Lee Baddeley goes back to his roots

Former Welsh Under 21 international Lee Baddeley used to grace the grass as a player – now he grows and grooms it!

Cardiff-born Lee realised a childhood dream when he made the grade with his hometown club, for whom he went on to make well over 100 appearances.

He went on to play a further 60-odd games for Exeter before his career was brought to a depressing halt by a persistent hamstring injury that eventually forced him to quit the game in 2000 – nine years after making his Bluebirds’ debut.

Like so many players brought down in their prime by injuries or circumstances, Lee faced the daunting prospect of carving out a new career at the age of 26.

Working in an office or taking on a factory job were not for Lee and it was his love of the outdoors – football fields, training grounds; grass in general really – that led him down a somewhat unusual path.

After an attempted comeback with Welsh club Merthyr Tydfil ended in more disappointment, he realised and accepted that he had to move on.

Thankfully, the injury he fought in vain to overcome – his hamstring was torn completely from the bone – didn’t stop him finding some enjoyment from his other favoured outdoor pursuit. Golf.

And it was out on the tees, fairways and greens of his local club, Downes Crediton near Exeter, that a totally unexpected opportunity presented itself.

He recalls: “A trainee greenkeeper position at the club where I played became available, so I applied for it and to my surprise I got the job.

“I’d already got a B-Tech in Leisure Studies, something I began studying when I was a YTS at Cardiff, and I went on to get a National Diploma, and after starting work at the golf course I took an NVQ2.

“Now, with the backing of the PFA, I am doing a foundation course in Sports Turf Science, which is mainly geared to golf courses and greenkeeping. I’ve been doing greenkeeping for six years now and really enjoy it – even the early starts on frosty mornings.

“I love the outdoors and I guess it’s a bit ironic that I’ve gone from playing on grass to managing it. I would like to be a greenkeeper at a bigger golf club, or maybe a head groundsman in some other sport. Who knows, I could end up back in football yet.”