State-of-the-art pitch for Bootle’s Berry St Stadium
BOOTLE have confirmed that a new state of the art Hybrid Pitch has been installed at the club’s Berry Street Garage Stadium.
The new pitch is part of a pilot scheme supported by Sport England, The Football Foundation, The Football Association and the Liverpool County FA.
The club’s hierarchy initially met in May of last year to discuss the project and its feasibility, and after they secured the required investment, with help from the club’s main sponsor, Berry Street Garage, the project was given the green light.
A complete renovation of the pitch has since been undertaken with a completely new drainage system, a full irrigation system, including pop up sprinkler heads, installed.
The Bucks’ new Hybrid Pitch consists of a stitched carpet of ‘grass’ fibres that is 5%of the overall coverage with the remaining 95% being grass, with similar pitches currently being used by top European clubs.
A statement from the club read: “Bootle Football Club are delighted to announce a new state of the art Hybrid Pitch has been installed as part of a pilot scheme supported by Sport England, The Football Foundation, The Football Association and with support from the Liverpool County FA.
“The investment and state of the art pitch means that once social distancing guidelines are relaxed and we return to football the hybrid pitch will allow us to hold more games on the main pitch and include training, small sided games & leagues with plenty of community use.”
While the Bucks are also keen to hear from local clubs, leagues and community groups over the using the facility, and are also keen to add a groundsman to the club’s staffing roster in the coming weeks.
“We are keen to hear from clubs, leagues and community groups who want to join us and explore opportunities to play their games and realise the potential of this fantastic community asset, “the statement added.
“The pitch will allow us to generate extra income to facilitate the growth of the club both on and off the pitch and allow us to become a much bigger club out in the community.
“The club will have to invest back into the pitch and we will be looking to recruit a groundsman in the coming weeks to help us keep the pitch one of the best in the North West.”
Before the statement concluded: “This project could not have been made possible without the help and hard work of the teams at PSD, J.Mallinson (Ormskirk) and Berry Street Garage.
“We are also making lots of improvements to the ground that will complement the pitch and our special thanks to Joe Doran, Dave Miley, Joe Johnson and the volunteers who continue to make this all possible.
“The rain we are having now is great for the grass and we are optimistic that the pitch will be ready in time for when the football returns, whenever that may be.
“For now, continue to keep safe and we look forward to seeing you as soon as we can.”
The Football Association confirmed back in April that the 2019/20 campaign was over with immediate effect for clubs at steps three to six, with no promotion or relegation taking place.
And the Bucks are yet to receive any indication from the North West Counties League or the FA about when their 2020/21 season will commence.
However, it is understood that Bucks boss Joe Doran is in regular contact with the club’s players from last season and has also held provisional talks with a small number of players over joining the club this summer.
But at this moment in time, it appears the normal start date in August is a no goer and the start of the new season will be pushed back due to the current social distancing measures in place.