Jim Davison, head groundsman at Keepmoat Stadium, has said that he and his staff will be doing all they can to ensure that the playing surface is the best it can be for the 2015/16 season.
Jim and his team will be hard at work over the summer months renovating the Stadium’s main pitch to help Rovers achieve the best possible results when, in August, the first ball of the season is kicked in anger.
“We’ve got up to seven weeks with which to complete the job and by the time there is a fixture on the pitch in mid-July we should have a pitch that is not far from completion and will be suitable for Paul Dickov and his side,” he said.
“We’ve done the renovations at the training ground and all around the Keepmoat complex and the feedback has been great.
“Talking about the stadium pitch, specifically, we’ll take the top 20-30mm off and try to stand the ‘Desso’ fibres up on our playing surface.”
Keepmoat Stadium’s main pitch – which is 3% plastic (Emirates Stadium and Wembley Stadium are both 6%) – is one of the busiest in the country and keeps Jim and his staff – some of whom are volunteers – on their toes.
“It’s been hard work this year as we’ve had to prepare the pitch for up to eighty games – everything from Doncaster Rovers to Doncaster Rovers Belles, Doncaster Rugby League and Sheffield Eagles,” he said.
“The last time we had a postponement is probably going back three seasons or so at Christmas so we’re happy with that and it’s because we’re putting in the work now. We also keep monitoring the weather forecasts in the winter months to make sure we’re prepared if we do have frost or snow.
“We’re grateful for the volunteers we have – in particular Jake Marshall who comes every Thursday and on a matchday because one day he’ll be a good groundsman and will be valuable to any team going forward.
“I don’t think there is another pitch in the country which gets as much use as ours and while we might have to address that, there are certain things we can do to improve the lifespan of the pitch.”
So how will the pitch shape up by the time Paul Dickov’s side return for the 2015/16 League One season?
“To be fair Paul’s not really got involved, he doesn’t have a hitlist and is quite cooperative,” he said.
“People do understand that we’ve got a heavy workload and the job that we do but we hope that by the time Rovers come back, we’ll have an all singing, all dancing new surface for Paul and his team to hopefully push us on to the Championship in the not too distant future.”
You can see Paul Dickov's side in action at the Keepmoat next season for as little as £15.61 per game! To buy your season ticket, CLICK HERE