Gardening with the Wembley grounds team 
Wembley’s hallowed turf is one of the greatest and greenest pitches on the planet. 

As part of our #FootballsStayingHome series, we’ve asked our Wembley Stadium grounds team to offer their award-winning expertise to those with gardens, who would love to replicate our famous striped pitch on their back lawn.  

Karl Standley, Wembley’s Head Groundsman was only too happy to offer up his best advice: “the act of gardening and horticulture is great for mental health. The team and I wanted to give you something short and simple to help refocus and re-energise. Not only will you have a stunning lawn to show off to your mates post lock-down, but you’ll feel great doing it.”

We encourage all those to who follow the steps below to post their best pictures social with #FootballStayingHome. @WembleyStadium will post the best of the bunch! 

Here’s our Wembley Grounds team’s step-by-step guide on how to achieve a replica of the magnificent Wembley turf…

Step 1 – De-weed
Remove weeds, thatch and moss with a rake in 2-3 directions. 

Step 2 – Drainage 
Improve drainage by poking holes down to 4-5 inches with a garden fork at 4-5 inch spacing.

Step 3 – Overseed 
Overseed with rye grass to help rejuvenate your worn lawn!   

Step 4 – Water 
Water seeds twice a day to germinate, once in the morning and then again in the early evening.

Step 5 – Cut 
Once your grass is growing, it’s time to cut. Only do this when it’s dry and as a rule of thumb only ever cut one third of the length.

Step 6 – Hello Wembley!
If you have a roller on the back of the mower you can use this to stripe your lawn. If not, use a yard brush and brush in different directions to make your lawn look like the famous Wembley turf!

From tips on how to stay safe and healthy, to football activities that keep your body and mind active, explore The FA’s #FootballsStayingHome by clicking here.