Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Saints among IOG award winners for groundskeeping

Groundskeeping teams at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and Premiership rugby side Northampton Saints are among the winners of this year's Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) awards.

The awards celebrate the quality standards of grounds care achieved in public and private sports venues and highlight the progress of young/student grounds professionals – as well as entrants’ environmental considerations.

In all, winners were announced across 20 different categories.

IOG chief executive Geoff Webb said: "We've enjoyed a glorious year of professional sport, especially a summer of outstanding cricket, and this has highlighted the crucial role played by high-class playing surfaces – and, therefore, also our superb grounds care skills.

“Our awards also acknowledge the unstinting work of the army of volunteers who maintain grassroots pitches up and down the country, often on very limited budgets, to enable players of all abilities and ages to enjoy sport on well-prepared pitches."

The full list of winners of the 2019 IOG Industry Awards:

Professional Football Grounds Team or the Year (Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League): Tottenham Hotspur FC

Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (English Football League 1 and below; Scottish Championship and below; Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues): Swindon Town FC

Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year: Sussex CCC

Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year: Castleford Tigers RLFC, West Yorkshire

Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year: Northampton Saints RFC

Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne

Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year: Warwick Racecourse

Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year: Callum Allsop, Leicester City FC

Young Grounds Person of the Year: Nick Pepper, Gloucestershire CCC

Volunteer Sports Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Andy Cambridge, Foxton FC, Cambridgeshire

National Governing Bodies’ Community Sector Sports Club Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Harborough Town FC, Leicestershire

Public Sector Sports Grounds Team of the Year: Prestige Grounds Ltd, Wiltshire

Bowling Grounds Team/Individual of the Year: Polly Bowls Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

Best Managed Artificial Sports Surface of the Year: University of Warwick

Environmental/Ecology Project of the Year: City Football Academy, Manchester

University/College Grounds Team of the Year: Nottingham University

Independent School Grounds Team of the Year: Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh

International Award: Dean Gilasbey, ProPitch

Alex R Millar Groundsperson Award – chosen from the outstanding winner across all award categories: Danny Negus, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne

Outstanding Achievement Awards

Keith Kent, former head groundsman at RFU TwickenhamChris Wood, England and Wales Cricket Board pitch inspector.