Namboole Stadium closes down for rehab
MANDELA National Stadium will be shut from all football activities for a month to enable repair the severely damaged grounds on both pitches of the ultra-modern complex.
By Fred Kaweesi
MANDELA National Stadium will be shut from all football activities for a month to enable repair the severely damaged grounds on both pitches of the ultra-modern complex.
In the four weeks, that will also affect 10 league matches, the stadium management will implement a six-stage pitch mending process that should revamp both pitches and prepare them for competitive football.
The all-inclusive strategy comes in the wake of the crisis looming over the pitch recently damaged by both the NRM national electorate convention and music concert dubbed ‘Ekigunda Kyo Mwaka’.
“We have decided to rest it for a month,†the chairman of Mandela National Stadium board of directors Jim Mugunga told the New Vision yesterday.
“What’s going to happen in that period is the stadium will still be open for business however the central pitch is going to be out of bounds.
“And this is going to apply across all stake holders who would otherwise be interested in using the pitch. We are going to write to the football clubs using it as their home ground to cooperate with us,†Mugunga added.
The two high-profile crowd gathering events left the Mandela grounds devoid of grass.
Repairing the pitch that apparently resembles a ploughed field or worse a cattle kraal will require a lot more than just irrigating.
“We have qualified capacity trained by Chinese and have also sourced technical assistance from the golf course.
“We request that all stake holders understand the state of affairs of the pitch and simply partner with us to make sure we have a better green going forward,†he stated.
Under the reconstruction process, the outside pitch will also be overhauled.
Process to improve pitch
1. Rest pitch for a month
2. Rake the pitch with spiked roller to create openings
3. Introduce treated black soil
4. Replant perches using special grass
5. Introduce fertilizer as we remove foreign parasites
6. Irrigate pitch once every evening to speed fertilization.
MANDELA National Stadium will be shut from all football activities for a month to enable repair the severely damaged grounds on both pitches of the ultra-modern complex.
In the four weeks, that will also affect 10 league matches, the stadium management will implement a six-stage pitch mending process that should revamp both pitches and prepare them for competitive football.
The all-inclusive strategy comes in the wake of the crisis looming over the pitch recently damaged by both the NRM national electorate convention and music concert dubbed ‘Ekigunda Kyo Mwaka’.
“We have decided to rest it for a month,†the chairman of Mandela National Stadium board of directors Jim Mugunga told the New Vision yesterday.
“What’s going to happen in that period is the stadium will still be open for business however the central pitch is going to be out of bounds.
“And this is going to apply across all stake holders who would otherwise be interested in using the pitch. We are going to write to the football clubs using it as their home ground to cooperate with us,†Mugunga added.
The two high-profile crowd gathering events left the Mandela grounds devoid of grass.
Repairing the pitch that apparently resembles a ploughed field or worse a cattle kraal will require a lot more than just irrigating.
“We have qualified capacity trained by Chinese and have also sourced technical assistance from the golf course.
“We request that all stake holders understand the state of affairs of the pitch and simply partner with us to make sure we have a better green going forward,†he stated.
Under the reconstruction process, the outside pitch will also be overhauled.
Process to improve pitch
1. Rest pitch for a month
2. Rake the pitch with spiked roller to create openings
3. Introduce treated black soil
4. Replant perches using special grass
5. Introduce fertilizer as we remove foreign parasites
6. Irrigate pitch once every evening to speed fertilization.