Pitch Perfect: An Interview With Udinese Head Groundsman Oliver Grice-Hewitt

CalcioEngland,

We caught up with Udinese’s Head Grounds Manager, Oli Grice-Hewitt, to hear about the challenges of working in a new culture and climate, raising the standards of Italian pitches and dealing with that Neapolitan pitch invasion…

Arriving in Udine… 

Oli’s CV is the kind that any aspiring grounds manager would covet. After completing a degree in Sports Turf Science and Management, his career has taken him to St Andrew’s Links, the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon, Premier League Stoke City and the Football Association’s St George’s Park.

“I’d worked as a team leader and knew that I wanted become a head grounds manager,” Oli says. 

 “But taking that step up is difficult. As you can imagine, people stay in those jobs for a long time. When the opportunity came up at Udinese, I knew it was a gamble, but one that I wanted to take.” 

In summer 2021, Oli packed his bags and headed for the north-eastern corner of Italy, leaving his family behind back in England. Oli was initially responsible for the Dacia Arena pitch but, as we’ll find out, his role soon expanded to cover the adjoining training centre too. 

A typical day? 

“There’s no such thing as a typical day!”, Oli is quick to point out. 

“I usually plan a week ahead, then adapt on the day. The pitches are a living entity. I can’t dictate what happens, so I need to be able to think on my feet.” 

“The climate is a big challenge working here in Udine. The summer temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees. That means a lot of irrigation and, as a result, a higher risk of disease in the turf”. 

But Oli also has to contend with the opposite extreme. “In winter, it’s not uncommon for the temperature to drop to minus 8 or 10 degrees; it’s brutal. Working in the UK, you just don’t see that, so you have to learn fast.” 

Italian life… 

Hailing from Cumbria, there are some aspects of life in Udine that make Oli feel at home. 

“It’s a small city and I like that. It’s easy to get to know people and I feel well looked-after here. A few times I’ve been out for a meal and I’ve bumped into the players or coaches and they’ve sent a glass of wine over to the table.” 

Udine is little off the tourist track, but Oli says it has plenty to offer. “The food and the wine is incredible. You can see the Dolomites from the training centre and within half an hour’s drive I can be swimming in a lake in the mountains. It’s breath-taking. Ninety minutes in one direction and you’re in Venice, ninety minutes in the other direction and you’re in Slovenia.” 

There were a few teething problems when Oli first arrived, but those soon subsided as he settled in. “Initially, I would have trouble getting a table in a restaurant and, when I did, the waiters would just ignore me! They assumed I was a tourist, but that soon changed.” 

Understanding cultural differences in the workplace and working with the grain of that has been crucial to Oli’s success. “They have a different way of doing things in Italy. Back home, you assume that if you have a conversation and agree something, then it’ll happen. Over here, I learned that’s often not the case! You might need three or four conversations to actually make something happen.”  

A family club… 

Udinese are approaching the landmark of twenty consecutive seasons in Serie A; an incredible feat for a city the size of Exeter. Unearthing talent and developing young players has been at the heart of their success.  Indeed, Oli highlights that two of Argentina’s recent World Cup winning squad have passed through Udinese’s doors.

In order to consistently defy the odds, the club needs to be well-run at every level of the organisation – and that has certainly been Oli’s experience. “Udinese has the feel of a family club. I’m treated as an equal and I can go and speak directly to the Sports Director or General Manager when I need to.” 

Oli reflects on the trusting environment and sense of partnership that exists, something he says shouldn’t be taken for granted in his line of work. “If I do my job well, then it will help everyone else to do their job. And they understand that. A good example is that I have a say in which pitches are used at the training centre, advising on which are ready for heavier use as opposed to lighter positional and tactical sessions.” 

“I’m very much part of the club and I feel the impact of wins and losses just like the players, coaches and Directors do. And, of course, if I need approval to make a purchase that’ll help me do my job, then asking straight after a win is a great time to do it!” 

Biggest challenge? 

Municipal stadium ownership is frequently cited as something that holds back Italian football from competing financially within Europe, but Oli highlights another important aspect of this problem. 

“Most Italian stadia are council-owned and the grounds team are contractors who don’t work directly for the football club. Sometimes they’re trying to balance the needs of two different teams as well as other uses for the venue, such as concerts. Inevitably the end product cannot be as good.” 

Thankfully, Oli is insulated from these headwinds as the Dacia Arena is owned by Udinese and Oli is a direct employee of the club; a crucial factor in allowing him to do the job to the best of his ability. 

Anyone who has visited a British stadium on a non-matchday will likely have seen a sign warning visitors to keep off the grass. For those who spend any significant time in and around the stadium, it’s a well-understood rule. 

“It’s a matter of respect for the grounds team; I wouldn’t just stroll into someone’s office – and the pitch is my office,” Oli explains.

“Because of the council-ownership and sharing of stadia, that same culture doesn’t exist in Italy. When I first arrived, people would casually wonder around the pitch – firemen, cameramen, people even smoking or taking telephone calls”, Oli recalls. “I soon put a stop to that and people at Udinese know what I expect now. Visiting teams can still be a bit of a challenge though!”. 

The role of grounds person is an undervalued profession in Italy more generally and, in Oli’s expert opinion, it shows. 

“They’re around 5 to 10 years behind the UK in the way they do things. Maurizio Sarri was complaining about the state of the Stadio Olimpico pitch just a few weeks into the season. That shouldn’t be the case.” 

In his first season in Italy, Oli won the award for Serie A pitch of the year. It was just reward for the dedication, professionalism and innovation that he and his small team had brought to the job. He believes that by raising standards and leading the way, others will follow. 

“Even in the time I’ve been here, I can see things starting to change. The methods and presentation at other clubs is improving and that’s great to see.” 

A Neapolitan invasion 

The Dacia Arena was firmly in the public gaze in May 2023, when Napoli secured an historic third Scudetto in Udine. “As soon as I knew it was a possibility that Napoli could win the Scudetto here, I realised we may be in some difficulty, with another match scheduled just three days later,” Oli recalls. 

Oli researched what had happened in the finale to previous seasons to make an assessment of what his team were up against. 

“I created a bespoke five day pre-match plan. I used multiple different products and cultural practices to try to help reduce the stress a pitch invasion would cause to the grass plants.” 

“We ended up with thousands of people on the pitch, burns from flares, more litter than you can imagine, and a large area of grass removed from the edge of the field”. Oli was delighted with how the surface held up though; thanks in part to his forward-planning, but also the strong playing surface his team had cultivated over the course of the season. 

“We worked all weekend and a crazy number of hours, but I was very proud of what my staff achieved in such a short time frame.” 

Embed from Getty Images

What lies ahead? 

After a highly successful first season, Oli’s remit was expanded to also cover the pitches at the adjacent training centre (Oli reveals a piece of niche trivia: they’re linked directly to the stadium by a tunnel that passes under the road). 

“It’s been a busy year with the reconstruction of two of the training pitches, which has meant a lot of my time and attention has been over the road.” 

Oli explains how his work contributes to the club’s overall prosperity, “Udinese rely on bringing young players through, so it’s a priority of mine to make sure the Primavera players are playing on high-quality grass surfaces to support their transition. If they can play consistently on grass, rather than synthetic pitches, then I’m contributing by keeping them injury free and preparing them for the first team.” 

“More broadly, I want to continue to raise the standards and help to change the culture around grounds management in Italy,” Oli concludes. 

A huge thanks to Oli for taking the time to speak to us – best wishes to him and the team as they prepare for the 2023/23 season.

Thanks for reading! If you’re planning a visit to Udine, check out our Dacia Arena travel notes.

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Published by CalcioEngland

Writing about all things Italian football ⚽️ 🇮🇹; past and present. From a little corner of England... @CalcioEngland on Twitter

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