A 57-year-old Crawley groundsman has won the FA grassroots grounds team of the year award.
Mick Gainsford, head groundskeeper at Crawley Wasps LFC, received the grounds team award by the FA as a one-man band, after spending over six years looking after the club’s pitches more or less on his own.
Crawley Wasps’ first team are currently in the third tier of women’s football, but the club has team’s ranging from under-10s to under-16s too, meaning Mick covers training pitches, match pitches and the first-team’s ground at Horley Town FC.
On receiving the award, Gainsford said: “I’m very proud and honoured, I put in a lot of time for the club and have got some reward out of it, it feels very good.”
Mick explained that he began helping the club with their grounds work when his daughter played in the youth setup as a 13-year-old, before taking it all on himself.
He added: “I’ve always had a thing that a decent pitch will provide more decent players, and I wanted to do the best for my daughter.”
The award comes from the national football association after Gainsford was awarded best grounds team by Sussex FA in 2020.
Crawley Wasps’ chairman Jack Ayles said: “Mick is a true Crawley Wasps hero; he’s dedicated countless hours to his role here in making sure all the young players have the best pitches and facilities in Crawley.
“He’s always been on the end of the phone and helped me with making new pitches and painting lines at short notice.”