National League club announces unprecedented mid-season ground rebuild and forced to move home games
ROCHDALE have announced a stunning mid-season relocation.
It comes as the club press ahead with plans to rebuild the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena.
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Rochdale have announced plans to rebuild their pitch mid seasonCredit: Getty
The club said they have ‘no confidence’ in their pitch being suitable to finish the seasonCredit: Getty
The National League outfit revealed the remarkable decision on Friday, citing the playing field continuing to be plagued by waterlogging issues resulting in two matches being postponed this season.
A statement said the club has “no confidence” they would be able to complete their scheduled fixtures this season without taking action.
Staff had deployed the “MacLeod Cover” system for recent fixtures but this was not viewed as a viable long-term solution, leading club chiefs to take drastic action.
In a statement on their website, Rochdale said: “Faced with this situation, the Club has sought, and received, permission from the National League to undertake a mid-season full rebuild of the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena.
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“With advice from our technical consultants, OBI, this rebuild will involve removing the entire profile of the pitch down to the drains.
“We will install new drainage and a gravel bed, which will be crucial in ensuring adequate drainage for years to come.
“The new pitch profiles will then be laid, and finally, a HERO hybrid carpet will form the playing surface, which will then be immediately playable.
“Undertaking a pitch rebuild mid-season is not a straightforward process and does place an unwelcome financial burden on the club.”
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Rochdale said the build process. starting on December 7 immediately after the match against Southend, will take around 4-5 weeks to complete.
The statement confirmed matches against Hartlepool United on Tuesday December 30 and Brackley Town on Saturday January 3 are set to be impacted by the works before a planned return to the stadium on Saturday January 24 when they face Truro City.
An alternative location for the games is still being discussed by the relevant parties, Rochdale added.
The club concluded: “We appreciate that there will be some inconvenience for fans and other stakeholders resulting from these fixtures being played away from the Crown Oil Arena.
“However, we are faced with little choice but to take action now.
“The action we are taking will give our team the best chance of playing out the remainder of the season on a suitable playing surface and will benefit the club for years to come with a pitch that we can be proud of.”
