COVID-19 Grounds Maintenance in the Wider Game

26th March 2020 | Mallory Gray

Date of Update: 28/05/20

The Grounds Management Association (GMA, formerly the Institute of Groundsmanship), working in partnership with the ECB, have recently updated their advice to those managing cricket grounds during COVID-19 lockdown. These updates are in response to the current weather, where we are in the growing season.

Key updates include reducing grass cut heights to help with sward density, managing irrigation on squares and avoiding dry rolling, spiking and deep scarification, all of which can cause problems on dry squares.   The advice is aimed at ground staff managing grounds at all clubs, schools and local authorities and is available here.

Date of update April 1st

In addition here's a useful guidance for cricket groundskeepers which is an additional update from IOG/GMA, including some additional technical guidance click here

Date of Update March 26th 

Please see the important ECB statement below regarding working on cricket grounds (released 11am, March 26th). Per this advice, groundskeepers are currently permitted to work on cricket grounds, however the guidance contained in the statement MUST be adhered to.   

Please ensure you read the statement in full to appraise yourself of all safeguarding measures.   

Stay safe, everyone, and please continue to follow standing government guidelines and ECB’s statement regarding the suspension of all other cricket activities.

 Coronavirus and Grounds Maintenance in The wider game 25.03.20DN NP MB.docx

If you have any specific queries on this guidance, please contact [email protected]