Summer maintenance work on the pitch at Rodney Parade is already under way as we prepare for another action-packed season at the home of Dragons RFC.
Last season saw full seasons for the Men of Gwent and Newport County as well as BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championship finals, Wales Women and Under-20 international fixtures, Newport RFC, Wales Under-21 football along with FAW and WRU national finals all held at Rodney Parade.
The brilliant work of our ground staff ensured all the games went ahead and now it is time for the pitch to receive some TLC with our friends from South Wales Sports Grounds.
Koroing off the pitch – The first part of the renovation is to koro off the surface, removing any thatch and dead grass left on the surface after nine months of intense playing.
Fibres brushed - The next stage is to start to stand the fibre back up using a rotor rake in different directions, ensuring none of the fibres are buried.
Surface decompaction - The third phase is decompaction, using a Verti-drain which is spiking the ground 10 inches down. This year, due to the intense period we had towards the end of the season, we're going to add a procore, which will move in the opposite direction to the Verti-drain and will be six inches deep. The less compaction, the more it drains and the better the pitch performs.
Seeding - Then a pre-seed of fertiliser will be applied to the pitch along with 25 bags of grass seed in three different directions. It’s important that the sprinkler process is set correctly with the aim of getting the grass growing within 12 days, when the cutting process will start.
All this is to ensure that the pitch is ready for the first weekend of August and the start of the football season.
Head of Stadium Operations Jon Raymond said: “South Wales Sports Grounds have been here for the first five days of the process, doing a fantastic job.
“For me they’re the best around and they’re working with our ground staff who during the season have worked very hard.
“Due to the sheer number of games we hold at the stadium, from the first week of August to the last week of May, these next two weeks are critical to get to the level where we know we're ready to go for the 70 to 80 games we're scheduled to have next season.”
Discover more about the work of South Wales Sports Grounds by visiting www.southwalessportsgrounds.co.uk
