Sam Cain | Founder, Cain Markings
Sam came into grounds not through turf but through hard synthetic surfaces.
Representing a different side to the industry, he’s a key example of the abundance of opportunities and career routes to be found in grounds. A key member of the GMA Young Board of Directors, leading the charge with technology, he hopes to champion the voices of young people within the industry.
Why did you decide to get involved with the GMA Young Board of Directors?
When I started my career in groundsmanship I noticed the younger generation weren’t really being represented. There’s sometimes a disconnect between older groundspeople who aren’t as keen on using newer technology in the job and newer people coming through. For me, joining the Young Board is about supporting young people, because if I’d known about an organisation like this when I was younger, it might have inspired me to join the industry sooner.
What’s your role on the board?
The area that I’ve been delegated is social media.
What do you enjoy most about being involved?
Raising the profile of groundsmanship as an opportunity to school leavers and university students. And because my background is hard synthetic surfaces rather than the more traditional football club or turf route, I can show that there are other avenues that are still involved in the industry. Personally, I’m not a big football fan, there are other sports I enjoy more, so having someone to look to who wasn’t involved in football would have really inspired me early in my career. And there are other people too for whom football isn’t their primary sport, they prefer tennis or basketball, and I just enjoy representing that side of the industry.
There’s sometimes a disconnect between older groundspeople who aren’t as keen on using newer technology in the job and newer people coming through. For me, joining the Young Board is about supporting young people, because if I’d known about an organisation like this when I was younger, it might have inspired me to join the industry sooner.
What do you most hope to achieve?
Hopefully inspiring new people into the industry, showing them that it is a career path. I also want to support people who are already in the industry, I want them to know that their voices can be heard, that they’re a big asset and can make a difference.
Where do you work and what does that involve?
I have my own business, Cain Markings. We do playground markings, sports markings, and sports maintenance particularly on artificial playing surfaces such as 2G and 3G surfaces. It started off with primary school markings and has expanded from there.
I had a summer job with a grounds maintenance company doing playground markings and I realised that better markings could be done. At the time I was studying graphic design at university, so it was a swerveball moment. Now it’s more sports maintenance but we still do playground markings as well.
How did you get into the industry?
My dad has worked in the industry since he was 16 or 17 and I’ve been going to the trade shows with him since I could walk really, so it’s always been in the family. He actually got me my summer job that changed my course. It was while doing that summer job that I noticed the inconsistencies in quality in playground markings, in one case there was a 1-100 grid that had the number 64 in twice and no one had picked up on it in five years.
Initially there was very basic stuff that we could change to improve the quality of markings, and then from there it snowballed. We had primary schools asking us to mark-up netball courts, and secondary schools asking us to maintain the pitches we were marking.
Sam Cain & members of the GMA Young Board at SALTEX 2023
What’s your advice to those thinking about a career in grounds?
Apart from buying a decent alarm clock because of early starts, I’d say just persevere with it. There’s always going to be bad days, but there’ll be good too – and more good than bad! Don’t be too hard on yourself, just strive to be better than you were previously.
What’s the best bit about working in the industry?
For me it’s working outside and having the freedom to set my own schedule. No two days are ever the same.
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Want to know more?
Find out more about the GMA NextGen initiative and how the industry can help you, get in touch today.
