Pitch refurb complete

Pitch refurbishment a great success!

The final loads of sand were spread on the pitch over two days in February. This was the last stage of the pitch refurbishment project following the initial work in December to remove the old contaminated sand, make repairs to sink holes and spread new sand on the surface. The initial phase was completed ahead of schedule allowing the teams to play and train on the pitch throughout January and February, which helped the new sand to settle in.

Club Chairman, Brian Lockhart said "The refurbishment of the pitch has been a great success. The contractors, Clive Richardson Ltd (CRL), worked really hard to have the pitch ready for use once again at the end of December. It was a big job, but they certainly had all the specialist equipment to do the work."

Work completed

Sharing some of the technical details, Brian told us, "CRL removed the old sand with a machine which used compressed air to loosen the sand infill and then hoovered it up via an auger and took it away in trucks. The synthetic surface was then brushed with a tractor powered rotatory brush to remove any surplus sand deposits which were then manually collected for disposal. On an eco-friendly note, the sand that was extracted was taken to a recycling site where it was incorporated into a blended topsoil mix, reducing the need for a land fill site."

"Several small areas with minor depressions on the pitch were repaired by cutting and peeling back the carpet, raising the shock pad with a thin layer of rubber, and then re-glueing the carpet back in place. One major area of settlement needed the shock pad to be replaced with a new pad specially mixed on site."

"Finally, the new sand was spread over the pitch surface using a self-propelled spreader, which distributes the sand evenly over the synthetic surface. The sand was then worked into the carpet pile using a mini tractor with a combination of power brushes and drag brushes. The sand was applied on two separate occasions to ensure that it settled into the carpet pile. In total, about 60 tons of sand were spread across the pitch."

On-going maintenance

Now the pitch has been totally rejuvenated, the club has also invested in new grounds equipment to ensure the surface is maintained in top class condition. Brian continued, "As part of the project, we included the purchase of a new Kubota tractor with a 270 litre sprayer and a specialised drag brush attachment, to ensure the new pitch surface is well looked after."

Council Support

Brian highlighted the tremendous support received from Newry Mourne and Down District Council. “The rejuvination work on the pitch and the purchase of the ground maintenance equipment were only made possible by the financial support we received from NM&DCC. Last year, the council awarded the club a 75% grant for the £50,000 spend towards the whole project. We're all really grateful to the council for their financial assistance and ongoing support.”