Henri Lansbury
Henri Lansbury, a former Nottingham Forest midfielder, discussed his transition from professional football to his passion for turf management after retiring from the game in 2023. Lansbury played 150 matches for Forest between 2012 and 2017 and later contributed to Luton Town’s promotion to the Premier League.
Henri Lansbury said “I just love grass, and the reason I got it was because I was creating awareness for the rest of the greenkeepers, ground carers… you don’t realise, until you actually step into their shoes, just how much actually goes into keeping that pitch pristine. That’s anything, football pitches, golf courses… so much goes into it and it’s only since I got into all of this, and started speaking to groundsmen, that I really understood it all… it was mind-blowing.”
Upon retiring, Lansbury ventured into a business related to turf management, named Grass Gains, which he co-founded. The company supplies various products and even services pitches, like those at Fulham, Genk, Monaco, and the Arsenal training grounds.
Henri Lansbury said “So, then I started doing it a bit at home, and then I came up with this product – I guess nowadays I’d introduce myself as Turf Influencer and co-founder of Grass Gains. I’m just waiting for my trophy to turn up for Influencer of the Year, then it’ll take centre stage in my office.”
He also remarked on his serious dedication to his gardening hobby,
Henri Lansbury said “My other half hates me for how much time I spend on the garden, I’m not going to lie! I’ve got moles in my garden at the minute, and we’re also in the middle of doing our house up at the same time.”
Though no longer playing, Lansbury still attends football matches, primarily for the allure of meticulously maintained pitches.
Henri Lansbury said “To be honest, I’ll go to games now just to look at the pitch. I’m not too bothered about the football; I’d rather look at a nice pitch and speak to the groundsman.”
Praising several pitches,
Henri Lansbury said “There are some lovely football pitches out there. The Etihad is great, I’d give a shout out to Craven Cottage, too, but the Emirates, for me, on the last day of the season earlier this year was unreal. It was cut at, like, 18ml, and the ball was just flying across it. That’s short for a football pitch, but it was unreal.”
Reflecting on his future with Grass Gains, Lansbury highlighted his current focus and challenges faced during the transition from playing football to business.
Henri Lansbury said “Work for me now is just seeing what we need to do to improve ourselves, at Grass Gains; see what needs doing, what the plan is. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do after football, when I was in my 20s. I never really thought it was going to end, and then when it does end, you realise how quick it all went by.”
