We’ve had a busy month! We are now maintaining the pitch ourselves which means cutting the pitch weekly (until the grass growing season ends soon) and spiking it as often as possible! Turns out cutting the pitch in straight lines isn’t as easy as you might think!🙊
We’ve also had someone treat the weed which is growing all over the pitch and this has thankfully killed a load of it off. We’ll probably have to treat it again, but at £300 a pop we’ll see how it goes!😂 There’s definitely more grass on there now as well so we must be doing something right?! Still a long way off making it playable mind, all sorts of bumps and divets on it and not enough grass, but baby steps, we’ve still got a year to get it ready.
Cutting and spiking the pitch and the weed spraying machine
We’ve plodded on with this for the last 3/4 weeks so haven’t had too much to report, but this week we have been so lucky to have Smerdon Tree Services ( www.smerdons.co.uk ) offer us a massive helping hand!! They said they would come and get rid of the brambles and ferns growing on and around the pitch free of charge! We were so pleased and grateful for this offer and on Friday they came and blasted it for us! They cleared all the brambles over growing the pitch at the bottom of our ramp access and cleared right back to the fence behind where the goals used to be. They also cleared all the ferns growing on the pitch by the dugouts, removed the brambles and repaired our fence for us 😳😁! Another area needing clearing was by our container and the access leading to it which they have also completely cleared. Finally we have the corner by the fire station to clear in order to expose and repair the concrete steps beneath, this is an area where our players parents and supporters can then watch from. They made a start here but have said they will return to complete it following a meeting on site with us to tak through exactly what is required. From everyone at Treharris Mini and Junior FC, we can’t thank Smerdons enough, what you have done in a day is something that we as volunteers have already spent weeks trying to sort out, but with our little hand tools it has been proving difficult! Thank You!
Before and after photos of the ramp/corner of pitch, clearing behind the goals, access to container, touch line and repaired fence and the start on the corner
In the meantime I am trying to get the council to meet me at the ground to give a bit of advice on maintaining the pitch as it’s all new to us. I will continue to spike it and keep the length under control until we can start treating it further with the right help and guidance.
Alpha Fence are due back ASAP to complete the new fencing at the entrance and the lease is at its final stages and pretty much ready for sign off. I’ll end with a picture I took yesterday afternoon after spiking it and a photo I took from the same spot back in April, just as a reminder to myself and anyone interested of how far we have come, and hopefully in the next 5 months it will look much better again!
Thanks for reading! KJ
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