2012 FL Groundsman Awards Revealed

The annual awards for the Football League Groundsman of the Year 2012 in each division have been revealed.

The award is centered around groundsmen who have consistently produced the best playing surfaces in different weather conditions throughout the season.

The Championship Groundsman of the Year was announced as Tony Bell of Middlesbrough, while Burnley’s Paul Bradshaw and Leicester City’s Ed Mowe were highly commended through their sustained efforts and dedication.

For the second year running, Carlisle United’s David Mitchell picked up the League 1 award, whilst David Brown and Phil Collinson received commendations for the surfaces at Hartlepool United and Rochdale.

In League 2, Terry Roberts of Cheltenham Town picked up the title, with Burton Albion’s Simon Marshall and David Radmore at Plymouth Argyle being highly commended.

The awards are determined using marks from referees and away team managers for each game, which are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

John Nagle, head of communications at The Football League, said: ‘The Groundsman of the Year Award is an opportunity to honour some of The Football League’s unsung heroes and rightly recognises the efforts made by club groundsmen to prepare the best possible playing surfaces. It has been another tough season with some challenging weather conditions, however the quality of pitches across The League has been excellent.’