Pollok FC is proud of the fact that for many years, the Newlandsfield playing surface has been the envy of clubs across Scotland. However, it does not take an expert to see that in recent months it has not been near the standard that you are accustomed to, so we feel it is important to update supporters on the reasoning behind the recent issues with the surface.

The park faced some challenging weather in November, but it held up well and things were looking good as we moved into the festive period. However, patches of a white growth began to appear, which quickly spread, causing the grass to wilt. Kev from Greentech informed us that it was Fusarium, and that it was the worst case he had ever seen. This is a fungus, common on football parks and golf courses, which thrives in damp conditions. Large swathes of the turf died, causing the patches which are visible now. We have scarified the park twice, and now that the longer days and higher temperatures are here, have applied fertiliser. We are beginning to see an improvement in the surviving grass, and are cutting and watering regularly to encourage the plants to spread and grow. A longer close-season and good weather over the summer will help, as we wait to see how it recovers.

We understand how supporters feel seeing the park like this, and have great sympathy for our players and management, who are having to play on a sub-par pitch which is the worst it has been for forty years.

A special thank you must go to all the patrons of our Pitch In initiative which raised £2000 in the summer to go towards pitch maintenance, and over the summer we will re-launch this, with all funds raised going to support the park’s recovery. Look out for it at the end of the season.

A massive thank you as always must go to the ground team of Campbell, Graham and Scott who have worked tirelessly to make the park the best it can possibly be in the most difficult of circumstances this season. Here’s hoping that with their hard work, help from the wider support, and a bit of luck we can begin the next season with a playing surface we can all be proud of again.