality football experience begins with the pre match preparations. Over the coming years, we will be taking major steps to improve grassroots facilities across the County, with the imminent development of our Sports Hub in Uttoxeter and our continued drive to increase the quality of all grass football pitches in Staffordshire, we are seeking a highly committed and capable Grounds & Pitch Care Operative to join our team.
About The Role
This brand new role will play a significant part in our facility and pitch development work over the years to come. This is not a typical 9-to-5 role. It will be physically demanding, require significant lone working and shaped by the seasons across the year. We are looking for a highly enthusiastic, skilled and dedicated person to ensure our facilities are recognised as the best in Staffordshire. The majority of time will be spent outdoors, travelling across Staffordshire, operating and maintaining machinery to ensure that all of our grassroots football pitches are maintained and managed to the best possible standards to ensure a quality experience for all players, coaches, match officials and volunteers. Embracing the challenge, you’ll play a central part in helping the grassroots game thrive by reducing cancellations, supporting volunteers, and improving the playing experience for everyone involved.
The right person will take genuine pride in their work, value the opportunity to support local clubs, and be driven by a deep sense of purpose and responsibility. You’ll be joining a progressive County FA that values humility, effort, and service to the game above all else. If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Key Objectives
As our Grounds & Pitch Care Operative, your work will directly support our vision to Support, Develop, Unite and Protect grassroots football across Staffordshire.
Your core responsibilities will include:
- Sports Hub Grounds
- Countywide Pitch Maintenance
- Volunteer Support & Safe management of maintenance equipment
- PitchPower Assessments & Monitoring
- Pitch Maintenance workshops
- Flexibility & Seasonal working
- Partnership Building
- Wider sports services
What will you need?
This role isn’t for someone who just wants to “cut the grass.” It’s for someone who understands what that grass represents: Community, Commitment, and the heartbeat of grassroots football.
We’re looking for someone who combines technical competence with empathy, who values a well-lined pitch and the people who give up their weekends to use it.
Here’s what you’ll need to bring:
- Grit and commitment
- A sense of purpose
- Attention to detail
- Technical awareness
- Organisation and independence
- Empathy and understanding of volunteers
- Digital confidence
- A full, clean driving licence
What will you be doing?
Improving the quality of grass football pitches remains one of the top 3 priorities for the game in Staffordshire. Pitch quality impacts match play, training and the love and enthusiasm for the game whatever the weather. Our aim is to ensure all grass pitches in the County are of a Good or better standard, to ensure the game can thrive.
Your work will centre around the maintenance of Staffordshire FA hub sites including grass and 3G pitches and the grounds they sit within, alongside managing a weekly maintenance programme for pitches across the County. You will have access to the latest pitch maintenance machinery to allow you to offer aeration, seeding, scarification, weeding, feeding, cutting and line marking services to sites and clubs with the ultimate aim of improving every pitch you work on.
You will be responsible for arranging site visits to undertake maintenance work in and out of season, working alongside grassroots volunteers to upskill and education them on pitch improvements and working with our team to push our Pitch Maintenance Programme further forward.
Our new Sports Hub in Uttoxeter will be your base. This is a new, as yet developed site which will provide high quality facilities for Uttoxeter and the surrounding communities, as well as a venue that will be utilised for multiple events, activities and a base for the Community. We hope this will be the first of many Hub sites the Staffordshire FA will operate in the years to come, with your role being at the heart of what we do.
This role will be demanding, hard work and require personal motivation, dedication and self discipline to be successful. You will have the opportuntiy to influence, develop new and expand existing relationships and ultimately provide a pitch maintenance service that is highly regarded due to the effort you are prepared to give.
Ensuring quality support services to our England Football Accredited clubs is essential for the future growth of our game. Alongside our team, your work will help provide a quality football experience across Staffordshire and help everyone feel safe and supported across the game.
About The Staffordshire FA
Founded In 1877, The Staffordshire Football Association Is The Guardian of our National Game in the County.
Responsible for efficiently governing and developing the local game, the Staffordshire FA strives to positively influence participation for all in football regardless of age, ability, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion and socioeconomic status.
Our aim is to make a positive difference within football, giving everyone the opportunity to access quality football opportunities and experience to fulfil their potential. We are keen to develop partnerships in order to promote the benefits of football and improve the facilities where football is played.
With over 2,300 teams, 30,000 players and 1000 match officials, the Staffordshire FA is responsible for providing a support structure that enables players, volunteers, coaches and match officials to develop individually or as part of a Club or League and most importantly, participate in a safe and enjoyable environment. We are a progressive County FA who celebrate our history and traditions, but we do not dwell on them. We are a dynamic, fast moving and evolving organisation which is passionate about our sport and its long-term success.
Why Should I Apply?
This challenging role will provide you with a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in the function of grassroots football in Staffordshire. There are more people playing football in Staffordshire than ever before which means our support for volunteers, administrators, match officials and coaches is increasing.
The quality of preparation for match and training facilities is now even more crucial to ensure we can help maintain the enjoyment for participation across the game, ensuring everyone has access to a quality pitch. This role will help us continue to provide these much needed facilities.
The successful candidate will join a fantastic team who share the same desire to provide the best football experience for all and we are keen to find a strong leader who will be able to enhance our Pitch Improvement Programmes even further.
We are keen to recruit a committed, conscientious, and ambitious person who is passionate about grassroots football and who is looking for an exciting challenge to thrive in this role. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service with our ambition to see, hear and value everyone taking part in the game we love.