What a marvellous initiative Briggs & Stratton's and the IOG's Pitch To Win is. You can read about the announcement of the two teams who complete line-up of finalists in today's newsletter here.

Once you get over the slightly odd concept of naming a team a winner for having the most terrible pitch, you realise what an admirable endeavour the whole undertaking is. And with the backing of the IOG this year, the competition has expanded to help not just grassroots football but also cricket and rugby.

One really feels that this is exactly the sort of thing which our professional groundsmanship association and a leading manufacturer very much should be doing.

I was privileged enough to attend the presentation to last year's winners, South Newton & Wishford FC in Wiltshire, and to see the the excitement and joy on the kids faces just at getting a new kit was thrilling. And this was before of course their pitch was improved so they could get out play all year round and not spend months waiting for the flood waters to subside.

But last year, with just B&S out there doing it on their own, they could only help the one winner and two runners up. This year, now they have IOG support, the prize kitty has expanded to £12,000 in total, with nine teams across three different sporting disciplines benefiting from both the cash and more importantly, expert assistance.

It is of course invaluable that kids can get out and play sport on decent facilities. Not just for the obvious health benefits, but for a sense of community, pride and self-worth.

And the fact that they can get out on play on natural turf surfaces is also vitally important. Access to artificial playing surfaces is clearly better than nothing, but it's not the same as being able to run out on a grass pitch - just like they see their heroes do week in and week out. There's something undeniably special about grass pitches.

So very well done to Briggs & Stratton and the IOG. Long may the campaign continue.