Pitch partners to reward turf stars!

Appointed this summer as the official pitch partners of the EVO-STIK League, GreenFields launched the new accolades to reward the best playing surfaces in all three divisions at lunchtime on Friday in their first digital newsletter of the new season to clubs.

To select the winners to be unveiled at next June’s annual end of season awards night in Blackpool, all 68 clubs will be asked to nominate the top three grass surfaces in their respective divisions in an upcoming online survey in February.

The shortlisted grounds will then be visited by experts from GreenFields who will take into account a number of factors including maintenance resources, geographic location, existing irrigation and the amount of pitch usage before choosing the winners. As well as the honour of being the first recipients of the new accolades, representatives from the three clubs will also be presented with £500 vouchers to redeem against future maintenance materials or services from the EVO-STIK League’s official pitch partners.

The EVO-STIK League teamed up with GreenFields to provide clubs with surface solutions to meet the growing demand for 3G and hybrid turf pitches, as well as advice on maintaining grass surfaces. One of the motives was to help reduce the number of future fixture postponements and EVO-STIK League chairman Mark Harris is thrilled with the GreenFields initiative to further those aims and honour the often unsung heroes tending to the league’s grass playing surfaces.

The chairman said: “The quality of playing surfaces is an essential part of any thriving Non-League football club and the volunteers who maintain them are cherished. The Pitch of the Year awards complements the Football Association’s Groundsman of the Year scheme by giving further recognition to those pitches in the Northern Premier League that are already of an exceptional standard. We are delighted to be working with GreenFields on this initiative.”

GreenFields commercial director Paul Milton said: “As official pitch partners of the EVO-STIK League we are delighted to be launching and judging the Pitch of the Year Awards. There is so much hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining a pitch and we want to give these individuals and clubs the recognition that they deserve.”

For more information on GreenFields visit www.greenfieldsturf.co.uk. The company can also be found on social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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