The volunteer groundskeeper from Acton Ealing Whistlers FC was given the ultimate experience for any groundskeeper – helping prepare Wembley Stadium’s pitch ahead of an international.
Tony Hesketh won a competition run by the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation as part of its Get Your Pitch Match Fit campaign that celebrates the importance of grass pitches and the groundskeepers who maintain them for the grassroots game.
Mr Hesketh had the honour ahead of England’s Lionesses’ recent 3-2 win against the Netherlands on 1 December 2023.
He has volunteered as a groundskeeper for more than a decade ever since his sons started playing for Acton Ealing Whistlers FC.
Since 2020, Mr Hesketh has overseen a transformation of the Club’s grass pitches which have supported by a £54k in grant funding from the Football Foundation.
Wembley Stadium’s grounds manager, Karl Standley, provided advice to Mr Hesketh on what’s involved in getting the stadium turf match ready.
Mr Hesketh said: “Before using PitchPower, we regularly had to call off games because our pitches just couldn’t handle any form of bad weather.vNow, not only are our fixtures able to go ahead as planned, but our players actually enjoy the games more because they get to play on quality playing surfaces. That transformation wouldn’t have been possible without PitchPower and the funding we received from the Football Foundation.”
He added: “Today has been great and I hope to take some of Karl’s advice back to our pitches at Acton Ealing Whistlers AFC to ensure all our players can enjoy their football.”
Karl Standley, Wembley grounds manager said: “Having a quality playing surface is vital, whether you’re playing in the World Cup final or Sunday League with your friends. “The grassroots game couldn’t function without volunteer groundskeepers giving up their time for clubs across the country and I’m proud to help the Football Foundation shine a spotlight on the vital role they play.”
For more information on Get Your Pitch Match Fit and how the Football Foundation can help local teams, click here.
