York Racecourse's Adrian Kay wins the IOG's Alex R Millar/DLF Johnsons Sports Seed Groundsman of the year Award 2013
York Racecourse’s Adrian Kay has won two major accolades for his groundsmanship expertise - the Alex R.Millar/DLF Johnsons Groundsman of the Year Award and the IOG John Deere Professional Horse Racing Groundsman of the Year Award.
The awards were presented at the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards in a glittering Oscar-style ceremony at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena hosted by BBC TV and radio presenter Mark Clemmit. Adrian collected the Groundsman of the Year Award from Derek Smith from category sponsor DLF, and Chris Meacock of John Deere presented the Professional Horse Racing Groundsman of the Year Award.
The ceremony was attended by an audience of 350 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading groundscare experts, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators.
Adrian’s remit at York Racecourse embraces responsibility for the presentation of the complete estate which includes 10 hectares of racing surface, high specification lawns, floral displays, roadways, running rail and crowd barrier.
He and his team are charged with presenting the best possible racing surface for the 17 race days, while Adrian also oversees maintenance, budgets, capital expenditure and the management of his staff. During his six years as head groundsman, Adrian has led or been involved with a number of major projects at the course.
The prestigious UK-wide IOG Award scheme highlights the high standards of volunteer and professional grounds professionals and facilities, from grass roots to professional stadia level. Embracing categories of entry covering sport, young people and the environment, the awards are judged by an independent panel on criteria that include effective use of resources, budgetary control, presentation and housekeeping standards, as well as environmental considerations.
The IOG is the leading membership organisation for everyone involved in the management of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities.
