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Work Underway To Prepare Pitch
Written by Newcastle Utd
Work to prepare to the St. James' Park pitch for the new Barclays Premier League season has started this week
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
Work has begun to prepare the St. James' Park pitch for next season.
The final ball of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League campaign was kicked less than two weeks ago, then Newcastle United's stadium hosted Rugby League's Magic Weekend and several Play on the Pitch games for supporters.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the old surface was removed and by Friday lunchtime, the foundations of a brand new pitch were well underway.
"At the moment, we're at the latter stages of construction," explained groundsman Andrew Tully. "Once the final rake goes on, we'll be ready for seed.
"The top has been taken off, all the vegetation has been removed and 150 tonnes of fibre-elastic product - which is what holds the root together - has been added.
"The seed will be going in the ground on Friday night, with any luck, and then it's a case of watering.
"We'll be looking to see it green in five to seven days and probably cutting it after ten."
Last summer, work on the pitch started after the Kings of Leon concert and the hallowed turf was still in pristine condition by the time Newcastle entertained West Ham on the final day of the campaign - a source of real pride for Tully and his colleagues.
"We had one of the strongest pitches we've ever had," said Tully, who has been with the Club for 14 years.
"That's thanks to new products we're using and a lot of new sprays and fertizers. We've built a programme and, because of having the Rugby World Cup as well, we know we've got to be even stronger."
Earlier this week, neighbours Middlesbrough became the first football club in Britain to use high-pressure steam to renovate their playing surface.
The steam removes turf impurities such as the nematode parasite, which affects pitches up and down the country.
But while Newcastle are always looking for ways to make their pitch even better, Tully said: "If we were starting to notice areas that were bad and it was down to nematode damage, going forward we'd probably look at something.
"But if it's playing well, it's rooted well and it's looking great, why change anything?"
The deadline for season ticket renewals for next season's Barclays Premier League campaign has been extended to 10th June. Click here to renew