Video and pictures show pitch transformation
AFC Wimbledon’s pitch has undergone a radical transformation in recent weeks with Head Groundsman Gabor Tanczos overseeing a process that he believes will make the playing surface better than ever.
Gabor (pictured), who has been full-time at the club for two years, has ensured that the pitch will be in pristine condition by the time AFC Wimbledon face Chelsea in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, 19 July.
That’s not a scenario that some may have thought possible just a few weeks ago when all of the grass was removed to leave a rather unusual view at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
But a rapid process has seen the pitch change dramatically in the space of 14 days and our photo gallery above illustrates this.
. It shows parts of the process, which includes using machinery for koroing (removing grass from the pitch), rotavating (blades go 20cm into the soil to allow grass to root deeper into the ground), laser levelling and seeding.You TubeA video showing renovation work on the pitch can now also be viewed by clicking on
Gabor, who hails from Hungary and has a football background as he played for FC Keszthely in his homeland, says that using a laser levelling machine this summer will improve the pitch.
“We’ve used lots of different equipment including koroing, rotavating and laser levelling machines,” said Gabor. “But this is the first year that we’ve got contractors from outside to help because we did not have a laser levelling machine. This machine makes a big difference because we had some small slopes and bumps on the pitch. You cannot get rid of these unless you laser level the pitch.
“We’ve been making changes every year. Last year we used professional lawn care company Rigby Taylor for the first time to provide good fertiliser for the pitch. Now every three weeks we put fertiliser down to feed the pitch, something that we did not do previously. We’re getting better all the time at what we do.”