Bristol Rovers ground staff awarded Grounds Team of the Season

The awards recognise the importance of the quality of pitches for professional football and acknowledge the clubs and their ground staff who consistently produce the best playing surfaces in the EFL.

In the Sky Bet Championship, Swansea City win the award for producing a perfect pitch at the Liberty Stadium this season. Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are both highly commended.

In Sky Bet League One, Bristol Rovers' ground staff take top honours for the excellent surface at the Memorial Stadium. Doncaster Rovers, Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers are highly commended.

The award for Grounds Team of the Season in Sky Bet League Two this year goes to Swindon Town, while the ground staff of Carlisle United and MK Dons are highly commended.

The EFL's Grounds Team of the Season Awards are determined initially using marks from referees and away managers for each Sky Bet EFL game and are then followed by detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

These visits were carried out by Dr Stephen Baker, Head of Sports Surface Technology at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI).

Sports turf specialists MJ Abbott carried out a pitch renovation project for Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium in May 2018 prior to commencement of the 2018/19 season, and this has paid dividends in the quality of the playing surface the ground staff have been able to present.