HE may not play sports - but Mirfield man Steve Jackson is a champion on the pitch.

Steve, 36, has been named groundsman of the year for West Yorkshire by the Football Association.

He also came third in the FA's groundsman of the year contest for the north of England.

Steve has been working for Kirklees Culture and Leisure Services' parks and open spaces team for 21 years.

He has been looking after the 10 pitches at Leeds Road Playing Fields for the past two years.

The Huddersfield branch of the FA nominated him for the awards, which were set up in 2002 to recognise the unsung heroes of football.

"It's great. I was really not expecting to win anything because I have been doing itfor only a few years and I don't know what the award standards were," said Steve.

"We get a lot of compliments on the pitches. It is nice to have your work appreciated."

According to Steve, it is no easy task to keep pitches in tip top condition. His job is a constant round of spiking the grass, rolling it, cutting it, ensuring it is watered and growing properly.

Most of the work takes place during the summer to get the grass to a standard which will enable it to survive the winter.

He said: "I don't play sports any more on the pitches, but I really enjoy looking after them."