*BS*Dover Athletic groundsman Dick Peters has been named ‘Ryman Football League Groundsman of the Year’ by the Football Association.*BF*

Dick’s work on the Crabble turf has been highly praised by Dover supporters, players and management alike for a long time now and the club is delighted to see his hard work formally rewarded.

New signings have often waxed lyrical about the impressive pitch after experiencing uneven and/or neglected playing areas at other clubs.

Congratulations to Dick on this achievement.

*BS*Ryman League Announcement:*BF*

“The FA today honoured seven green-fingered groundsmen from all over the country who keep grassroots football pitches in tip-top condition. The unsung heroes who ensure that thousands of games of football take place every season were presented with the National FA ‘Groundsman of the Year’ Awards at Windsor Racecourse.

The awards, now in its fifth year, is open to 77 leagues of the Non-League pyramid, 178 clubs in the Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Football Leagues, 68 clubs from the Football Conference as well as over 450 Local Authorities.

The winner for the Ryman Football League was Dick Peters from Dover Athletic Football Club, closely followed by Brian Hyde (Metropolitan Police FC) and last year’s winner Andy Green (Braintree Town FC) in second and third place respectively.”

*BS*Source: *IS*www.isthmian.co.uk*IF**BF*