Oriel Park pitch repairs complete after flare damage

By Laura Hogan

Repair works have been completed at Dundalk’s Oriel Park after the newly installed astroturf pitch was damaged by flares.

The damage happened during a recent fixture between Dundalk FC and Drogheda United, when flares were thrown by Drogheda fans onto the new surface, leaving some 50 scorch marks behind.
A 12-year-old boy was also struck by a flare and sustained burns to his face.

Both clubs condemned the incidents, which sparked calls from the Minister of Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD for the FAI to take action to stamp out the use of flares.

Drogheda United said it would cover the full cost of the damage and was also fined €15,000 by the League of Ireland’s disciplinary committee.

Drogheda fans were also banned from attending their next four away games since that Louth derby match last month.

Today, the specialist contractor PST Sport has said that after a full assessment, it worked closely with Dundalk FC to restore the FIFA Quality Pro artificial pitch to “world class” standard.

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