Tommy' Premier Passions ' Porter the League's Hero

Tommy Porter Groundsman of the Year The new football season may be less than a month old, but six grassroots Groundsmen have already been rewarded for their hard work on the pitch... The FA Groundsman of theYear Awards are in their second year, and at an awards ceremony at Windsor Racecourse, the national winners collected their prizes from Tommy Walsh of BBC's 'Groundforce' fame, Gareth Roberts, Sponsorship Manager of FA Partner Carlsberg and Steve Parkin, FA National Game Director. FA Leagues Manager, Mike Appleby, said the awards came about as a way of recognising the hard work put in by groundsmen up and down the country. "Everyone was being rewarded for their work apart from the groundsmen and yet the pitch is the most important part of the process. "They often have to do the work single-handed and normally for no reward - much of their work is voluntary," he added. "With this in mind, these national winners have all done a wonderful job, more often than not on very limited budgets." A team of professional groundsmen and turf care professionals was drafted in to act as judges as the 155 nominations were whittled down to regional and then to the national champions. Appleby added: "Quality pitches are essential for the development of the game at every level - poor playing facilities can seriously hamper this development and continued participation." The Groundsman of the Year competition is part of a wide-ranging FA plan to improve facilities. Some 97% of all affiliated football is played outside the Football League and research by the Football Foundation found drainage problems and lack of changing rooms were the biggest bug bears. The FA is now addressing these concerns as part of a national facility development strategy, where local stakeholders are being encouraged to identify facilities most in need of 2003 National Winners: Nationwide Conference - Rod Pippard - Yeovil Town Ryman League & overall Level 2 winner - Peter Ash - Aylesbury United Dr Martens League - Peter Allen - Moor Green UniBond League - Alf Padena - Radcliffe Borough Level 3 & Below Leagues - Tommy Porter - Durham City FC Local Authority - States of Jersey Tommy Premier Passions Porter Former Sunderland Afc Grounds man Tommy Porter, the man who put true zest and spirit into Premier Passions, has been named by the FA as the country's top non-league groundsman. Tommy who Turned 70 in the summer, the former farm worker retired as Sunderland's head grounds man five years ago and Now plies his trade at Grass Roots Level with Albany Northern League club Durham City at the Archibald’s Stadium. Though Tommy is now hard of hearing’ ("all that machinery") and his elbows won't straighten ("all that bending") he has lost neither his enthusiasm nor his appetite for working and preparing Durham’s Football Field. On his day off, he looks after his greenhouse and his three gardens. Famously outspoken in the TV Premier Passions, the five-part fly-on-the-wall television documentary about Sunderland's last season at Roker Park, he was the only person for whom a bleep test seemed unnecessary. Manager Peter Reid, conversely, managed 15 f-words in one sentence. "It made Roy 'Chubby' Brown look like an advert for Blue Peter," observed the fanzine A Love Supreme at the time. "Every time Tommy Porter came on the screen we listened and nodded," ALS added. At City's handsome but altogether humbler stadium, Tommy swears he's never been happier in his life - but as well a good grounds man might, calls a spade a spade. Think back to the last time we were in the Premiership and, more specifically, to the Premier Passions documentary. Remember the enduring images of the fated TV programme? What were they for you? Peter Reid making Roy Chubby Brown look like an advert for Blue Peter? Bob Murray and John Fickling discussing the style of taps in the new stadium instead of Premiership survival? Sure, these things stay in the memory. Then there were the "fans." The producers enlisted the help of a posh schoolgirl, a lab technician, a decorator and someone who looked suspiciously like Paul Whitehouse - all professing to be life-long fans. Their interviews appeared contrived and lacking somewhat in passion. One man, however, unwittingly summed up the feelings of thousands, and in the wake of the series, the thoughts and attitudes of a humble grounds man remained imprinted on our hearts and minds. Every time Tommy Porter appeared on screen, we listened and nodded. I joined Tommy at his new place of work, the home of Sunderland Reserves and Durham FC, The Archibald Stadium "I've been supporting Sunderland since the day I was born. I was in the Roker End with my father, on his shoulders, shouting for the Lads when I was only a tiny youngster. Probably five or six, even, and I've always supported them. I was that thrilled with the fervour of everybody that it was forever etched in my memory. Charlie Hurley was my favourite player, without a doubt. I tried to copy him, because I played centre half when I was a youngster - my ambition was to be like him and of course it didn't happen! But I idolised Charlie Hurley, I thought he was superb. " One of the best matches I've ever saw was on the way to Wembley in 1973, when we beat Man City at Roker Park and Vic Halom scored. There was a chap next to me who said "I'll see you at Wembley' before the game. After the match, he was crying and he said "I told you, I'll see you at Wembley!' "Out of all the recent players, my favourite was Kevin Ball, just for his honesty, endeavour and working ability, not necessarily for his skill - though I thought he was a lot more skilful than people appreciated him for. Kevin Ball was a rock and he was Sunderland through and through. I was just sad to see him leave. He was fabulous to be around, absolutely tremendous. Him and I got on very, very well, but I think everyone got on with Kevin. As long as you did your bit, he would appreciate you for it, "cos he did his bit too." "The low point of working at Sunderland had to be the relegation from the Premiership, but I loved working at the training ground and seeing how the players were getting on and I also enjoyed being the head grounds man at Roker Park. It was fantastic, much better than my time at the Stadium of Light, because you had a free run, there wasn't anybody stopping you doing your job." Supporting Sunderland wasn't Tommy's only passion, gardening also played a large part in his life? When the opportunity to become Sunderland's grounds man arose in 1986, Tommy knew it was the perfect job for him. "Before I was a grounds man, I did all sorts of things, though I have been a gardener all my life. Now, I've been a grounds man for fifteen years, starting when Denis Smith was manager. They wanted somebody to look after the training ground, so I put my CV in and got the job straight away. When I started work at the Charlie Hurley Centre, the grass was two foot six high and there was one supposed pitch at the far side." The years that Tommy spent at the club were some of the most turbulent ever. In such an intense, ever-changing atmosphere, Porter is in an ideal position to compare the different managers he's worked for. "I thought Denis Smith was a good manager. If he'd got the money, he would have been great for Sunderland Football Club. Malcolm Crosby was absolutely brilliant. A great lad. I wasn't keen on Terry Butcher, although I think he did his best - he just wasn't with it. Mick Buxton was a gentleman through and through. I wouldn't put Peter Reid at the top - as a person or a manager. I got on with him until we moved to the new stadium, but after that it was a very difficult situation." A "difficult situation" which ended in Tommy's sad departure from the club he has always loved. Tommy pinpoints one man who was responsible for his exit. "The then Stadium Manager, Dave Nicholson - I thought he was a really naughty piece of work. He's not there now, which, in my opinion, is good for Sunderland Football Club. He always seemed to be doing his best to knock me back whenever he could - he didn't want me there from the start. I don't know why, perhaps it had something to do with Premier Passions. I expected to be head grounds man, but he made damn sure I wouldn't be. He made all the decisions, but when the bullets flew, he stepped back. "One Thursday night he came in and said: "You can go now, you're retiring, aren't you?' I couldn't even say goodbye to anyone, because it was after 5pm and they'd all gone home. And that was after fourteen years there. Nicholson was the worst person I've ever worked for in my life. I reckon that losing him was the best thing to happen to Sunderland since getting rid of McMenemy. I've got no bitterness towards the club, but I'll always have bitterness towards Nicholson." Even now years after his departure, Tommy finds it difficult to understand why he was treated so poorly. He believes the writing was on the wall long before his eventual retirement, with the events surrounding the now infamous home game against Stockport County in the 1998/99 season, when the pitch was iced over. It is a story that illustrates just how strained relations between Porter, Peter Reid and Dave Nicholson had become. "I didn't like the forecast before the match, so I said to the security man that if there was any snow, he must phone me up. I got a call at quarter to five, telling me that the snow was on the pitch. Little did anybody know, I had always been barred from the boiler room by Mr Nicholson. But the match was going to suffer, so I dashed into the boiler room, pushed what I thought were the right buttons, and everything started up. Then I went outside to clear the snow from the field. There was nobody else there but me. When I went back to the boiler room, everything was working but there was no flame in the boiler. I phoned Nicholson on his mobile - he was in a hotel somewhere with his wife. I told him he'd better sort something out quick, because the boiler still wasn't firing, and I couldn't get it on because I hadn't been taught. A plumber and an electrician came and they couldn't get it started either. "The match eventually started with snow on the pitch, and we scraped a 1-0 win. Reidy called me in after the match and said that if we'd lost the match he would've sacked me. Nicholson just stood back the whole time and never opened his mouth. That was the final straw, and I just had to get out of there." It is an accurate measure of Tommy Porter's character that, despite the tension of his last two years at Sunderland, he still retains a deep affection for all things red and white - particularly the fans. "I've always had a marvellous rapport with the supporters, I couldn't go anywhere without being stopped. It's a little embarrassing sometimes but then once you get talking to them you realise that these supporters are the best in the world. Because I've supported them as I child, I know the passion of the fans. I still try to go to games when I can. Tommy's now concentrates on keeping the pitch at New Ferens Park in tip-top condition. Even at a quick glance, it's obvious that he has lost none of his legendary enthusiasm or skill. The pitch is immaculate, a Bowling Green, even after the 70 plus games it was subjected to last season; a testament to Tommy's hard work. It comes as no surprise that, when I suggest retirement, Tommy lets out a laugh before launching into another breathless sentence. "I've been at Durham City for two years and I'm still working six days a week. I honestly think that this club can get into the conference. We've definitely got the pitch! We'll see how the joints last but I'd like to be involved all the time here now." In an Interview with Graham Lilley and Chris Wray.