A boy from Birmingham played his part in the preparations for this weekend’s eagerly anticipated Emirates FA Cup semi-finals.
Budding groundsman Harry Kness was invited to Wembley Stadium to join head groundsman Karl Standley prepare the hallowed turf ahead of one of the biggest weekends of the football season.
Harry became something of a social media sensation when his father, Garry, filmed him painting the white lines of his local pitch. The FA spotted on the video and invited the ten-year-old to the national stadium to grab a masterclass with Wembley’s pitch workers.
Harry joined Karl and his team of permanent staff to ensure the hallowed turf was in pristine condition for Saturday and Sunday’s fixtures. Sporting his own Wembley-banded groundsman's jumper, he helped to paint the pitch markings before getting his hands on the Emirates FA Cup trophy.
"The Emirates FA Cup semi-finals are two of the biggest events in our calendar and eyes from all over the world will be on our pitch this weekend," said Karl.
"We were delighted to invite Harry to Wembley after noticing his diligence in painting his lines at his local pitch. It’s been great to introduce him to what we do and perhaps even inspire a groundsman of the future."
Harry added: "I couldn’t believe it when my dad told me I was invited to come to Wembley.
"It started with me painting the lines of my local pitch. My dad put it on Twitter and quite a few people seemed to like it.
"It’s been such a cool day.”
Harry and Garry will return to Wembley on Saturday to watch the first of the semi-finals, as Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur.
