Bob Lennon has dedicated almost 40 years to the club
Bob Lennon, Goodison Park groundsman
Bob Lennon, Goodison Park groundsman, has worked at the club for decades(Image: Tony McArdle/EFC)
Today marks the end of an era for Everton's men's first team who play their final game at Goodison Park before making the move to a new state-of-the art home on the Liverpool waterfront, Bramley Moore. But the game will no longer mark the end of competitive football at the Grand Old Lady.
Everton Football Club recently announced that Goodison Park is set to become the home of Everton Women in a move that will retain the club’s presence in its historic home. For the last 133 years, the stadium has not only seen unforgettable players and managers pass through its doors, but hundreds of unsung heroes work behind the scenes.
Among them are the grounds staff, who spend hours meticulously maintaining the pitch, often working from the early hours in all weather before supporters make their way through the turnstiles. Bob Lennon, originally from Lydiate, has dedicated almost 40 years to the club and said what he loves the most about working for Everton is that no day is the same.
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As part of the Liverpool ECHO How It Used To Be series, we spoke Bob, 65, about his role and memories of Goodison Park through the decades ahead of this weekend, which marks the end of one chapter in the club's history. The lifelong Blue told the ECHO: "I was the head groundsman for training ground at Bellefield in West Derby first and I started there in 1988.
"I had been working for Liverpool City Council at the time, doing an apprenticeship with them, doing the parks and gardens.. It just all changed around in the 1980s, I was only a kid then and I saw a job in The Liverpool ECHO a PO number about a groundsman job.
Bob Lennon, grounds manager at Goodison Park, circa 90s/00s
"I thought I'd put my name down for it. A couple days later I've got an interview at Everton in the main office there with Jim Greenwood, who was the secretary then, and Alan Storey, who was the groundsman there.
"He was looking for a new groundsman down the training ground. I took over the head groundsman job from Dougie Rose in 1995 at Goodison. I've been here 30 years this year, 38 all together with the club."
The dad-of-two said when he started working as a groundsman in the '80s for the club, it felt "like a whirlwind". Bob said: "When I got the job at Everton, I'd just moved, I just got married to my wife, Carole, got a new house, new everything, all within about six months.
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"The wife's a big Blue as well, all the family are big Blues. I've got two sons, Robert and Matthew, he was on the pitch from an early age, from about three or four years old.
"I used to have him on the pitch, cutting the pitch with us as well. It was when Paul Gascoigne was there, he used to look after him."
For Bob, what he loves the most about the job is how "every day is different". He said: "You just don't know what's going to happen.
"You're maintaining the pitches - you cut it, water it and fertilise it, we're repairing and marking out. In the wintertime you're doing lighting and rigs and fertilising.
Head groundsman Bob Lennon on the snowbound pitch at Goodison Park when a match was called off
"It's just an ongoing scenario maintaining pitches and machines. I just love coming to work at Everton.
"It's the people working here. In the day, you've got people working from all different departments - catering managers, finance, football in the community.
"You've got people putting the scarves on every seat. It's just a good family. You have to get everything done on the day and everything gets quite intense and that's what I like about it.
"It's like you're under pressure a bit to get the jobs done but then seeing he pitch being played on at the end of the day, that gives you immense satisfaction." Through the decades, Bob has many fond memories not only with staff who work behind the scenes at Goodison Park, but also managers and players through the generations.
Bob Lennon, grounds manager at Goodison Park, circa 90s/00s
Bob said: "I think my favourite memory is the first day I went down to Goodison and met all the players like Paul Bracewell, Peter Reid, Neville Southall was always a big inspiration. Colin Harvey was an absolute diamond then.
"Colin was obviously as a great ambassador, a great professional. Howard Kendall, all the playing staff, even all the maintenance stuff and cleaners and chefs and everyone down at Bellefield, were all made welcome.
"Even on matchdays when I first started, everybody made you welcome. That's the thing about Everton, it was a really, really family-oriented club.
Bob Lennon, Goodison Park groundsman
"Another favourite memory was working with Joe Royle and winning the FA cup in 95 and going down to Wembley. Joe invites us all, the grounds staff, the maintenance staff, his house to have a celebration afterwards.
"That was a great thing for us. It's stuck with me, working at the training ground, that was fantastic.
"Having your breakfast and your dinner with all the players there like Peter Reid, Tony Cottee, Neville Southhall, Graham Stuart, the list is endless. It's the people like the managers as well.
An Everton groundsman tends to the pitch ahead of the Premier League match between Everton FC and Manchester City at Goodison Park on December 27, 2023 in Liverpool, England
"Mike Walker, Joe Royle, Colin Harvey is a brilliant person, Walter Smith was a gentleman. Everyone who has worked there,. they've all been very friendly people."
Today, May 18, thousands of supporters will celebrate as the men's team play their final game at Goodison Park, before moving to Bramley Moore.
Bob will remain at Goodison Park, but has visited Bramley Moore, comparing it to the "Coliseum in Rome". He said: "Now it's myself and Tony Balshaw as groundsmen as Jon Howell has moved down to the new stadium.
Everton FC grounds staff Tony Balshaw (L) Jon Howell (C) Bob Lennon
"I'm here working every day now till after the match. We're cutting the pitch Saturday and having a dress rehearsal.
"Then we'll come in Sunday at 6am, we'll do the pre match presentation, the pitch will be cut, marked out, watered. The club is moving on to a new stage and for first team football, they need this financial backing to keep moving forward.
"But also it's bringing something back to grassroots for the academies, the football in the community and for the women's team. I think it's a good move for them, to get people into Everton and move into Everton women's football as well. It's not the end, it's a new era."