Grounds & Pitch Care Operative

Organisation: Staffordshire Football Association
Salary: £30,000
Location: Uttoxeter, Stafford and multiple venues across Staffordshire
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 6 October 2025
Job Description: To view the full employment information, please follow this link: https://www.staffordshirefa.com/news/2025/sep/05/grounds-and-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.

Grassroots football means everything to us. We are passionate about our game and we work every day to ensure everyone who wants to take part, can do. This is the same for the people who work for us and with us, either in paid or voluntary roles. Our aim is to Support Staffordshire Football to create safe and inclusive environments where everyone can achieve their football aspirations.

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

* Sports Hub Grounds Management – To be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of all sports pitches, non pitch grass and grounds areas, car parks, hedgerows and other maintenance operations as required at Staffordshire FA Hub Sites

* Countywide Pitch Maintenance Operations – To be responsible for providing pitch maintenance services to sites/club venues across the County. Manging bookings, undertaking pitch operations and providing advice to volunteers and professionals.

* Volunteer Support & Education - Work directly with grassroots
volunteers, providing advice and guidance on maintenance practices and assisting with the delivery of in-person and online workshops to develop local skills and knowledge.

* Safe management of maintenance equipment – To take responsibility for the safe operation, maintenance and cleanliness of all equipment owned by the Staffordshire FA.

* PitchPower Assessments and Monitoring – Carry out PitchPower site visits and contribute to the ongoing improvement of grass pitch standards in line with the Football Foundation’s national priorities.

* Pitch Maintenance workshops – To assist with the delivery of face to face and online workshops to support volunteer development.

* Travel and working hours – Extensive travel across Staffordshire is required for this role as well as time spent at Staffordshire FA Hub Sites. Working patterns will be irregular with some long working days as required. Evenings and weekend work will be likely during busy periods.

* Flexibility & Seasonal working - Adapt to weather-dependent workloads, including downtime in winter months. Some evening and weekend work will be required, particularly during peak football periods and renovation periods. A flexible approach to working is required and ability to change working days at short notice may be needed.

* Partnership Building - Strengthen working relationships with local authorities, clubs, and site operators to extend the reach and impact of our pitch improvement work.

* Wider sports services - Where possible, extend pitch maintenance services to non-football sites to support the development of high-quality natural turf surfaces for other grassroots sports.

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
You’ll often be working outdoors, alone, and in all weathers. The days can be long and physically demanding. You’ll need the resilience
and drive to keep going - especially when others have called it off.

A sense of purpose
Every pitch you maintain directly impacts the grassroots game. You’ll know that behind every match are volunteers, players, and
parents relying on a safe and playable surface

Attention to detail
Whether it’s line marking, mowing patterns, or machinery upkeep, quality matters. You’ll be someone who takes genuine pride in doing things properly and safely.

Technical awareness
Experience using pitch maintenance equipment is key, and importantly it is your willingness to learn and your commitment to operating machinery safely and responsibly.

Organisation and independence
You’ll manage your own schedule, communicate with multiple sites, and ensure work is delivered on time and to a high standard, without the need for close supervision.

Empathy and understanding of volunteers
You’ll be working with people who give up their free time to make football happen - often with limited experience or resource. You’ll bring patience, humility, and a willingness to listen, teach and support without judgement alongside exceptional customer service.

Digital confidence
You’ll use systems such as PitchPower and simple reporting tools to log and track your work. Basic digital literacy is essential, we’ll support you with the rest.

A full, clean driving licence
This is a countywide role and regular travel is expected. You’ll have access to Staffordshire FA vehicles for site work.

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 opportunity 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.
How to apply: 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. How to apply: Should you have any questions or require more information about the role, please contact Kevin Staples (Head of Delivery) via email Kevin.Staples@StaffordshireFA.com or please call 01785 256994. For the full employment pack, please follow this link: https://www.staffordshirefa.com/news/2025/sep/05/grounds-and-pitch-care-operative To formally apply: Please complete the Employment Application Form by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsUmRimgxqAMoZ5phfZlcdrsoTqaw9zH_WXsaItvH0pyDP_w/viewform