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From primary school sport’s days to international professional tournaments, Active sites across the Island support outdoor sport across all levels, all year round. But it’s rare we stop to think about the dedicated team who spend their days looking after the grounds.
Kevin Miller has been a Playing Field Chargehand, part of the Infrastructure and Environment department (I&E), since 2009 and is part of the team of twelve who take care of the grounds across Jersey. His role is integral in keeping the playing fields neat and safe for Islanders and visitors to enjoy no matter the season.
When I met Kevin at FB Fields we were enjoying an unseasonably warm day, but that hadn’t been the case for a few weeks beforehand.
Kevin explained: “So the machine in the back that’s being used by Dave today is a Verti-Drain. It aerates the soil, so it punches holes into the top layer of the pitches. Without that machine, all the winter sport in the last couple of months couldn’t have taken place on grass. It’s been a very busy piece of machinery in the last few months, and you can see it operating today trying to keep the surfaces open after the heavy rainfall we’ve had recently.”
After working for the Government in plant propagation at the previous Warwick Farm Nursery for many years, Kevin knew he wanted to continue his career outdoors but move over into an area he had always loved: sport. This, the impact Kevin makes on Islanders’ lives, and the variety of teams he supports are highlights for him in his role. “We’ve got very varied levels of sport, from amateurs to professionals. Last August, FB was the training complex for the ICC cricket tournament, so we had six international teams here for two weeks of training. That was nice, working at that kind of level with those kinds of teams. But then day-to-day stuff, you’re with primary schools for example, and so it’s varied all the time.”
Being part of his team requires a huge amount of organisation. Not only does the team work with various clubs, schools, and the general public who use the facilities, they have to be ready to adapt plans and reorganise on-the-fly depending on the weather forecast.
“You’re dealing with different sites but you’re also dealing with the weather. You can’t control it, but you’ve got to try and be one step ahead of it. So you’re always planning and organising a week, two weeks in advance, then you keep looking at the forecast to judge if it’s doable or not.”
An example of the undeniable role weather plays in the industry happened in 2023 when Storm Ciaran hit. Kevin added: “The tornado was probably one of the lowest points. I came in that morning – I was the member of staff that was asked to come in and check the site and I found it in an absolute mess. There were buildings, trees, fencing, structures everywhere destroyed. That was a bit of a low point in my career.”
It was hard to imagine the storm’s destruction as we stood in the cricket square that Kevin had been preparing that morning, underneath the sunny blue sky.
He hopes that Islanders will come to realise the amount of planning, time and resources that go into the upkeep of these facilities. “A huge amount of effort is put in to keep these fields at the level they are now; I hope people are able to understand and appreciate the work going on behind the scenes, especially when we’re battling against the weather.”
It was a pleasure meeting Kevin and understanding more about another role within I&E that undeniably contributes every day to keeping the Island running.