Yes! Send me the FREE digital editions of Spa Business and Spa Business insider magazines and the FREE weekly Spa Business and Spa Business insider ezines and breaking news alerts!
As Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) head groundskeeper, Keith Kent is responsible for the most hallowed turf in rugby – the green grass of Twickenham. This year, his work will be under extra scrutiny, as England hosts the Rugby World Cup. In the run up to the showcase event, Kent is being kept busy with extra work – he’s been assisting the other World Cup venues ensure their pitches will be ready in time and up to standard.
“We hosted the groundsmen of the World Cup’s football venues – the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa, Milton Keynes, Brighton and Leicester – at Twickenham for the England vs South Africa game,” Kent says. “As part of the experience, they were given the opportunity to inspect the pitch after the game to learn about the effects. I’ve also held seminars around the country, inviting as many of the groundsmen from the training venues as possible. There are 41 World Cup venues in total, so I’ve been unable to visit all of them.
“However we’ve worked with a company called Professional Sportsturf Design to ensure each site has been visited and assessed by a team of experts to ascertain what needs to be done.”
Kent is in an ideal position to understand the differences between football and rugby pitches – he took the top job at RFU following a 30-year career in football. After leaving school at 16, he spent 17 years at Leicester City, most of that time as head groundskeeper. From there he went to become head groundskeeper of Manchester United where he spent 15 years. At Old Trafford, he worked on the Euro 96 tournament – another experience he can draw on while preparing for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
“Learning from the Euro 96 tournament, I’ve been telling everyone involved with the World Cup to enjoy the time that they have with the teams,” Kent says.
“This is perhaps a once in a lifetime experience and although it takes years to get here it’s gone in such a short space of time. We hosted five games at Old Trafford in Euro 96 and I can remember it as though it were yesterday.
“I’ve been pointing out to the groundskeeper that there will be cameras broadcasting their facilities and turfs into front rooms all over the world – and to remember that you only have one chance to make a first impression. It is important that we as groundsmen show the world just how good we are.”
Kent says he’s proud of British groundsmen and what he’s seen during his travels around the country in preparation for the World Cup. “I’m always impressed with the skill, knowledge and dedication of the British groundskeeper.
“We have a knack, a feel for the job and almost everyone that I know enjoys what he or she is doing. It’d be wrong of me to say we’re the best in the world but I’d paraphrase the late, great Brian Clough: “We’re certainly in the top one.”
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
As Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) head groundskeeper, Keith Kent is responsible for the most hallowed turf in rugby – the green grass of Twickenham. This year, his work will be under extra scrutiny, as England hosts the Rugby World Cup. In the run up to the showcase event, Kent is being kept busy with extra work – he’s been assisting the other World Cup venues ensure their pitches will be ready in time and up to standard.
“We hosted the groundsmen of the World Cup’s football venues – the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa, Milton Keynes, Brighton and Leicester – at Twickenham for the England vs South Africa game,” Kent says. “As part of the experience, they were given the opportunity to inspect the pitch after the game to learn about the effects. I’ve also held seminars around the country, inviting as many of the groundsmen from the training venues as possible. There are 41 World Cup venues in total, so I’ve been unable to visit all of them.
“However we’ve worked with a company called Professional Sportsturf Design to ensure each site has been visited and assessed by a team of experts to ascertain what needs to be done.”
Kent is in an ideal position to understand the differences between football and rugby pitches – he took the top job at RFU following a 30-year career in football. After leaving school at 16, he spent 17 years at Leicester City, most of that time as head groundskeeper. From there he went to become head groundskeeper of Manchester United where he spent 15 years. At Old Trafford, he worked on the Euro 96 tournament – another experience he can draw on while preparing for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
“Learning from the Euro 96 tournament, I’ve been telling everyone involved with the World Cup to enjoy the time that they have with the teams,” Kent says.
“This is perhaps a once in a lifetime experience and although it takes years to get here it’s gone in such a short space of time. We hosted five games at Old Trafford in Euro 96 and I can remember it as though it were yesterday.
“I’ve been pointing out to the groundskeeper that there will be cameras broadcasting their facilities and turfs into front rooms all over the world – and to remember that you only have one chance to make a first impression. It is important that we as groundsmen show the world just how good we are.”
Kent says he’s proud of British groundsmen and what he’s seen during his travels around the country in preparation for the World Cup. “I’m always impressed with the skill, knowledge and dedication of the British groundskeeper.
“We have a knack, a feel for the job and almost everyone that I know enjoys what he or she is doing. It’d be wrong of me to say we’re the best in the world but I’d paraphrase the late, great Brian Clough: “We’re certainly in the top one.”
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
