Grass often goes unnoticed, yet it’s always there, painting a landscape alive in its own subtle way.

In its simplicity lies a profound story.

The same can be said for Jonathan Teo, the man behind Singapore National Stadium's pitch.

When you first meet the man, he seems like any other average Singaporean guy.

But one conversation is all it takes to realise that there's more than meets The Eye.

@mothershipsg need someone who cares about me like how jonathan cares about grass 👉👈 #nationalstadium #sportshub #football #footballpitch #singapore ♬ original sound - Mothership

The 55-year-old pitch architect proclaimed to "live, eat, sleep, grass" as he shared with Mothership how he started this unique occupation.

From prison warden to pitch architect

Teo's relationship with the greens sprouted in his mid-twenties, after fate brought the two together.

"I was a prison warden for about three years," explained Teo, adding that he was itching to try something that would satisfy his love for the outdoors.

His wish was granted when he stumbled upon a job ad for Laguna National Golf Resort Club.

The club was looking for a "greenkeeper apprentice".

"It caught my attention because it said in the advertisement that you need to love the outdoors," Teo said.

So he applied for the job on a whim, oblivious to the fact that the craft of turf management would soon be his true calling.

At Laguna, Teo found himself immersed in the construction and maintenance of the golf course.

He learnt about irrigation, drainage, pumping stations, weather stations, the different types of grass, and the science behind it all.

"That really got me excited," recalled Teo with a smile.

"To be honest, the prison service salary scale is quite good. When I jumped to [turf management], it was a huge pay cut, more than 50 per cent.

But somehow, I just felt that this was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be — in the outdoors, seeing the transformation [of the pitch] and working with different people.

At the time, there weren’t many Singaporeans that understood or wanted this kind of job… It's been an amazing experience for me, so I’m never looking back."

When asked if he plans on working with the greens for the rest of his life, Teo immediately nodded his head.

"But I plan on passing on my skills and knowledge to others who are interested in this field (no pun intended). There's really a lot to learn. And [this job] also took me to so many different countries, where I was able to gain valuable experiences."

The grass is greener where you water it

Becoming a pitch architect is no easy feat.

In 2003, Teo became a certified turfgrass professional with University of Georgia.

Prior to that, he attained various certificates in turfgrass stress management and agronomy.

After about a decade working at golf courses in Singapore, Teo ventured overseas, managing golf resorts in North Africa, China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.

And the learning never stopped for Teo.

In 2014, he had a training stint at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London.

And in 2021, he obtained a certificate with University of Tennessee’s Center for Athletic Field Safety, where he dived deeper into how a pitch’s construction methods and preparation techniques can help to reduce the number of athlete injuries and enhance performance.

"All the experiences that I've picked up along my journey… It really fuelled my passion for this job. I just can’t imagine myself not looking at grass every day."

He never gets tired of the greens, he added.

"Sometimes it can become an occupational hazard. I’ll go somewhere and I can literally smell fresh-cut grass, and I’ll know that someone is cutting grass. And sometimes, while out with my family, if I see a patch of grass, I might end up staring at it for a while."

Making our National Stadium pitch perfect

Teo’s boundless passion and unrelenting dedication to the artistry of grass has contributed to the growth of our National Stadium pitch.

But any football fan would know that the Singapore Sports Hub had a rocky start when it first opened in 2014.

Singapore hosted an international friendly match between Japan and Brazil that year.

With stars like Neymar, Kaka, and Philippe Coutinho, the match was highly anticipated by local football fans.

Yet it was the stadium pitch that made headlines.

According to The Straits Times, Brazil then-coach Dunga criticised the pitch, saying it had more sand than grass.

Following that year, our National Stadium went through a series of highs and lows.

In 2017, Teo joined Singapore Sports Hub as the turf manager, tasked with improving the "lay and play" system that was implemented in 2015 and ensuring that the pitch quality gets better each time.

It took years of experimenting, as well as going through a myriad of grass types (yes, there are thousands of grass species out there) before Teo managed to get our National Stadium pitch to where it is today.

With the "lay and play" solution, the turf's all-natural grass is grown and harvested off-site, before being laid at the stadium.

As the National Stadium hosts a range of events, from sports competitions to music concerts, the "lay and play" system was deemed the most effective.

"Like any natural living thing, you need to have a natural environment. Plants' basic elements— they need sunlight, water, airflow, nutrients, and temperature. Out there is the natural environment.

In the National Stadium, there is a roof which was built to keep spectators sheltered from the heat and rain. The stadium also has cooling systems. This isn’t the most ideal climate for the grass to grow in, so the 'lay and play' strategy allows the grass to be grown healthily outside and once they are laid out [in the stadium], we will start on our different maintenance programmes to keep them healthy and to help them acclimatise before a match."

The National Stadium pitch is usually prepared around two weeks before an event.

A total of 800 rolls of grass would be transferred from the nursery to the stadium.

The installation takes about four to five days, with a team of 20 workers involved, all being led by Teo.

Once the pitch has been laid out, the grass will spend the next week or so to acclimatise inside the stadium.

You'll never walk alone (grass edition)

Teo revealed that Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp praised the National Stadium pitch when the club visited Singapore during the Festival of Football in July 2023.

Teo added that Liverpool's head groundsman also came down ahead of the festival to take a look at the pitch.

"We took him to the nursery and showed him the process of how we maintain [the grass], how we cut it, and how we bring it [to the stadium], and how we install it. So when he realised that it's possible to have a very decent and good surface with a 'lay and play' solution, he actually told me that he's going to take this idea back home to Anfield."

As a Liverpool fan himself, you'd think that Teo would boast about this accomplishment every opportunity he gets, but he sees the bigger picture.

"As a Singaporean, I think this is good for Singapore, that internationally, we have something to share," he said.

Teo's humble nature perfectly mirrors the grass he cares for — the way they both provide a cushion for others to tread upon without demanding attention or praise.

Like the grass he devotes his life to, Teo possesses a quiet strength, unassuming yet essential in their contributions.

Modest, yet grand in their own quiet sway.

Watch our video feature with Teo:

@mothershipsg need someone who cares about me like how jonathan cares about grass 👉👈 #nationalstadium #sportshub #football #footballpitch #singapore ♬ original sound - Mothership

Top images by Mothership.