“Young people should consider a career in grounds management, because of the extensive opportunities you will get. You get to work with a range of people, including athletes and spend time outdoors - you never stop learning, and it’s a great way to work in sport.
Meg first got into grounds management by chance, having moved to Bristol from her home country of New Zealand and living with two professional cricket players. With the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club grounds team looking out for new talent, Meg jumped at the opportunity to put her extensive agricultural knowledge, and lifelong passion for cricket, to use.
Now 27, Meg is a Groundsperson at Lord’s Cricket Ground, home to England’s national cricket team and Marylebone Cricket Club as well as one of the country’s most iconic stadiums. Covering turf maintenance, pitch preparation, mowing, and overall ground upkeep, Meg plays an important part upholding the standards and values of England’s home of cricket, producing the highest quality playing and training surfaces for cricket players of all levels, from schools to test matches.
Meg’s favourite part of working in grounds management is the community, having been welcomed by a supporting group of grounds staff and supported in her development. The generosity and good-will of the industry, Meg says, has given her the opportunity to visit and work at iconic sporting venues for some of the best athletes in the world.
Having been welcomed into the industry with open arms, Meg wants to bring new ideas to the GMA’s NextGen and show young people the best of the grounds management sector so that it can appeal to a wider audience.