The Grounds Management Association (GMA) today announces the launch of the latest addition to its online training suite, Online Level 3 Cricket Surfaces (Advanced Turf Culture) along with the return of 3 face-to-face training courses in 2022; Level 2 Racecourse: Turf Management, Level 3 Racecourse: Management Skills, and Level 2 Winter Pitches (Applied Turf Culture).
Taking place during the off-season so that grounds staff can develop their knowledge ahead of the new season, Online Level 3 Cricket Surfaces (Advanced Turf Culture) will help cricket grounds staff to better understand the advanced technical aspects of turf maintenance and management, and how they may form an integral part of a detailed work programme. Doing so will allow students to get the most from their turf surface in both quality and playability.
The course, taking around 6 hours to complete, with content developed by experts, is ideal for the experienced volunteer or grounds team member. It covers a wide range of advanced technical turf areas, including the influence of drainage, soil type and compaction on playability, soil nutrient testing and what this might mean for turf surfaces, grass cultivars and selection and evaluation, controlling undesirable organisms and more.
Successful students will also develop valuable and applicable practical turf management skills, such as learning how to effectively manage health and safety systems, planning a work programme, and managing a surface to optimise playability.
The GMA is also announcing that a trio of face-to-face training courses will return in 2022.
Taking place from 09 – 14 January 2022 at the British Racing School in Newmarket and developed in conjunction with the Racecourse Association and the British Horseracing Authority, Level 2 Racecourse: Turf Management, a repeat of the November training course, will teach students how to apply the theory required to understand the science of racecourse grounds maintenance.
Following Level 2 will be Level 3 Racecourse: Management Skills at York Racecourse from 20 February – 23 February 2022. The three-day course will help students better understand and utilise the supervisory and managerial skills required to manage and control resources on the racecourse.
Level 2 Winter Pitches (Applied Turf Culture) will take place at Runwell Sports and Social Club, Essex on 18 May 2022. Ideal for the experienced volunteer, established grounds team member, or just as a refresher, the training course will support and develop the skills of those involved in maintaining or managing a winter sports pitch.
Jason Booth, Chief Operating Officer of the GMA, says:
“Our new Online Level 3 Cricket Surfaces (Advanced Turf Culture) is the perfect addition to our online training suite and is ideal for grounds staff who already hold an advanced knowledge of cricket turf maintenance, or who have previously completed our Level 2 course.
It comes at a time where cricket is now in its off-season so allows cricket grounds staff to upskill ahead of the new season so that they can put their learnings into practice and achieve better results.
We were delighted to see the response to our recent re-introduction of face-to-face learning with our Level 2 Racecourse: Turf Management course in November, so it makes us very happy to be able to continue with our face-to-face training programme by booking in 3 more dates in 2022. Whilst the development of our online learning suite over the past 18 months has been a much-needed tool for our community, with over 2,000 enrolling for online courses since the start of the pandemic, there is a continued need for face-to-face training. We look forward to continuing to expand the programme in 2022.”
The GMA will continue to develop and introduce new online training as the seasons and weather change in the new year. It will also continue to reintroduce face-to-face training sessions next year, providing conditions remain safe to do so.
You can sign-up to Online Level 3 Cricket Surfaces (Applied Turf Culture) by visiting https://portal.thegma.org.uk/education/course/1198529.
To find out more information about our new face-to-face training courses, visit https://thegma.org.uk/learning/training.
To upskill your knowledge through the GMA’s training courses, or for more information on bespoke training sessions, visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning or email learning@thegma.org.uk