Replay Maintenance has launched a Natural Turf division to expand the company’s service strengthen its long-term commitment to grassroots and community sport.
The move is backed by the appointment of Ben Sadler as head of the division, bringing more than 25 years’ hands-on and strategic know-how in sports turf management to the business.
The national synthetic surface maintenance and refurbishment provider has spent the last two decades working with local authorities, clubs and governing bodies. The Natural Turf division enables it to offer a fuller, joined-up service for sites operating synthetic and natural pitches.
Ben blends practical expertise with a deep understanding of funding, education and long-term pitch improvement. Beginning on a local golf course in the Midlands, he moved into a fast-growing lawn care business, playing a key role in scaling the operation from a start-up into a medium-sized company.
Solid foundation
“I fell in love with the industry early on but was keen to understand the business side as well as the practical side,” said Ben. “Being involved in everything from marketing and sales through to training and operations gave me a really solid foundation.”
More recently, Ben held a technical role focused on grassroots football pitches across Leicestershire, working closely with County FA partners and the Football Foundation. During this time, he supported between 200 and 300 pitches across 40 to 50 sites, guiding clubs through funding applications, developing schedules of work and delivering on-the-ground improvements.
“A lot of education was involved, helping clubs understand why certain practices mattered and how they could create a better environment for people to play football,” he explained.
Ben said the opportunity to join Replay Maintenance and build a new division from the ground up was one he couldn’t ignore. “It’s a really exciting opportunity to come in with almost a blank page and work alongside people with so much experience. The ambition is to grow initially across the East Midlands and then expand further as the offer develops.”
Ben will lead a programme focused on core maintenance services such as aeration, seeding, fertilising, weed control and topdressing. While the initial emphasis will be on grassroots football, the division will also support rugby, cricket outfields and other natural turf facilities.
“Genuine one-stop shop”
“For clubs that don’t have the time, equipment or expertise, we can take that burden away,” said Ben. “For Replay, it means becoming a genuine one-stop shop – looking after both synthetic surfaces and natural turf on the same site.”
Matt Bartle, group head of commercial strategy at Replay Maintenance, said the launch of the division was a natural progression for the business. “We’re already a nationwide service provider on the synthetic side and when the opportunity arose to bring someone of Ben’s calibre into the organisation, it made sense to look at natural turf, allowing us to better support our existing partners and improve footfall and performance across all their pitches.
“You have to invest in the foundations if you want to get the offer right. Ben came highly recommended, and it quickly became clear that he was the right person to lead this.”
The Natural Turf division will focus on Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire initially. However, Matt confirmed that longer-term ambitions are firmly nationwide.
www.replaymaintenance.co.uk