Manchester City have signed former Leicester City’s head groundsman, John Ledwige, who is regarded as best turf designer in the UK.
John Ledwige, who is known for his stylish and breathtaking turf designs, has worked with Leicester for 10 years since joining the club in 2013.
His mastery of the arts and science of pitch design has earned him a famous nickname, the “Messi of mowing.”
Taking to his social media handle, John Ledwige confirmed he will be leaving Leicester after a decade with the club and will be joining Manchester City.
He wrote, “After nearly 10 years my time at Leicester City FC is nearly at an end and a new chapter awaits at Manchester City FC. What a special place this is and will forever hold a place in my heart! We’ve built something truly special here and that’s thanks to every one of my team.”
Ledwige has been identified with various impressive pitch designs that has stole the spotlight and also endeared him to the heart of football lovers across the globe.
He also stoke controversies with some of his grandiose designs which was at a point considered inhibiting to match officiating due to its flamboyant and stylish outlay.
In 2016, John Ledwige made an impressive turf design in Leicester City Stadium featuring Leicester City’s logo at the center. Though eye-catching and impressive, the contours of the design was considered too glaring in it’s colors and appearances, and was making it difficult to spot offsides.
While the observation cast a slight dark shadow on Ledwige’s masterpiece, it did little to ground his style and blueprint.
When Leicester City won the Premier League in 2016, John Ledwige’s master touch on the Foxes’ turf was said to have played a role in the club’s triumph. While that could be more of an exaggeration, Ledwige’s class when it comes to moulding the turf to appeal to the fancy and glee of fans is indisputable.
The outlay, patterns, lines, colors, always click, leaving him miles ahead of his competitors.
Speaking to The Athletic, John Ledwige said his works has always been fans’ favorite and he has been stopped on a number of times by sleuthing fans who complements his work.
“A lot of time it follows me around. Wherever I go people talk to me about our designs. As soon as you say what you do, they ask ‘are you the patterns guy? You guys do great patterns.’”
Before working with Leicester City, John Ledwige worked with Coventry City and was the youngest groundsman at the age of 23. According to him, his motive has been the desire to inspire young football lovers to appraise the beauty of the game, not just following the players’ stylish moves on the pitch but also the grounds that serves the game. Most importantly, to also enable young football lovers navigate a career path through the game even not as players or backroom staff.
The Athletic reports John Ledwige wanted to pursue a football career as a young Coventry City fan but couldn’t sail through. He then reverted to pitch designing as an attempt to stay glued to the game he loves and also build a career from it.
Details of his rise reveals Ledwige started out as a volunteer before working as an apprentice after the failed attempt to push through a football career. At 19, he was already making inroads on his crafts and was assistant head groundsman at Coventry. Four years later, he emerged as the head groundsman, stealing the spotlight with his grandiose and theatrical pitch designs for the Foxes.
Today, Ledwige has lived his wildest dreams. He has been deemed as the most outstanding turf designer in UK and has now been contracted by one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League – Manchester City.
Futballnews understands Manchester City are planning a £300m Etihad revamp in which the capacity of the stadium will be increased to 60,000. An approval has been given for the expansion. It is expected John Ledwige will oversee the redesigning and restructuring of the Etihad turf as he joins the club as new head groundsman.
