No one likes to see a football pitch torn up, but in the case of Ascot United it’s in the name of improvement as work finally got underway on the installation of the clubs new artificial surface.
A video posted by the club on social media shows diggers rolling across the hallowed Racecourse Ground turf and preparing it for the new full size 3G surface.
A post on the clubs website revealed that the pitch should be ready by the end of September: “After months of delay for legal and technical reasons, SIS, the main contractors moved on to our Racecourse Ground this morning to begin construction of our new 3G full size pitch which we hope to take responsibility for by the end of September.”
Read more: There’s no more pitch at Ascot United!
In January, the club were granted planning permission by Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council and secured funding in March for the installation.
An earlier statement from the club said: “This is the most significant change in the club’s history and will have a major impact on the club and all our members. Once the contractors are on site we will be regularly updating you with progress, about the implications for footwear, the opening and closing times of the clubhouse facilities, playing 9 and 11 a side matches on the 3G, the formal opening of the site and all the other things you need to know.”
Watch the diggers remove the surface from the Racecourse Ground:
Ascot aren’t the only club undergoing ground improvements this summer, nearby Wokingham & Emmbrook have been busy installing floodlights for the first time at Lowther Road along with hard standing around the pitch and a new stand.
