Private school groundsmen win praise for football pitches

Cokethorpe School has been named Grounds Team of the Year 2026 by the Independent Schools Football Association, recognising the exceptional quality, resilience and management of its football pitches.

The accolade is particularly significant given the scale of the operation, says the school.

READ MORE: Oxford United odds-on favourite for relegation

A team of three led by head groundsman Simon Hole, is responsible for maintaining a 150-acre site, including nine rugby pitches that convert into football pitches during the spring term.

The team consistently delivers high-quality playing surfaces, ensuring pitches remain safe, visually impressive and match-ready throughout the season.

 Their work supports a busy football programme for boys and girls at the school, alongside use by about 36 community teams across Oxfordshire.

 Mr Hole said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised with this award.

“Managing and maintaining these grounds is a huge amount of work, but we take extra care in everything we do. It’s the tiny details that make all the difference and ensure that every pitch looks and performs at its best.”

Simon Hole, head groundsman at Cokethorpe School (Image: Fortitude Communications)

The school’s demanding sporting calendar requires constant adaptability.

From rugby and hockey in the autumn term to football in the spring, followed by cricket and athletics in the summer, the grounds are in near continuous use. Maintaining consistent pitch quality under these conditions is a significant achievement.

Dale Baker, head of football at Cokethorpe School, added: “This is a fantastic, well deserved achievement for our grounds team. Their incredible commitment and the quality of the pitches they maintain ensure that it is not only our pupils that can train and compete at the highest possible standard but also the wider community”

A key element of the team’s success lies in its proactive approach to maintenance.

Cokethorpe School near Witney (Image: Cokethorpe School near Witney)

The groundsmen ensure there is effective drainage, while the use of high-quality grass seed and a structured fertilisation programme help to maintain strong, resilient turf throughout the year.

The team works flexibly around fixtures, adapting to narrow weather windows and changing conditions.

Prolonged dry summers have led to grass loss across some pitches, requiring extensive reseeding and renovation during school holidays.

Without full irrigation systems in place, the team relies on experience, timing and careful resource management to restore surfaces.

 “Everything we do is governed by the weather,” Mr Hole added. “You have to be flexible and make the most of every opportunity, especially when you’re working around a busy school schedule.”

This latest recognition from ISFA highlights the quality of Cokethorpe’s sports facilities and setting, and the skill and commitment of the grounds team.

Cokethorpe School is an independent, co-educational day school for pupils aged four to 18 sand is located on 150 acres of parkland site near Witney.

 The school has about 600 pupils, with the prep and senior schools on the same single site.

It benefits from small class sizes, with a wide range of co-curricular activities, clubs and societies covering more than 100 activities, as well as sport, drama and music.