Old Trafford Boasts Best Pitch In The League

There is no better pitch in the Barclays Premier League than Old Trafford after the club's groundstaff were today named Grounds Team of the Season 2014/15, an award shared with Arsenal.

United's grounds team, led by Tony Sinclair, work around the clock all year long to ensure the Old Trafford pitch is in top condition come matchday – and they will take great satisfaction that the Reds have won more home league matches so far this season (14) than any other club.

And their work has received the recognition it deserves as the quality of the OT surface, along with Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, was deemed the best of English football’s 20 top-flight clubs, as voted by the Sports Turf Research Institute.

Run by the Playing Surfaces Committee in conjunction with the STRI, there is a scoring system in place which is compiled using marks from match officials and match delegates.

There is also a pitch assessment visit by Dr Stephen Baker, head of sports surface technology at the STRI, and an assessment of each club's management of the pitch, whilst also factoring in elements such as environmental issues, shade from the sun and pitch usage throughout the season.

Barclays Premier League Grounds Teams of the Year, 2014/15
Winners: Manchester United (grounds team led by Tony Sinclair), Arsenal (led by Paul Ashcroft)
Highly commended: Aston Villa, Southampton, Swansea City