The Pitch

[IndoMike]

As I posted before, the pitch was replaced in the summer of 2010, not 2 years ago. IIRC further work on the drainage was done the following summer, but IMO it has deteriorated over time since then.

The pitch was renovated in 2016 over a period of several days. I've just seen a video of the renovation in action. I'm afraid you're wrong again

 

[Alistair20000]

The pitch was renovated in 2016 over a period of several days. I've just seen a video of the renovation in action. I'm afraid you're wrong again

Shirley "replaced" and "renovated" are different procedures.

Here to help.

 

[IndoMike]

Shirley "replaced" and "renovated" are different procedures.

Here to help.

Well, all the turf was taken off, sand was laid down ++. Presumably the point was to make it good again. To replace = to place, remove, and place again....to restore to a former position.

 

[malcolms]

Wasn't a settlement reached with the company that did the pitch? I had understood legal advice had been taken.

If that was the case then sadly, it didn't seem to be widely publicised...As I said on an earlier post, the club representative praised the contractors for the job they did and it's difficult to go back after this and suggest the job was sub standard. I think the contractor even used the quotes on his own site to promote the expertise it had in sports surfaces...

 

[John William]

The pitch was renovated in 2016 over a period of several days. I've just seen a video of the renovation in action. I'm afraid you're wrong again

Wrong as in right, again. Do some research before you post.

The pitch was replaced and moved diagonally towards the BB / Flybe in the summer of 2010. It needed remedial work the following summer especially to the drainage in front of where the new changing rooms are, and IIRC there was a claim against the company that did the original work. Since then it has had the normal renovation and refreshment each summer - scarifying, reseeding, etc. - as you admit, this was only a few days work, hardly a major project! Clive Pring has explained all this several times, and this prompted me to read up a bit about the process.

However, last summer this was not done because of the late finish to the season (playoff semifinals) and early start to this one. Read this article from almost exactly 4 years ago (25 March 2014) if you don't believe me. It even talks, presciently, about how if we got into the playoffs if would affect the pitch the following season.

"I suppose our biggest concern is the possibility of play-off involvement, which would be fantastic for the club, but which would determine the start date of our renovations. The difference could be almost a month's delay," he reckons.

....

"We are always looking to invest in our pitches, if money becomes available, but this is usually only when we sell one of our younger players.

https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/exeter-city-the-other-st-james-park.html

Also this from 2010.

https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/championship-standard-pitch-for-exeter-city.html

Both found in less than a minute on Google...

 

[LOG]

I know this is a made up example Lionel; the installation of the undersoil heating was the giveaway. Seriously though, are we to take it that the undersoil drainage system that it feels like it was installed a couple of years ago - is knackered? I can understand to a reasonable extent why the pitch is somewhat buggered, but I dont see a pitch thats as bad as ours on our away travels. In any event, are we to take it that the pitch drainage isnt any good anymore?

Do we really have no recourse on the installation firm whereby they aren't beyond responsibility? I suppose the alarm bells should have started to ring when that company were called back after a couple of months because of a recurring problem. I know they dug a big hole over by the Flybe and I assume we were satisfied with the result. Now I take it that ideally we need the whole thing doing over again. I dont know how much 40k is going to buy us, but surely we shouldnt be looking at total relaying again including drainage?

It isn't made up actually.

The main problem with our pitch and which contributes to the drainage problems is, i understand, that it's soil based whereas the modern Desso pitches are sand based. Unfortunately, i don't think you can't just get rid of the soil and replace it with sand as different drainage is needed.

The work done a couple of years ago was, i think, essentially scraping off the topsoil, replacing it then re-seeding and that's what's planned at the end of this season.

 

[IndoMike]

Wrong as in right, again. Do some research before you post.

The pitch was replaced and moved diagonally towards the BB / Flybe in the summer of 2010. It needed remedial work the following summer especially to the drainage in front of where the new changing rooms are, and IIRC there was a claim against the company that did the original work. Since then it has had the normal renovation and refreshment each summer - scarifying, reseeding, etc. - as you admit, this was only a few days work, hardly a major project! Clive Pring has explained all this several times, and this prompted me to read up a bit about the process.

However, last summer this was not done because of the late finish to the season (playoff semifinals) and early start to this one. Read this article from almost exactly 4 years ago (25 March 2014) if you don't believe me. It even talks, presciently, about how if we got into the playoffs if would affect the pitch the following season.

"I suppose our biggest concern is the possibility of play-off involvement, which would be fantastic for the club, but which would determine the start date of our renovations. The difference could be almost a month's delay," he reckons.

....

"We are always looking to invest in our pitches, if money becomes available, but this is usually only when we sell one of our younger players.

https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/exeter-city-the-other-st-james-park.html

Also this from 2010.

https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/championship-standard-pitch-for-exeter-city.html

Both found in less than a minute on Google...

I'm not talking about the playoff situation and the reduced time for tender loving care for the pitch. Why are you raising that topic when it's already been established and is irrelevant to the topic we are discussing? You implied that the last major work done was in 2010 : I don't believe that's true. Regarding research first, I m afraid that although you seem to speak with the voice of authority in fact you are sometimes wrong, so I have no reason to automatically believe that what you say is right.

 

[IndoMike]

It isn't made up actually.

The main problem with our pitch and which contributes to the drainage problems is, i understand, that it's soil based whereas the modern Desso pitches are sand based. Unfortunately, i don't think you can't just get rid of the soil and replace it with sand as different drainage is needed.

The work done a couple of years ago was, i think, essentially scraping off the topsoil, replacing it then re-seeding and that's what's planned at the end of this season.

I accept I'm not an expert on this, but they did add extra drainage and lay 300 tons of sand before seeding in that 2016 renovation.

 

[LOG]

I accept I'm not an expert on this, but they did add extra drainage and lay 300 tons of sand before seeding in that 2016 renovation.

I don't know how far 300 tons would get you over an area the size of a football pitch but to truly be sand based you'd need to dig down 40-50cms apparently. There was also a recent interview with Clive Pring IIRC which said there's a problem with the mains sewerage outlet which isn't really big enough but it's not something the club can just go ahead and alter.

I suppose ultimately due to money and time the pitch has largely been patched up over the last few years and it would only be if the whole thing was replaced, drainage and all, that we could be confident of it holding up in periods of prolonged bad weather, like we've just been through.

 

[Gary Edward Nelson]

It isn't made up actually.

The main problem with our pitch and which contributes to the drainage problems is, i understand, that it's soil based whereas the modern Desso pitches are sand based. Unfortunately, i don't think you can't just get rid of the soil and replace it with sand as different drainage is needed.

The work done a couple of years ago was, i think, essentially scraping off the topsoil, replacing it then re-seeding and that's what's planned at the end of this season.

I think there is another major issue on the Cowshed side of the pitch in that the drains were lower that those in St James Road, so back along the surface water had to be pumped to the off-site drainage. This might have changed, though don't think the drains in St James Road have been lowered or our heroic ground staff have found a way for water to run up hill. So during typical rainfall most would percolate through the soil (aided by the sand columns that were spiked into the pitch a few years back), but in heavy rain this would not soak away but run-off to be collected for pumped discharge. In very heavy rain this pump can't cope and so it backs up and the surface water fails to get away either by soaking in or through the drains and you end up with puddles on the pitch in front of the Cowshed and postponement. I suspect the addition of 300 tones of sand was designed to improve the soak-away characteristics of the pitch, but ultimately the way extreme levels of rainwater is shed from the ground is limited by the pump capacity. Buy a bigger pump I say, unless of course during this very heavy rain the drainage in St James Road is also inundated.

Another solution would be to put a herd of sheep on the pitch at the Cat an Fiddle so it is as rough as the pitch at St James Park. The original decision was to improve the pitch at the training ground so it was the same at the 'Park' for the players benefit. Perhaps we need to apply a bit of reverse engineering, so players train on something that resembles St James Park. Cheaper and who knows we might make a profit from selling the sheep and spinning wool and making our own scarves - proper circular economy - Simples