‘She’s an all-star’: Female groundskeeper entering sixth season with Charlotte Knights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - There is a dedicated team of groundskeepers at Truist Field, keeping the surface in pristine condition for players and fans to enjoy.

Only one of those crew members though is a woman.

For Holly Robinette, working on the turf started out as a hobby, and has turned into a full-blown passion.

As a student at UNC Charlotte, she wanted to find a way to work in sports. She came to the Charlotte Knights in the summer of 2018 looking for a job in the marketing department, but found a different way to get in the game.

“You know, let’s try something different, let’s try something new,” she said. “I really just wanted to get my foot in the door.”

The door that opened led her to join the groundskeeping crew, working in a field she had zero experience in.

“I just said, ‘you know, I’m interested,’ I don’t know what kind of skills, abilities, I have to do this. But I think I’d be great at it, just give me a shot,” she said thinking back to the start of her journey.

Friday night marked the start of Robinette’s sixth season working with the Knights, and according to director of field operations, Matt Parrott, she has become an invaluable member of the team.

“She’s an all-star on our crew,” Parrott said. “She has excelled, and there’s nothing on the field she can’t do.”

Robinette takes pride in proving that women can excel in what’s typically been a male-dominated profession.

“It is special that I’m a woman and I’m out here and I get to be that person that people can see doing it,” she said. “In a way, I guess I do like being that voice. But I don’t really think about it that much. I probably should, because it’s probably a really loud voice for some people.”

The job is only a part-time gig for Robinette, who works full-time at a local church handling marketing duties, but she said she loves the Knights job too much to give up her side passion any time soon.

Related: NC state senators propose bill eliminating participation trophies from youth sports

Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved.