I think it's a pretty fair comment to make that young people like sport.
Both participating and watching. Nothing too controversial in that statement I don't think.
Saying that young people in general are naturally interested in sports turf preparation on the other hand, might be a bit of a stretch!
However this could be predominately down to their level of awareness of the vocation. If the notion of a career in groundsmanship or greenkeeping is actually presented to young people, if its visibility is raised to them, they will be able to discover for themselves just how rewarding and full of opportunity a turf-based career can be.
Which is why I feel we should always applaud companies and trade bodies who are going out of their way to introduce young people to the industry.
In today's briefing, we have news about SALTEX's new marketing campaign for this year - and it's great to read that they are running the College Cup again in November. Open to students attending colleges across the country the competition sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen aims to 'raise the awareness of academic rigour in turf management, whilst giving the participants a career enhancing experience'.
We read on here just the other week about the incredible experience which the winners of last year's Cup got to participate in. The four-person team from CAFRE College in Northern Ireland were able to help prepare Wembley’s pitch for this year's FA Cup Final. What a memorable day that must have been!
One could argue of course that if young people are already on a college course, competing in a sportsturf competition, they have already made their minds up about where they would like their careers to head. The industry needs to grab them even younger!
Well a recent initiative by a golf club and a seed company which I heard about, has been doing just that.
Kingsdown Golf Club in Wiltshire recently showed children from a local primary school how environmental stewardship, sports turf management and the game of golf are positively linked.
Tom Freeman, Deputy Course Manager, coordinated the event and was supported by DLF Seeds who donated wildflower seed for the children to sow around the course.
Plots were prepared on the club’s academy course for groups of children to sow the wildflower seeds. During the activity, they were told about ecology, pollinating species and the benefits wildflowers can bring to the course and its maintenance.
Following the event Tom said, “The day was a great success, the children were engaged and asked lots of questions about greenkeeping, golf and the planting of the wildflowers. Hopefully events such as this will inspire the next generations of sports turf managers, golfers and ecologists and signals the start of a mutually beneficial community relationship between the club and the community around us.
"Many of the children said it was the best school trip they’d ever been on - and we can’t ask for more than that!”
What a marvellous sounding initiative. That'll be the sort of event which, years down the line when those kids have to make choices about which career paths to pursue, they should remember with great fondness.
All events which can inspire enthusiasm, raise the profile and pique interest in the industry amongst the next generation, no matter how young, are doing excellent work.
