Refurbishment of the pitches at Coventry City’s Ryton training ground is underway!
Extensive work and investment is planned for the pitches at the site, with both pitches and also warm-up areas being totally reconstructed for the 2023/24 season.
To enable this, work started last week on ‘Pitch 2’ – this being the pitch which had a standard renovation last season, not the installation of a hybrid surface. The existing pitch will be ripped up over the coming weeks.
The Sky Blues will train exclusively on ‘Pitch 1’ until the end of the campaign when reconstruction of this Pitch will also get underway, with the full removal of the existing Hybrid carpet pitch.
Both Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 will have the same state-of-the-art surface installed, considerably upgrading the pitches that the Sky Blues train on day-to-day at their Ryton base.
There will be synthetic fibres stitched into the ground throughout the new pitches. These fibres will give increased stability to the structure and then allow for better grass growth.
Both pitches will have extensive drainage and new pop-up irrigation systems installed.
Elsewhere, netting and fencing around the site will be replaced over the next few months while grounds infrastructure, such as the water tank, will also be moved. Netting has already been removed on Pitch 2.
The fence line will be expanded to maximise the space available to the Club within the Ryton site boundary, allowing for the creation of new storage areas and marginally increasing the size of the grassed areas.
This forms part of the long-term plan for the Ryton Training Ground, as new Executive Chairman and Owner Doug King seeks to improve the working environment for the Sky Blues players and staff.
Head of Grounds Dale Gregory said:
“I’m delighted to see the work on the pitches get underway, it has come together in a very short space of time.
“This is an extensive reconstruction of all the playing surfaces as we look to vastly improve the training ground. By doing this we are providing the players and coaching staff with the best possible surfaces for them to train on.”
Executive Chairman Doug King said:
“It’s great that the reconstruction of the training pitches at Ryton is now underway.
“This is an important project as we invest significantly in the facilities which our players and staff train on day-in, day-out.
“This will make a considerable difference to our facilities and preparation, and we look forward to completion of the work later in the year.”
Manager Mark Robins said:
“The work being undertaken on the pitches will see us have two high quality surfaces to train, which will help us significantly, as well as the areas around the site. This is the start of our work in improving the environment at the training ground, and something we’re looking forward to seeing progress.”
We will provide regular updates to fans as the work progresses!
