Fevered pitch
At a cost I think of around £1,000,000 which included a grant of £750,000 from the Premier League Stadium Fund a new hybrid-stitched Desso pitch was installed at The Valley at the beginning of the summer. I would guess that between the men and women’s teams around 18 games have been played on it.
So, what has happened to it?
It looked awfully patchy in large parts of it on Saturday, and to a lesser extent last Tuesday.
Back in April, when the club made the announcement it said that the “Desso pitch will have a much greater durability, meaning it will be in better condition throughout the campaign.”
Jim Rodwell said “This investment brings our playing surface at The Valley to that elite level. We’re grateful to the club ownership for supporting the vision financially and for the investment from the Premier League Stadium Fund.”
Elite level.
18 games, yes some bad rain but we are not yet into winter. Can they not do anything right?
I mean, it’s not even like the team are playing the ball on the grass anyway, I’m often more worried about the floodlights being damaged than the grass!
There was also work at the training ground including new pitches, but one has to assume that they are perfectly fine as according to Nathan we are playing like the 1970’s Dutch team on those.
CG and yes slap on the wrist 100% right again and you made me laugh but one has to somehow on this so-called professional club, my backside grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I agree with you I have been thinking the same commentators have been saying the ball has bobbled as well. What will it be like if Rugby is played on it.
You are right about the state of the pitch but it seemed that it would inevitably go this way as they persist in watering heavily before the start of every match even when sometimes it has rained for quite some time the morning of the game. I wonder if the players request this or is it a manager decision or purely on the instruction of the groundsman as more often than not it leads to players losing their footing especially at the start of games. I think you are also correct in questioning whether it was a good investment which I am also doing with regard to renewing my season ticket for this so far extremely poor season.
I understand from chatting to the groundstaff that the pitch is mainly sand and needs watering to keep it firm and playable….its like the beach….no water and its soft to walk on.Thats why I think it has to be kept wet.
Any expectation that by the middle of December the pitch would still resemble an unused bowling green is cloud cuckoo land nonsense
Players should be coping with the occasional indifferent bounce, especially in the 3rd division.
Why the north end of the pitch was watered at halftime on Saturday wasn’t obvious nor did it have any bearing on the performance of either side – both were far too inept to be aided by a slick surface
There may be several aspects of the club’s management that have underperformed but grizzling about unrealistic pitch standards is finding fault for fault’s sake
Understood and fair riposte SCN. In the long list of things to moan about this is probably not the worst. And not knocking the ground staff at all.
I know you well C A and your not into pointing a finger at anyone in all your postings unless necessary.
Have a great Christmas and New year to you if you read this posting…COYRs
The very same to you, Cliff. Merry Christmas.
Totally agree with you SCN…I know how hard the groundstaff work each day if the week on the pitch and its unfair to point the finger at them…There have been Ist team mens and womens games,u21 games, U18 games, friendly games and cup games since it was installed…..combine that with heavy rain.
The groundstaff are very experienced and always find solutions if needed.
Must be the Women carving it up !! 🤣
😳
Think they are a better watch than the men!
I’ve seen a lot of their games CA and far more entertaining and enjoyable whatever the outcomes.
With the men playing like a load of old women, and the women playing better than the men, add to that a bunch of American investors who clearly knows diddley-squat about the third tier of English football because if you did you wouldn’t want to throw your money away on it, and the management team clearly knowing less about managing “a once Premier league club” than the American investors, then we find out that the club’s new super-dooper £1m wonder pitch is just a……. load of old sand with grass growing in it (anyone seen Dell-boy in SE7 lately?) – it’s a very odd world we live in at the moment.
It’s worth looking up ‘Desso Pitches” it’s not just sand….far more more elements and most Premiership and Championship have it.
Agree. I did a fair bit of research when I wrote this article. https://chicagoaddick.com/2024/04/26/new-valley-pitch-investment/#more-30717