COVENTRY City have confirmed that the pitch at the CBS Arena is now ‘safe and playable’ following an inspection on Wednesday (August 24).
An independent agronomist believes that the extensive work undertaken to improve the condition of the pitch means there are now no safety concerns ahead of City’s home match against Preston North End on Wednesday, August 31.
Pitch improvement work began last week and was completed on Thursday morning (August 25) after the club, alongside Arena owners Wasps, agreed to invest a six-figure sum to improve the turf.
New synthetic fibres have been stitched into the ground throughout the pitch which will give increased stability to the existing structure and then allow for better growth now and in the future.
Additionally, areas which have been more widely damaged have been subject to extensive and increased maintenance work so they can be fully integrated with the existing pitch.
Dave Boddy, Coventry City Chief Executive, said: “This is very pleasing news and we can’t wait until next Wednesday’s game.
“The confirmation that the pitch work has been successful in making the required improvements is what Sky Blues fans have been waiting to hear.
“The Preston match will be just £20 for Adults and with the school holidays also still on in Coventry and good weather expected, it’s a great opportunity for fans to come along and support Mark Robins and the team in our first home game of the campaign.”
Coventry have been forced to postpone their opening three home matches of the season, against Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic and Huddersfield Town, after the pitch was deemed ‘unsafe and unplayable’ following the rugby sevens event at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
However, the club finally came to a resolution with landlords Wasps to improve the surface last week having triggered the dispute resolution mechanism in their 10-year agreement to play at the stadium.
