Paul Burgess

Paul Burgess (born 1978)

A Blackpool fan, Burgess used to sell programmes outside their Bloomfield Road ground on matchdays; over two decades later, on 22 May 2010, he was working on the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu pitch for the Champions League Final while the Seasiders were playing in their Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Career

Burgess began his career in July 1995 as an apprentice groundsman at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road home, in Lancashire, England, where he was born. In November 1996, he moved on to become assistant groundsman to Steve Braddock at Arsenal between 1996 and 1999. At 21, 8.5 of the pitches were natural grass, while 4.5 were 3G surfaces. He left the club in December 2020 to pursue a new challenge.

FIFA pitch consultant Burgess has been a pitch consultant for FIFA, football's world governing body, since 2004.

Personal life Burgess became a father in 2010.