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Celtic begin two-year plan to replace turf at Celtic Park

By Andrew Coppens

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 08: Patrick Roberts of Celtic celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Ladbroke Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on May 8, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 08: Patrick Roberts of Celtic celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Ladbroke Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on May 8, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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There were many a reason to celebrate all season long at Celtic Park this past year. But, the playing surface the players were facing certainly wasn’t one of them.

As the season ended, Celtic players can start to celebrate about the pitch they will be playing on as well. That’s because the club is embarking on a two-year project that will see a hybrid pitch being installed at Paradise.

With the short nature of the offseason, the work has to be spread out over two off-seasons, but will eventually mean Celtic will be playing on a pitch that should be familiar to many fans in the United States.

It will be natural grass, but infused with hybrid grass sewn in to strengthen the pitch and keep it looking good despite weather and wear-and-tear. Think what happened at Lambeau Field for the Green Bay Packers.

Perhaps the most important part of what will happen is taking place as we speak. The pitch has been pulled up and work is being done below the surface. It means a new irrigation system, a new drainage system and a new underground heating system.

Stage 1 will end with the following per the club:

"Gravel will then be spread to form a single drainage layer followed by lower and upper rootzone, before then applying pre-turfing fertilizer and preparing the turf bed. The final part of Stage 1 will be to lay the imported turf ready for season 2017/18."

There were plenty of times throughout the season in which considerations were made as to which players would play based on the surface at Celtic Park. Manager Brendan Rodgers made his displeasure with the surface well known and it appears the club is listening to its manager.

Phase 2 will take place over the end of this upcoming season, with the club noting the process as the following:

"Stage 2 will begin at the end of season 2017/18 with the imported turf laid the previous year being removed and a new grass cover established by seeding with the hybrid reinforcement being ready for use in season 2018/19."

No doubt the players will appreciate the investment and we won’t be seeing dead grass all over the place anymore either.

It’s just another example of Celtic working to attract and keep some of the best talent in the world. We’ll see just how well this works, but if the systems installed in the United States are any indication, expect this new hybrid system to be a great investment for the club.

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