Working up close with some of the biggest stars in international football at the Fifa World Cup has been a humbling experience for Jayson Jackson.

The Bermudian has enjoyed the chance of a lifetime as a foreman on the groundstaff at Toronto Stadium, which has hosted six matches during the group and knockout stages of the competition.

“It was humbling to say the least just being a part of the entire process and seeing what the international standards are for our curating team,” Jackson told The Royal Gazette.

“We do that week in and week out hosting Toronto FC, AFC Toronto and Toronto Argonauts, but to host the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Ronaldinho, who had an exhibition match there before the World Cup, is very humbling. We stand very, very close with them and to have Ballon d'Or winners playing at your field is very, very humbling.

“It’s pretty incredible just being a part of the process and knowing that being from Bermuda that it is achievable. Rubbing shoulders with global superstars and knowing that you can do it by just following your passion, something that you love to do.”

The 33-year-old enjoyed watching all of the matches held at the stadium, in particular the round-of-32 clash between Portugal and Croatia, which the former won 2-1 with 41-year-old striker Ronaldo converting the winner from the penalty spot.

“The biggest game was the last one we hosted, which was Croatia versus Portugal when Ronaldo scored his penalty. That was pretty awesome and the atmosphere was absolutely electric,” he said.

“We also had a lot of African teams come in the knockout stages like Senegal, Ghana and Ivory Coast. We also had Germany, so it was definitely an array for sure.

“It’s pretty electric for the stadium and just to be a part of the atmosphere and knowing you had a small part to play in it is pretty cool.”

Jackson worked under immense pressure behind the scenes to ensure the pitch met with Fifa standards.

“The checks and balances as you can imagine are huge with pitch consistency, micro- climate management and recovery time,” he said. “Three pillars culminate to ensure that we have world-class conditions because these guys are professionals, multimillionaires and there are billions of eyes watching.

“That’s the level of pressure but it also shows the competence of the team to ensure that we get all those things. What we did for the World Cup is what we did for Toronto FC, there’s not much difference. The only difference is the level of pressure because you’ve got an international standard and Fifa-sanctioned event.

“Essentially game day is setting up nets, mowing the field, painting the field, putting in corner flags. On game day, everything is ready already and in between games we call in turf management to give it a workout or a rest period depending on how many games we have.

“It all depends on what the turf grass needs are. That dictates our day and that depends on weather and how bad the field got beat up.”

Jackson said he and his peers started their work shifts “super early” to ensure they met extremely tight deadlines.

“Fifa want the field completely set up six hours before kick-off, so if we had a game at 7pm we had to give them the field by 1pm,” he said.

“It would take us nearly five hours to get the field ready, so we would come in super early to make sure we got the pitch ready.”

As a resident of Toronto, it was perhaps only natural for Jackson to support tournament co-hosts Canada, who reached the round of 16, in which they lost 3-0 to Morocco.

“Canada played their opening game at our field and had a great run, which I think exceeded expectations,” he said.

“Jesse Marsch is a great coach and we are the home of Canada soccer, so the majority of their home games are played here at BMO Field or Toronto Stadium.”

Jackson studied turf grass management at the University of Guelph in Ontario and has spent the majority of his career working at golf courses around the world.

“I started at Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club as an intern and worked my way up to golf course superintendent,” he said.

“I was a class A superintendent and a part of the Golf Course Superintendent Association, and then just recently made the switch into sports field management.

“I had some really cool experiences and was really blessed to host PGA Championships in Bermuda as a golf course superintendent.

“But to see soccer superstars play, warm up, talk to their families and their coaches, and train on the field that you helped curate with the team is breathtaking to say the least.”

Jackson has not forgotten those who have helped him along the way to achieve his goals.

“I just want to thank Thomasinna Hassell, my former colleague Vincent Hollinsid and Kim Swan — mentors that helped me in my career,” he said.

“It’s been a dream come true and I am very thankful to God, friends, family and everyone who supported me to get there.”