Skilled Groundsperson

The City of Salford Community Stadium Limited (COSCOS) owns and operates the 12,000 capacity Salford Community Stadium (currently named the CorpAcq Stadium).

The stadium is home to Sale Sharks from rugby union’s top flight and Salford RLFC. It has recently acted as host venue for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. COSCOS Ltd is owned by Salford City Council.

As well as the main stadium, the company owns the land around the stadium including two training pitches.

Main duties and responsibilities/accountabilities

• To assist to ensure compliance with all relevant procedures and codes of practice.
• To assist to deliver the highest standards of Health & Safety ensuring the Stadium operated in a safe environment and all records updated as necessary.
• To support the grounds team in taking responsibility for Health and Safety within grounds department.
• To assist in optimum deployment of staff, contractors and other resources.
• To be accountable to the Grounds Manager for the delivery of grounds team services.
• To assist with the maintenance of all Grounds equipment.
• To assist in controlling expenditure levels and to report any anomalies to the Stadium Grounds Manager. 
• To maintain a professional image at all times, to promote the Stadium’s standing.

Operations

• To assist in the management of all sports ground activities to consistently deliver services to fixture requirements:
• Assist in the development of work schedules taking into account available resources, fixture schedule, weather and time availability.  
• Assist in ensuring the health of the pitch is regularly monitored and corrective action taken.
• Assist in ensuring effective maintenance and availability of all resources e.g. development of maintenance schedules to keep machinery at safe working standards.
• Ensure compliance to standards and regulations of the professional sorting bodies.
• Work with colleagues to recommend and guide senior management on best use of facilities to fulfil contracted futures or new services.
• Assist Grounds Manager in the maintenance of all sporting surfaces.

General Control and Supervision

Grounds Team staff:  

• Work with Grounds Team to provide environments for all grounds team staff to succeed.
• Support Grounds Manager in the allocation of work schedule to grounds team.

Health and Safety Responsibilities: 

• Work towards qualifications that meet minimum H&S qualifications requirement e.g. IOSH , spraying certs, NVQ etc.
• Work to support the Grounds Team to ensure compliance to H&S regulation including the working towards implementation and review of:

1. A safe working environment for employees, clients and visitors.
2. Risk assessments.
3. Method statements.
4. Safe storage and handling of all Hazardous substances, including COSHH records.
5. Machinery Maintenance schedules.

Staffing

• To contribute to ensuring an acceptable level of performance is reached and help to develop a team culture.
• To participate in actively minimising the use of casual or additional staff hours unless absolutely necessary.
• To support Grounds Manager to ensure staff rota produced to cover work requirements.

Communication

• Participate in staff and tenant’s meetings.
• Assist in ensuring that the highest level of contact and communication with customers, staff and relevant officers is maintained, to ensure confidence in and satisfaction with the service. 
• Ensure that feedback and ideas received from staff and customers are reported and acted upon.
• To ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act.

Training and Development

• To participate in the provision of on-the-job training, coaching, etc., to meet identified training needs.
• To work towards gaining work appropriate qualifications

Business Plan / Marketing and Promotion

• Contribute ideas to promote and market the service / encourage other staff to contribute ideas. 
• To assist in the identification of and the meeting of customer needs profitably.

General

• Assist in ensuring that contractual responsibilities are met by the business, for the Shareholders, by Tenants and by Partners.
• The post holder must carry out their duties with full regard to current UK legislation regarding Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety.
• To undertake any other such duties that deemed to be reasonably commensurate with the level of this post.

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven experience working as a Groundsman or Assistant Groundsman, preferably within a sports stadium or professional sports environment.
• Strong practical knowledge of natural turf maintenance and renovation techniques.
• Competence in the safe use of grounds maintenance machinery.
• Good understanding of health and safety requirements within grounds operations.
• Willingness to work unsociable hours, including evenings, weekends, and matchdays.
• Physically fit and able to work outdoors in all weather conditions.

Desirable

• Relevant qualifications such as NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Sports Turf Management (or equivalent).
• PA1/PA2 or equivalent pesticide application certification.
• Experience working on rugby league or rugby union pitches.
• Knowledge of irrigation systems and basic turf nutrition programmes.
• Full UK driving licence.

Personal Attributes

• Highly motivated with a strong work ethic and attention to detail.
• Professional and reliable with a pride in pitch presentation.
• Adaptable and calm under pressure, particularly on matchdays.
• Enthusiastic about learning and developing within the ground’s profession.

We want to make all opportunities at Salford Community Stadium accessible to anyone who wants to apply. If submitting a written application is not the best way to tell us about your skills and experience, please let us know and we will discuss it with you.

At Salford Community Stadium, we really understand the importance of different voices, experiences, perspectives and backgrounds within all workforces. Our workforce is no different and we strongly encourage applications from members of minority groups and all sections of the community.

Salford Community Stadium is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and adults at risk that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a process of vetting, including the disclosure of criminal records if required and the seeking of references. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our organisation.

If you think you might have these skills but are not 100% sure, please do still apply and let us decide. We know that people often rule themselves out of interesting opportunities assuming that others will be more successful but please don’t be that person. We want to hear from the widest cross-section of the community.