jobfacts

Groundsperson

Groundsmen and greenkeepers — SOC 2020 5114

Groundsmen and greenkeepers cut and lay turf and maintain areas for golf courses and other sports grounds.

Also calledGreenkeeperGround keeperGround attendantTurf supplierGreen keeperGrounds maintenance operativeand 14 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,3002025 Provisional
People in the job31,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month697↓ 7.9%on last year · 228th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time groundspeople earn between £25,100 and £33,500 a year.

What full-time groundspeople earn, 2025
£28,300 typical£22,300lowest 10%£25,10025%£34,700top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£25,100–£33,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£22,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,300
25%£25,100
Median£28,300
75%£33,500
Top 20% earn more than£34,700
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,300
London!£34,800
Scotland!£31,200
West Midlands!£29,200
East of England£28,600
South East£28,500
North West!£27,900
South West£27,500
North East!£26,700
Wales!£26,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£25,200
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,300
London£34,800 (small sample)
Scotland£31,200 (small sample)
West Midlands£29,200 (small sample)
East of England£28,600
South East£28,500
North West£27,900 (small sample)
South West£27,500
North East£26,700 (small sample)
Wales£26,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£25,200 (small sample)
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2024 £25,800
  • 2025 Provisional£28,300
↑ 9.8% since 2024Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 697 jobs for groundspeople are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026561
Jul 2026860
Jun 2026803
May 2026917
Apr 2026966
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026855
Jan 2026714
Dec 2025222
Nov 2025529
Oct 2025606
Sept 2025628
Aug 2025714
Jul 2025845
Jun 2025962
May 20251,099
Apr 2025922
Mar 20251,138
Feb 20251,107
Jan 2025725
Dec 2024264
Nov 2024448
Oct 2024552
Sept 2024682
Aug 2024898
Jul 20241,042
Jun 20241,160
May 20241,309
Apr 20241,138
Mar 2024876
Feb 2024757
Jan 2024777
Dec 2023362
Nov 2023349
Oct 2023381
Sept 2023484
Aug 2023668
Jul 2023670
Jun 20231,072
May 20231,114
Apr 2023906
Mar 20231,044
Feb 2023946
Jan 2023901
Dec 2022585
Nov 2022764
Oct 2022752
Sept 2022782
Aug 2022859
Jul 20221,140
Jun 20221,048
May 20221,239
Apr 20221,141
Mar 20221,394
Feb 20221,050
Jan 2022990
Dec 2021554
Nov 2021689
Oct 2021735
Sept 20211,083
Aug 2021803
Jul 20211,041
Jun 2021988
May 2021800
Apr 2021814
Mar 2021957
Feb 2021455
Jan 2021365
Dec 2020237
Nov 2020309
Oct 2020440
Sept 2020416
Aug 2020383
Jul 2020415
Jun 2020385
May 2020357
Apr 2020306
Mar 2020587
Feb 2020723
Jan 2020589
Dec 2019194
Nov 2019305
Oct 2019420
Sept 2019400
Aug 2019461
Jul 2019595
Jun 2019653
May 2019677
Apr 2019549
Mar 2019711
Feb 2019494
Jan 2019512
Dec 2018189
Nov 2018305
Oct 2018293
Sept 2018421
Aug 2018411
Jul 2018540
Jun 2018653
May 2018682
Apr 2018595
Mar 2018707
Feb 2018591
Jan 2018547
Dec 2017265
Nov 2017326
Oct 2017344
Sept 2017398
Aug 2017456
Jul 2017458
Jun 2017687
May 2017785
Apr 2017930
Mar 2017947
Feb 2017666
Jan 2017443
Is there a shortage of groundspeople?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
54%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for agricultural and related trades, which includes groundspeople. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London241
Birmingham31
Buckinghamshire30
Somerset28
Manchester26
North Yorkshire24
Wiltshire23
Cornwall22
West Northamptonshire21
Nottingham17
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where groundspeople are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of groundspeople
n/p
14%!
13%!
25%!
33%!
9.2%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3414% (small sample)
35–4413% (small sample)
45–5425% (small sample)
55–6433% (small sample)
65+9.2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!3.8%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent42%
GCSEs or equivalent!25%
Other qualifications!11%
No qualifications!17%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent3.8% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent42%
GCSEs or equivalent25% (small sample)
Other qualifications11% (small sample)
No qualifications17% (small sample)

Main employers: activities of sport clubs (17%), operation of sports facilities (15%), landscape service activities (8.6%), general secondary education (6.5%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
3.8%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 42%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

  • turfgrass science
  • sportsturf management
  • horticulture
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could take a college course to get some of the skills and knowledge needed for this job.

Courses include:

  • golf greenkeeping
  • horticulture skills
  • horticulture
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply for an apprenticeship to become a groundsperson, for example:

  • Sports Turf Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Golf Greenkeeper Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Sports Turf Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These apprenticeships typically take around 2 years to complete and are a mix of on-the-job training and off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You might be able to find work as an assistant groundsperson, if you can show the right personal qualities and enthusiasm for the career. You could then work your way up by getting experience and studying on the job.

Volunteering

You may be able to find volunteering opportunities with a local sports club, track or golf course. This could help you when you start applying for jobs.

Other routes

You could do a qualification with the Grounds Management Association. They offer courses at different levels in turf surface maintenance and management.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

You might need a driving licence for some jobs.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

As a groundsperson, you may work with hybrid or artificial sports surfaces, for example, like those used in tennis, hockey and athletics.

Further information

You can find more advice about working as a groundsperson from the Grounds Management Association.

If you're interested in golf course management, you'll find more information about the career through the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for groundsperson. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 2About 2 years

Golf greenkeeper

Leads to
The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA).
Employers may ask for
Entry requirements will be determined by individual employers. Typically apprentices may have a minimum of 5 GCSE’s at grades 3-9 or grades A-D (including…
Details on Skills England
Level 3About 2 years

Advanced sports turf technician

You gain
Level 2 Award in Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) along with either PA2 (Boom Sprayer) OR…
Leads to
British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA)
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • levels ground and installs drainage system as required
  • cuts and lays turf using hand and machine tools and repairs damaged turf
  • moves soil to alter surface contour of land using mechanical equipment and constructs appropriate landscaping features and maintains such features
  • monitors and maintains the quality and condition of turf
  • rolls, mows and waters grass, marks out pitches

Skills

  • execute disease and pest control activities
  • prepare planting area for planting
  • grow plants
  • prepare flower arrangements
  • prepare planting area
  • propagate plants
  • prune plants
  • use gardening equipment
  • nurse plants
  • prune hedges and trees
  • coordinate greenhouse environment
  • execute fertilisation
  • harvest crop
  • maintain storage facilities

Knowledge

  • pest control in plants
  • plant disease control
  • plant species
  • crop production principles
  • horticulture principles
  • pruning techniques
  • pruning types
  • agronomy

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled agricultural and related trades, a group of 5 jobs that includes groundspeople.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 13%about 47,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035266,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.