Grounds Management Association (GMA)

If you look after a golf course or sports turf, the Grounds Management Association (GMA) gives you training for your staff, a national standard to measure your natural turf against, and SALTEX, a show where buyers of golf course equipment and maintenance products meet UK suppliers. The GMA is a not-for-profit membership body in the UK for people who look after sports surfaces and green spaces, based in Milton Keynes. Its members care for pitches, courses and grounds across sport, education and community settings, from grassroots clubs to elite venues.

Meet UK turf suppliers at SALTEX at the NEC

At SALTEX you can see products from more than 400 brands, according to the organizer. The show website gives the next edition as 11 and 12 November 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham, billed as the 80th edition. Doors open 9am to 5pm on Wednesday 11 November and 9am to 4pm on Thursday 12 November. Visitor registration is free.

• 79 speakers and 30 hours of free CPD-accredited education.
• The show website reports 7,463 grounds professionals attending across the show days.
• GMA members get VIP lounge access and a free cloakroom.

The GMA says all show revenue goes back into the sector. Other turf trade events include BTME in Harrogate and the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, both covered in the golf trade shows guide.

What you get from membership

Members receive 30% off GMA courses and qualifications, free GMA Connect events, monthly webinars and Grounds Management Magazine. The GMA offers three routes in. Individual membership covers training and industry updates. Organization membership is aimed at sports clubs, schools, colleges, universities, local authorities and other not-for-profit groups that manage sports turf, and includes extra accounts for your team members.

Turf suppliers that back the GMA

Suppliers can join as Corporate Supporters. Platinum supporters listed on its site include Howardson Group, maker of the Dennis and SISIS turf brands, along with GKB, Kubota, ISEKI and MJ Abbott. Redexim is among its Gold supporters.

Training and a standard for your surfaces

You can train staff from introductory Level 1 to advanced Level 3, online through the GMA learning site or in person at venues such as Newmarket and York racecourses. Topics include football, cricket, racecourse, winter pitch, 3G and reinforced hybrid surface maintenance. The GMA sets the national standard for natural turf sports surfaces. Its Grounds Management Framework grades surfaces on five levels, from Basic to Elite, matched to competition standards in football, cricket and both rugby codes. A Skills and Knowledge Matrix sets out the training your team needs at each level.

GMA Conference and Industry Awards

Members get discounted tickets to the GMA Industry Awards and the GMA Conference, which were held together in 2026. The 2027 awards are set for Thursday 11 March 2027 at Emirates Old Trafford. The awards, which the association calls its flagship event, started in 2009 and have been held at venues including Anfield, Headingley and Edgbaston.

Source: thegma.org.uk/about, saltex.org.uk, thegma.org.uk/membership, gmaindustryawards.uk

Shows by this organiser

You can plan around 1 show from this organiser: its dates are announced.

Shows run by Grounds Management Association (GMA)

Show	Dates	Venue	Sectors
SALTEX 2026	11-12 November 2026	NEC, Birmingham	Golf course equipment and maintenance, Golf course construction and design

Photos

Images: Grounds Management Association (GMA).

Company facts

Areas served

United Kingdom

Location

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28 Stratford Office Village, Walker Avenue, Wolverton Mill East, Milton Keynes MK12 5TW, United Kingdom

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