Cheryl Hill on women, turfcare and 35 years at Leicester Tigers

Spend even a few minutes with Cheryl, and it’s clear she still carries the same enthusiasm she had on her first day. She offers a rare long-term perspective on change, resilience and what the industry must do next.

In an industry still wrestling with recruitment challenges and striving for greater diversity, few voices carry the weight of lived experience like Cheryl Hill’s. For 35 years, she has been part of the fabric of Leicester Tigers - a rare constant through changing eras of rugby, technology and workplace culture.

Cheryl didn’t have a traditional route into turfcare. Leaving school at sixteen with no qualifications, she only knew one thing for certain: she wanted to work outdoors. An apprenticeship with Leicester City Council gave her a start, but that ended abruptly when the council scrapped its apprentice scheme. “Suddenly I was unemployed and too young to claim benefits,” she recalls. “I walked into the careers office, saw the Leicester Tigers job advertised and came in for an interview. That was the 29th of January 1990. The rest is history.”

Staying at the same club for three and a half decades is almost unheard of today, but Cheryl never felt the urge to look elsewhere. “I’m immensely proud,” she says. “In the early ’90s, the club really took a chance on me. They could see where the industry was heading and backed me from day one. That support has meant everything.”

Her early years weren’t without challenges. Joining a male-dominated turfcare team in the early ’90s meant dealing with attitudes that lingered from the previous decade. “Sexism was common. I had comments thrown my way,” she says matter-of-factly.

“Things improved by the late ’90s and early 2000s, but there’s still more to do.” What made the difference, she says, was support. Ed Mowe, (previously at St George’s Park before moving to Tigers), encouraged her to try new ideas, and the presence of a female CEO, Andrea Pinchen, reinforced her belief that capability has nothing to do with gender.

Despite the obstacles, Cheryl remains a strong advocate for women entering the industry. “In rugby, I’ve always been treated as an equal. This industry can be brilliant if you’re surrounded by the right people. Support and teamwork make such a difference. I’d encourage anyone - especially women - to give it a go.”

The job itself comes with its own pressures, particularly at a club as high-profile as Leicester Tigers. With every men’s and women’s fixture now televised, the pitch is under constant scrutiny. “We want people to look at Welford Road and think, ‘That pitch looks fantastic,’” she says. Coaches often request specific heights of cut or certain conditions - a challenge Cheryl enjoys. “It pushes us to deliver the best surface we can.”

She still remembers walking into the club for her interview over three decades ago. The head groundsman at the time was protective of the pitch, but he saw something in her and took the leap. “In many ways, they were ahead of their time,” she reflects. Now she worries that the next generation isn’t coming through quickly enough. “As the older generation retires, we need more young people - twenties, thirties, forties - who can take the industry forward. If we don’t pass knowledge on, we’ll lose it.”

One of Cheryl’s proudest moments came when she joined the all-women grounds team for the Rugby World Cup Final at Twickenham - an experience she describes as “incredible” and “completely out of my comfort zone.”

Walking onto the pitch for the first time is something she will never forget. “We came from different sectors of turfcare, and we learned so much from one another. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. And even if I can’t, I hope the GMA keeps the initiative going. There are so many women who deserve the opportunity.”

Her advice to young women considering turfcare is characteristically direct. “Go for it. Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it because you’re a woman. Believe in yourself - you can do the job just as well as any man.”