Oldham Athletic: works on new pitch at Boundary Park begin

On Monday (May 8), the extensive programme to bring in the new pitch for the start of the 2023/24 season got underway, with the first stage seeing the current pitch being removed.

In March, it was announced that £1 million was being invested by Oldham Council to provide a new pitch at the home of Oldham Athletic, with the view to allow the stadium to host more events.

Along with the busy league schedule the Latics face each season, Oldham RLFC will also be playing their homes games at Boundary Park come the start of the 2024 season, making a new pitch all the more important.

According to Oldham Athletic, the works are the most wide-scale to have been completed on the pitch in over 25 years, and the new surface will consist of 97 per cent natural grass and three per cent plastic.

The new pitch will be partly made of plastic (Image: Oldham Athletic)

With head groundsman Dean Pickering Jr overseeing the works, the club is working with contractors Chappelow Sports Turf, who are helping on the first stage.

This has seen the vegetation removed from the pitch using a Koro Fieldtopmaker, with the fibres separated for future use.

So far, 60mm have been removed in the first pass, significantly more than during a normal renovation, according to the club.

Oldham Athletic owner Frank Rothwell, right, overseeing the works (Image: Oldham Athletic)

In total, eight inches will be removed and new drains will be installed, as well as a new system for irrigation.

This phase is due to be completed within six weeks, after which seeds will be laid in the ground, followed by the period of growing.

Within a month of the grass germinating, the hybrid pitch will be stitched in time for the new season.

Boundary Park is also seeing new dugouts being installed, while work is already underway in renovating Chapel Road and Little Wembley as part of a wider pitch improvement programme.

The stadium will also have new dugouts for the start of next season (Image: Oldham Athletic)

The improvements to the stadium and surrounding area look to make it available for use most weeks of the year, allowing for more jobs and opportunities.