'Not just builders, plumbers and electricians': the little-known trade searching for apprentices

Cricket ACT is on the hunt for apprentice curators, the unsung heroes of the game who make sure the fields are television-ready.

Curators get the rare opportunity to work on the same side of the fence as Australia’s top cricketers while getting free access to game-day events.

The role includes working alongside agronomists and turf companies to cultivate the different varieties of grass used on cricket fields.

Cricket ACT Head Curator Tom Fahey says most people aren’t aware of the extent of work that goes into cricket curating.

“You do find when you start talking to people that people are quite interested in what you have to say,” he says.

“We do it day to day, and you think, ‘people think it’s boring’, but most people are very interested.”

Even during off seasons, cricket curators remain busy at work behind the scenes.

Tom and his team are currently preparing the Phillip and Manuka fields for the AFL season.

“The couch grass, once cooler temperatures hit, pretty much goes to sleep, so it goes yellow.”

“We use ryegrass for television purposes, and it protects the couch grass as well.”

In such a scientific process, Tom says the weather is your biggest enemy.

But once the work is done and the game starts, curators get to kick back and enjoy the cricket with everyone else.

However, unlike the players and spectators, Tom says curators have the added bonus of admiring their handiwork.

“We get to produce a product that thousands of people coming to watch cricket games get to enjoy,” he says.

“There is a real enjoyment and buzz that comes from getting to do that.”

Tom says a personal highlight for him over his last two years with Cricket ACT has been watching his team grow.

“Seeing people finish their apprenticeships and becoming full-time staff has been really enjoyable,” he says.

“And even seeing the people they’ve grown into.”

Tom himself moved between a number of different jobs before finding his passion for curating cricket.

He recommended fellow lovers of the game consider the career, which can be studied at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

A Certificate III in Sports Turf Management can be completed over six semesters on a part-time basis through the CIT.

“It’s not just builders, plumbers and electricians, there’s more trades out there,” Tom says.

“If you love sport, cricket curating is an amazing trade and it’s super rewarding.

“We love what we do.”

For more information visit Cricket ACT

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