In this latest edition of the get to know the groundsman, we catch up with Cefyn Owen one of the many unsung hero’s we plan to highlight in this series over the coming months!
What’s is your name and what club do you represent?
I’m Cefyn Owen and I’m the groundsman at Bangor City Football Club.
What’s is your day job?
I’m a greenkeeper at a local golf club.
How did you become a groundsman/Greenkeeper?
I started getting interested when I was eleven, I went on a tour of Old Trafford with my football team expecting to see a big green pitch. Thing was they were installing the undersoil heating at the time and that got me interested in finding out more about groundsmanship. When I got older, I started helping at the cricket club I played for, which started me off on my journey.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The fresh air, l have never worked indoors. The end product when the players get on the pitch and the pitch plays well, plus getting the three points helps.
What do you like least?
When people criticise groundsmen, especially online when they have no idea what they are talking about. Also l find it frustrating when people say we only cut grass for a living.
What is your dream machinery purchase?
A tractor and a deep spiker.
How much time do you spend at the football club?
As much as I can, any free time I have I’m there doing something.
What training or learning gaps would you like to bridge?
It’s been a while since I was in college, nearly 25 years. I was in a welsh college of horticulture in Northop, north Wales. College gave me all the basics but, in this job, you learn something new every day. Following different groundsmen from the highest level to the bottom on twitter, always helps with providing tips and advice on making better surfaces.
While you have a captive audience is there anything your like to bring up?
Being a groundsman is challenging at times from the highest level to grassroots, we are all trying our best to give the players the best surfaces with the resources and machinery that we have. I’d love my pitch to look like Old Trafford or Wembley, but l know with the resources I have, I can only do my best. Which is hopefully pretty close.
Cefyn Owen
If you enjoyed this, take a look at our get to know the groundsman blog archives – https://turfcareblog.com/?s=get+to+know+the+groundsman
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