TYNIE TURF MAKEOVER
BY ALAN MARSHALL HEARTS will shell out close to £1million to replace their Tynecastle playing surface with a hybrid pitch.
The Jambos will tear up the grass at their Gorgie home following the final Premiership game of the season in favour of a stateof-the-art surface similar to Wembley and Murrayfield.
It will be the first complete re-lay in two decades with club chiefs expecting the work to be finished in time for the Betfred Cup group stage starting in mid-July.
Tynecastle wasn’t used for the first four months of this season while the club completed work on their £15m new main stand.
But the surface came in for criticism when Craig Levein’s side returned from Murrayfield in November with the grass cutting up badly over the winter.
The work will include a new undersoil heating and irrigation system.
A Hearts spokesperson said: “We are delighted to be in a position to confirm the club will install a stateof-the-art hybrid pitch.
“This will be the first full pitch relay at Tynecastle for approximately 20 years and with a new undersoil heating and irrigation system to be installed at the same time a huge amount of work will be undertaken at a significant cost to the club.
“Given the wear and tear the current pitch has suffered over the past few seasons this new hybrid pitch is a necessity.
“We look forward to its completion and giving Craig and the first team the best playing surface possible.”