The
Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) has announced that the 2017 winners of the
SALTEX College Cup will be given the opportunity to work as part of the grounds
team when Scotland host England as part of the 2018 Six Nations Championships,
at BT Murrayfield Stadium.
After
making its successful debut at SALTEX last year, the College Cup will be
returning to this year’s exhibition. Last year’s winners from CAFRE College in
Antrim, Northern Ireland, experienced an unforgettable day when they were part
of the Wembley grounds team at the showpiece of one of the UK’s most historic
sporting competitions – the FA Cup Final.
Sponsored
by Ransomes, the national student-led academic test of turf management
knowledge, will see teams competing this year to get their hands on the SALTEX
College Cup. As well as having its name engraved on the trophy, the winning
college will also receive a ‘big’ cheque in addition to a cash prize AND gain
work experience at the 124th edition of the illustrious Six Nations
Championships.
Commenting
on the fantastic opportunity, Alex Latto, assistant head groundsman for
Scottish Rugby at BT Murrayfield Stadium, said: “The
winners of the SALTEX college cup will be given the unique opportunity to
experience the buzz of working at a Six Nations weekend at BT Murrayfield and
the sporting rivalry of the Calcutta Cup always provides a special occasion.
They will see and be involved in the pre-match day preparations, where both
teams are given training time on the pitch and also the match day itself where
the pressure is on to set the stage for a sell-out crowd and millions at home
watching on television.
“Both days
are a lot of work and provide their own set of challenges so it will give the
winners a real insight of an event of this nature and the experience that comes
with it. I think it’s important that new entrants to the industry are given the
chance to experience what it’s like to work in this type of environment, to
learn and gain experience - so for us to be given the chance to do so is
something all the grounds team are looking forward to.”
Karen
Proctor, International Marketing Manager at Textron Specialised Vehicles, also
revealed that Ransomes is delighted to be sponsoring the event for a second
successive year.
“We are
very pleased to be sponsoring the SALTEX college cup again this year. Last
year’s competition was a fantastic addition to the show, and it provides a
fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge. This year’s
prize of helping out the ground staff at the Six Nations at BT Murrayfield
Stadium is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we are looking forward to
seeing which team walks away with the prize!”
SALTEX
visitors will have the opportunity to see which team emerges victorious when
the SALTEX College Cup winners’ presentations take place on the first day of
SALTEX (1 Nov) in Seminar Theatre 1 at 3:30pm.
SALTEX 2017
is free to attend. To register your attendance and beat the queues visit the website.
