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LATEST EPISODE No 72: 45 minutes Published 28 June 2022
PITCH PERFECT
with Jason Booth
Grounds Management Association (GMA) and Pitch Advisory Service (PAS)
WANT TO KEEP UP TO DATE ON CURRENT AND FORTHCOMING EPISODES?
Jason Booth made the move from aspiring professional cricketer with Yorkshire CCC to grounds management.
He is now Chief Operating Officer of the Grounds Management Association (GMA) and has responsibility for the Pitch Advisory Service (PAS), funded by Sport England, with the aim of achieving continual improvement in the playing surfaces at an estimated 75,000 grounds used for recreational and community sport.
Since its formation in 2014, Jason says that the PAS has collected extensive data on the quality of pitches used across recreational sports and that almost 90% of those surveyed have shown improvement - and this has resulted in increased available funding.
He talks to Chris about the success rate of the PAS, of the help provided to clubs in an emergency (such as floods) and how more could be done to improve the public perception of grounds staff and also provide a career path for new entrants
PREVIOUS EPISODES in this TURF season of Inside Agri-Turf
EPISODE 71: Talking Turf with Stephen Edwards (InTurf)
Chris talks to Stephen Edwards, who along with his twin brother Alex, runs InTurf, one of the UK's largest and longest established suppliers of natural grass.. They discuss the turf growing cycle, the logistics and timeliness of the operation, irrigation, the ban on exporting turf to Europe since Brexit - and of course the fake (plastic) grass versus natural grass debate.
LISTEN TO EPISODE 71 with Stephen Edwards
EPISODE 70: How Jimmy the Mower Cut Through
In conversation with Jimmy Broadhouse aka Jimmy the Mower about a single Twitter post went viral and resulted in his emergence as a Turf Influencer and media personality with appearances on national television and newspapers
LISTEN TO EPISODE 70 with Jimmy the Mower
EPISODE 69: From World Cup to Grass Roots
Keith Kent has scaled the heights of his profession. He has presided over the preparation of pitches for the English Premier League, England football internationals, England Rugby internationals and the Rugby World Cup Final. He had been head groundsman for Manchester United, before changing codes to take charge of the pitch at Twickenham the home of English Rugby
LISTEN TO EPISODE 69 with KEITH KENT
FOR A LISTING OF ALL EPISODES OF INSIDE AGRI-TURF CLICK HERE
NEW
AGRI-TURF AGENDA
Your company podcast
TO complement the Inside Agri-Turf podcast series, I'm delighted to introduce a new show, Agri-Turf Agenda.
This is a specially recorded, paid-for podcast to promote companies, their products, people and plans.
Individually scripted, recorded, edited and hosted, the podcast can be made available for broadcast on a company's social media platform or websites, either as an solus episode, or as a regular series (monthly, quarterly etc)
CELEBRATING AUTO-ROLLER 100 NOT OUT
The first Agri-Turf Agenda episodes celebrates the centenary of the Auto-Roller cricket roller, manufactured in Wiltshire by Autoguide Equipment Ltd.
During the episode (28 minutes), we hear from Autoguide's Richard Robinson on the origins of the Auto-Roller and from Gary Barwell, Head Groundsman at Edgbaston, famous Test Match venue and home to current Country Champions Warwickshire CCC
YOUR HOST
Chris Biddle
Chris has worked in the agricultural and turfcare machinery industry since the 1960s, both for manufacturer and dealer. He subsequently launched industry trade magazines which he built up over 30 years before selling them.
He also edited a number of magazines for industry bodies before 'retiring' in 2019.
When lockdown came in the Spring of 2020 he decided to teach himself podcast production and audio editing. The result is Inside Agri-Turf. Using his extensive 60 years industry experience and industry know-how, he launched the first episodes in July 2020 and has quickly grown a substantial number of listeners worldwide.
