Groundsman addresses issues with the pitch at MK Dons

There have been some pretty big divots taken out of the surface at Stadium MK recently, and the grounds staff have their work cut-out to keep the pitch up to playing standard

It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the ground, but at the moment, it doesn’t look that pretty. The pitch at Stadium MK is clinging on for dear life.

With a synthetic base layer now into a 16th year of an expected 10-year lifespan, sunlight at a premium and the general wear-and-tear of a League One football season, MK Dons’ recently installed Head Estates Andy Lee and his staff have their work cut out.

He spoke with the Citizen to explain the current situation with the playing surface, what is being done to make it better and what the longer term plan is to avoid future issues with the pitch.

What is the issue with the pitch?

“The grass coverage is low, but that's quite normal for a shady stadium like this one. The pitch is old, it was first laid in 2006/07 and like anything, it deteriorates over time and we're beyond that expected lifetime of the pitch. In the last few years, we've seen the pitch get a lot worse at this time of year.

“When we get to December and January, we lose coverage because we haven't got light or the temperatures to encourage growth. At this time of year, it's just dormant.”

Wasn’t the pitch re-laid last summer?

“A normal renovation for most stadium pitches is a Koro renovation. It's a machine which is set to a certain depth to take off the vegetation.

“We took off all the grass coverage but left the stitched fibres in the pitch. We stripped off the vegetation as much as possible, we brush the fibres to stand them up again and put down around 100 tonnes of sand and over-seed and aerate to grow it in.

“It's not a relay of a brand new pitch. The fibres are still there, and age over time.”

What is being done now to make it better?

“A lot of it is after-game repairs, making sure it’s as clean as possible. We roll it and ensure we have a flat surface. We stick to a regular feeding, fertilising and chemical programme, and a lot of that is based on our analysis of the plant and soil. We follow it as best we can, but at this time of year, the most we can do is repair work.

“We try to re-stitch the worst areas but it is so time-consuming. We try to do the worst areas first.

“The misconception is using undersoil heating to give us the temperature but it doesn't give us the light we need for photosynthesis. We need both. Light is the biggest issue, especially at the edge of the pitch. But we're getting through the worst period and hopefully we can get back to the way it was at the start of the season.”

Will be be re-laid in the summer?

“We've got a busy summer with events. The pitch will get taken out, more than a normal Koro procedure. All the fibres will be pulled out for the first time since it was put in in 2006. We'll add in new, clean material, rotavate the top three or four inches, laser-level it, and then we've got a bed for a new hybrid turf pitch which is being grown in Lincoln.

“It will come in, it will be knitted and stitched together. Then we've got to let it settle, but we've only got eight or nine days before the Women's Euros start.”

Does the grounds team need to be invested in further if Dons are to be successful?

“We're not looked at enough, not just as this club but industry wide. We can improve as a department in every way, and we're slowly getting there. I've been here about six months, all the staff are on board and we're all working hard. We've got to improve over time and play our part.

“As a department, the role we can play is to make the surface as high-performing as possible. With Dons' style, it's about moving the ball about on the surface and we want it to work to our advantage as a team. We're aware of the role we can play, so we're working as hard as we can to provide them with that surface.

“We will end the season well, from a department point of view, but at the moment it doesn't look like much. The pitch should be in a much better place in the last couple of months of the season.”