AFC Fylde’s Dan Bunce has been ranked among the best in the country at a major award ceremony.

The club groundsman was highly commended by the FA at the National Groundsman of the Year ceremony at St George’s Park.

Bunce was competing with groundsman from both Football League and Non League and had a great experience at the headquarters of English football.

He said: “For me to be highly commended by the FA is a fantastic achievement, and it is great to keep the clubs name out there to show how much we are progressing on and off the pitch. I’m just hoping I can keep producing a pitch that keeps getting noticed and keeps us in the running again next season.

“It was a fantastic experience to visit St George’s Park and a great insight to also be shown round all the facilities and the pitches the site offers.

“These range from basic soil based pitches, to fibre sand with desso grass master, and the very first SIS pitch in the world, the best of them all being an exact replica of the Wembley playing surface set up exactly how the pitch is as Wembley.”