Club has grounds to celebrate

5:42pm Thursday 14th September 2006

If a good pitch makes for good football, then fans of Boreham Wood FC will expect to see a masterclass every week after the Meadow Park club received a a Football Association (FA) Groundsman of the Year award last week.

Andy Cox, 38, has tended to the Meadow Park playing surface for five years and was given recognition for his efforts at an awards ceremony at Windsor Racecourse, attended by more than 140 groundsmen from across the country.

He was named the Southern League Grounds-man of the Year 2005-06. The club also came runners-up behind Dover Athletic, in the overall award for all clubs in steps three and four of non-league football, including the Southern, Ryman and Unibond leagues.

Speaking about the achievement, the club chairman Danny Hunter said: "It's the product of five years of hard work. Each year the pitch has improved and so much work goes into it, he's done a great job."

Mr Cox, who lives in Ware, has been a greenskeeper for 22 years and also works full-time at Hampstead Golf Course in East Finchley.

The panel of judges, which included Tottenham Hotspur's head groundsman, Darren Baldwin, looked at the quality of the pitches, the groundsman's knowledge and expertise and the resources that were available to them.

Mr Cox said: "I was quite surprised, we received the invitation from the FA for the awards ceremony and we thought we would just get a nice lunch, we didn't think we'd actually win it."

In addition to being the home of Boreham Wood, Meadow Park, in Broughinge Road, also hosts the Women's Premier League champions, Arsenal Ladies, and Watford Reserves.

The grass is cut four or five times a week and Mr Cox has sole responsibility for feeding, rolling and watering the playing surface.

He said: "It's nice when you get it right but then the players come out and ruin it! The club supports me and recognises that a good pitch makes for good football."

Mr Hunter added: "I think it is synonymous with what we are trying to achieve at this club, which is to raise the standard. Last year we won promotion to the Ryman's Premier, got to the semi-final of the FA Trophy, and made further progress with our education scheme. Standards are rising and the pitch is no exception."