Karl Standley, Wembley's head of grounds and surface transitions, and his assistant Cameron Hutcheon begin matchdays with hot tea in the south-west corner of the stadium. Standley, usually a coffee drinker, switches to tea as a nod to his mother. The pair oversee 7,140 square metres of meticulously maintained ryegrass, cut to an exact 22mm length using blades sharpened in-house and tested on paper strands.
Standley explains the importance of sharp blades: 'You wouldn't perform an operation with a Stanley knife. It wouldn't heal. It's like a surgeon's scalpel – we need our blades to be as sharp as possible. A rough cut could attract diseases.' The team of six, including 17-year veteran Brendan Abbott and relative newcomer Liddy Ford, works in synchrony to erect goalposts and complete other tasks before entering game mode.
Two hours before kick-off, the team begins a carefully timed watering schedule. Wembley's pitch is divided into four microclimates, with one half in sun and the other in shade, and differing wind conditions at each end. Moisture readings, traction data, and hardness measurements are compiled into an AI-generated report, guiding the team to apply 2mm of water before warm-ups, with additional millimetres after and at half-time. A programmed radio device controls the 24 sprinklers, avoiding app-based control to prevent hacking.
Standley notes the team's culture of open communication: 'If the team think I'm wrong, they're in a safe space to tell me. There are a lot of judgment calls that come from experience.' With 57 years of combined service at Wembley among Standley, Moulds, and Abbott, the team manages stakeholders including broadcasters who request sprinkler schedule changes. During the match, Standley returns to the groundskeeping corner at the first whistle, ready to address any issues during brief windows, such as the 12-minute half-time break for semi-finals.
