A new chapter in turfcare = improved wellbeing

Back in 2016, Jim Portas was made redundant from his long-term factory job. He had been involved with voluntary grounds maintenance at Boston United since 2005, but he never imagined becoming the head groundsman.

Jim had worked in a printing factory for over thirty years before becoming the head groundsman at Boston United.

“I was lucky because I had experienced life before turfcare and it helped me realise how much pressure and stress comes with the job here at Boston United. However, it is much better than working in a factory environment. You’re outside in the sunshine; you can see the results of your hard work. Coming into the industry at an older age, I suppose I had seen a tougher side of working life than turfcare.”

“Wintertime is doom and gloom; you have to push through those hard times when the weather is against you. However, compared to the factory, my mental health is much better working here. I always said after being made redundant that I would never go back to that environment, and I was lucky to find this job.”

Jim explained how he got the role of head groundsman at Boston United: “The club already knew who I was through my volunteering work. In 2020, I received a call from the chairman asking if I was interested in becoming the head groundsman at the new stadium, and we had a good relationship. With the club moving forward, I thought it would be an exciting challenge.”

“I had already done ten years of turfcare and I wasn’t new to the club, so the transition into the new role was straightforward. I had the experience and understanding of what was required and I knew a lot of people which helped. We’ve faced challenges; the old pitch at York Street was clay-based and this one is sand-based, so that was something I needed to figure out when I arrived.”

Despite being made redundant from his previous role, Jim credits the experience for his personal development: “I was in that industry for thirty years, and for ten of those I was a supervisor, which gave me a lot of management skills and helped me become independent. We had a brand-new stadium here at Boston United, but I didn’t feel much stress making important decisions because I had experienced that kind of pressure in my previous factory role.”

“Despite my volunteer experience, I reached out to a few people across the industry to gain more knowledge. I spoke to Craig Housley and later Brad Jeffries from Lincoln City Football Club, as well as Ben Kay from Accrington Stanley. I’ve tried to learn as much as possible about the pitch and people have been a huge help.”

Jim highlighted the increasing pressures of turfcare: “Pitch quality over the last fifteen to twenty years has improved across the UK. Standards have changed. It doesn’t happen often but, if I feel stressed, I’ll take a few minutes to step away and reset, then get back to work. Local grounds staff at smaller clubs shouldn’t put too much pressure on themselves. You should work with what you’ve got and, as long as you’re working hard, that should be good enough.”

Jim acknowledged the importance of trust and support from the club’s leadership: “I have my budget and targets; and from that you have to take charge and plan, which the club has allowed me to do independently. They’re not constantly checking in and, when you have a good relationship with the Board, that helps reduce stress and pressure. They trust my opinion, and that allows me to get the best out of what we have.”

“Even though the grounds team is small, I never feel like I’m working alone. At the start of this year we took on an apprentice and we have five volunteer matchday staff. It’s a family-run club and everyone knows you. My girlfriend works downstairs in the office, and I know people who’ve worked at the club for years.”

The impact of renovations

Renovations (undertaken by Premier Turfing) had just started when we visited the ground and Jim discussed the impact this has had: “This year, the renovation work is colossal as the pitch has been down for five years. We’ve had to add a lot of fibre at a significant cost - we’re not a big club so this is always a concern. I presented three options to the chairman, all at different price points, and he chose the most expensive. The idea was to prioritise the long-term welfare of the pitch.”

“I try to simplify renovations to fans and people who ask ‘why I have torn up the pitch’. I explain that these things are necessary for the long-term future of the surface and playability. By no means do we have the best pitch, but I believe it is one of the best in the league - and that often comes from hard work and investment.”