Darren Baldwin has been named the Institute of Groundsmanship's (IOG) Professional Football Groundsman of the Year for 2013.
Our Grounds Manager faced stiff competition for the accolade from football groundsmen across the country. He was recently shortlisted for the award alongside Wembley Stadium's Tony Stones, before being announced as the winner at the IOG Industry Awards hosted at the Ricoh Arena last night.
The IOG is the leading membership organisation for all those involved in the management of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities with the awards judged by an independent panel on criteria that include effective use of resources, budgetary control, presentation and housekeeping standards, as well as environmental considerations.
Commenting on Darren's award, IOG CEO Geoff Webb said: “Darren has been a fantastic ambassador for groundsmanship – both on and off the pitch.
“He richly deserves the accolade of IOG Professional Football Groundsman of the Year. Over many years the pitch at Tottenham has been exceptional when it comes to standards of surfaces. He is always on hand to help others in the industry and this is a fantastic tribute to him and the Club."
Speaking on his achievement, Darren, who previously won the award in 2007, said: "The IOG awards are the pinnacle of our industry and I am absolutely honoured to win this award
"It is no one-man show by any means, however. We have a big team here at Spurs with a lot of pitches to look after and every single member of my team has played a part in this achievement - this award is as much theirs as it is mine. It demonstrates their dedication to the job because a lot of time and effort goes into what we do both at the stadium and the Training Centre."
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/darren-wins-groundsman-of-year-award-061213/
Our Grounds Manager faced stiff competition for the accolade from football groundsmen across the country. He was recently shortlisted for the award alongside Wembley Stadium's Tony Stones, before being announced as the winner at the IOG Industry Awards hosted at the Ricoh Arena last night.
The IOG is the leading membership organisation for all those involved in the management of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities with the awards judged by an independent panel on criteria that include effective use of resources, budgetary control, presentation and housekeeping standards, as well as environmental considerations.
Commenting on Darren's award, IOG CEO Geoff Webb said: “Darren has been a fantastic ambassador for groundsmanship – both on and off the pitch.
“He richly deserves the accolade of IOG Professional Football Groundsman of the Year. Over many years the pitch at Tottenham has been exceptional when it comes to standards of surfaces. He is always on hand to help others in the industry and this is a fantastic tribute to him and the Club."
Speaking on his achievement, Darren, who previously won the award in 2007, said: "The IOG awards are the pinnacle of our industry and I am absolutely honoured to win this award
"It is no one-man show by any means, however. We have a big team here at Spurs with a lot of pitches to look after and every single member of my team has played a part in this achievement - this award is as much theirs as it is mine. It demonstrates their dedication to the job because a lot of time and effort goes into what we do both at the stadium and the Training Centre."
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/darren-wins-groundsman-of-year-award-061213/
