After the recent spell of almost continual daily rainfall, we have instructed a local, qualified referee to conduct a pitch inspection at 10am on Tuesday.
The playing surface continues to hold water and has become fairly saturated. The pitch was covered on Sunday and will remain so until Tuesday afternoon. Given the relatively warm temperatures for the time of year, the covers cannot be deployed continually over a number of consecutive days, as the grass plant is still in growth and constant covering restricts airflow to the grass.
However, given the pitch’s level of saturation before the covers were put on, and the rainfall forecast over the next 24 hours, particularly during the match itself, we have concerns about whether the match will go ahead.
It is not within the club’s control to call a postponement of the game. That is the sole responsibility of the match referee. However, we would like to ensure that any fans intending to travel to the game can make as informed a decision as possible before doing so.
As a result, we are sharing our view today that we have strong doubts as to whether it will go ahead in the circumstances we have detailed above. We are not able to provide any certainty one way or the other at this stage, as much will depend on how the pitch drains under the covers over the next 24 hours and the weather on the day itself.
We have been in contact with our counterparts at Scunthorpe and The National League, who are fully aware of the ongoing situation.
Any supporters who decide not to attend in light of this statement will be provided with a full refund. Fans can request a refund on their match ticket by emailing tickets@rochdaleafc.co.uk. Please be aware that these refunds will only be processed following the conclusion of the match, whether that is this Tuesday or on a rearranged date.
FURTHER PITCH UPDATE
As communicated earlier in this article, there are clearly ongoing drainage issues with the playing surface at the Crown Oil Arena.
Since the postponement of the Southend United fixture in September, we have undertaken a number of works in an attempt to improve this.
A Terralift machine (pictured below) was deployed on the worst areas, which uses a JCB breaker gun to hammer a hollow probe into the soil at one-meter depth. Compressed air is then released before injecting dried milled seaweed on the tail end of the air blast. This process was repeated across the pitch using two-meter centre spacings on a staggered grid pattern, before the probe holes were back-filled with aggregate to provide a semi-permanent ventilation shaft to aid the aeration process.
At the same time, an Air2G2 turf aeriation machine was deployed across the pitch, which uses high-pressure air to break up compacted soil beneath the surface, increasing porosity and boosting root growth. Finally, the ground staff have regularly pro-cored the whole pitch to try to aid drainage.
The Terralift machine cannot be deployed immediately before a match, so it is booked in for a further three days of work from Wednesday this week, given the break in home matches, alongside further use of the Air2G2 solution.
Whilst this is not the update anyone wants to communicate or receive, we feel it is important to update supporters on the ongoing and costly efforts being undertaken to manage and try to resolve this issue.
