Tingley leads a team that produces a pristine playing surface in WD18, with their efforts rewarded when they won the EFL's Grounds Team of the Season prize for the Championship in May.
The stunning pitch dates back to the Hornets' time in the Premier League, however, with the staff also winning the award for the Premier League Grounds Team of the Season at the highest level in 2017/18.
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Speaking on the Do Not Scratch Your Eyes podcast, Tingley reeled off quite a list of names to have personally praised the surface.
🚨SCOTT TINGLEY POD ALERT🚨https://t.co/wFcXwZ9lWJ
Justin and Pete have a chat with head groundsman Scott Tingley whilst looking over the splendid playing surface at Vicarage Road. We find out about his introductions to sports surface preparation, football and Heurelho Gomes!!!…
— Do Not Scratch Your Eyes Watford FC Podcast 🐝 (@DNSYE_podcast) August 7, 2025
Tingley said: "We get praise every week, to be honest.
"Most times it comes from coaches but it can come from players, weirdly quite high-profile players will be the ones who talk to us personally.
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one who was very complimentary.
"Pep Guardiola was one that would always send a message out to us every time Manchester City played at Vicarage Road. I guess he was quite grateful for what he had received.
"Mark Noble came out and I think his words were, 'Groundsman, f***ing amazing'. I take a lot of pride from that.
"They're the people who use your product and your job is to provide a pitch for professional footballers.
Pep Guardiola and Troy DeeneyPep Guardiola and Troy Deeney (Image: Action Images)
"If they're going to compliment you, that means you're doing it right."
Tingley has been in situ since 2016, having spent several years at boyhood club Chelsea and Arsenal.
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He remembers interviewing for the role in a Gunners tracksuit, which didn't go down too well with a couple of first-team stars.
He said: "It happened very quickly.
"I had a call from Glyn Evans, who was the director of operations at the time. I met with Glyn on the Wednesday and was asked to meet Scott Duxbury and Luke Dowling on the Thursday.
Scott Tingley gets to work on the Watford surfaceScott Tingley gets to work on the Vicarage Road surface (Image: Watford FC) "I turned around and said, 'I'm going to be in my Arsenal tracksuit, is that OK?'
"I turned up head-to-toe in an Arsenal tracksuit, almost looking like a ball-boy, and really weirdly got some abuse from player I now class as friends, like Troy Deeney. 'You can't come in here dressed like that' – that sort of thing.
"Weirdly, Heurelho Gomes, who I love – probably one of the better people in football – gave me some abuse as well.
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"Little did I know I was going to be looking after them from a pitch point of view moving forward.
"I was offered the job that evening and handed in my notice on the Thursday. I started on the Monday."
Scott discusses his maintenance of the pitch, winning awards, working for Udinese and much more on the full podcast, which is available here.