Note that this page is from our Gresley Rovers archive. It may not be related to the new Gresley Rovers (formerly Gresley FC until 2020).
What holiday?
Nev, Colin & Matty
One of the most important assets any football club has is its pitch. Unfortunately, Gresley Rovers is not blessed with a billiard table pitch which is only used once every fortnight as some clubs have.
As with most Non-League clubs, matches are played every week at the Moat Ground with first team, reserves and youth team all using the pitch at various times and towards the end of the season the ground is also used for the cup finals of local leagues. All this activity gives the pitch an enormous battering and it is a band of dedicated volunteers who have to get the pitch playable week in week out. As a result of their hard work the pitch has lasted the season in better shape than most in our league and all credit must go to them.When all the fans are dreaming of next season and possibly watching the World Cup or heading off for exotic climes these “groundsmen” will be working at the Moat Ground for the next couple of months preparing the playing surface and getting it ready for the start of next season.
For most of us that seems a long long way away. But to this band of workers the time from the last kick of a ball to the first of the new season at the Moat seems incredibly short when you’ve got to repair the worn areas, sow seed, roll, mow, mark out the lines generally paint and tidy up.
At the end of last season a new drainage system was laid to prevent water logging. This has been a great success seeing the centre part of the pitch, a problem area for years, draining very well in spite of one of the wettest Autumn / Winters on record.
With the terrific number of matches (over 70) played on the Moat Ground this season the middle of the pitch and the goalmouths took a beating. This is the priority work being carried out with the worn areas being cleared and prepared for re-seeding.
As well as the pitch repairs there is what someone called ‘painting and decorating’ to be done. Items such as the goal posts will have a new coat of paint, the perimeter boards will be spruced up and the ground generally painted and tided up ready for the first fans to come through the turnstiles.
All this necessary hard work is carried out by a small band of unsung heroes who go about their work quietly putting in many hours for the love of Gresley Rovers.
To each one of them, the fans of Gresley Rovers say a big thank you.
I’m sure that if anyone has an hour or two to spare and would be willing to give a hand up at the Moat during the next couple of months you would be made most welcome.
