The former Manchester United groundsman has been visiting rugby clubs up and down the country to educate people about careers in groundsmanship.

Kent said:  "The challenges in this place got me excited again and over the past 7 years we have visited more than 200 local rugby clubs doing seminars on groundsmanship — machinery, maintenance, fertiliser, everything — and worked with volunteer groundsmen and committees.  Judging by the letters we get they are enormously grateful for the help and advice."

He continued:  "I love working with local clubs.  After England's success in the Rugby World Cup in 2003 an extra 50,000 people took up rugby, which was another 50,000 pairs of feet running about on their pitches.  Education and training is the best thing in the world and I get a real thrill going around the country doing this.  I think we are the only gaming body in the country with somebody like me going out all the time."

Lantra Sector Skills Council sports turf industry manager David Winn said:  "To turn out a top quality pitch, in spite of everything the weather has thrown at us over Christmas takes some doing and requires real skill. There is so much more to groundsmanship than you perhaps think. Industry research has revealed there is a real need of more new entrants in this area of employment and apprenticeship places are sometimes available, so why not consider whether you would be the right person to do this job?"

Subscribe to Horticulture Week for more news, more in-depth features and more technical and market info.