Stadium Management SA(SMSA) is racing against the clock to have the FNB Stadium pitch in a playable condition for Wednesday’s league opening match between Kaizer Chiefs and Polokwane City.
However, SMSA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar ruled out any doubt about the match taking place at the venue, stating that with their 24-hour operation, the pitch will be in a playable condition.
This comes after the Orlando Stadium, which SMSA also manages, came under heavy criticism last week for its playing surface when Orlando Pirates played against Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarterfinals.
Similar to Orlando, the FNB pitch has an undesirable covering on the north side of the stadium.
In May, just before the preceding season was concluded, SMSA embarked on a complete replacement of the FNB hybrid pitch for the start of the new 2025/26 campaign. For the Orlando pitch, they decided to renovate and improve the playing surface.
Grobbelaar explained that the two pitches’ lifespan had reached expiry date, and that they were left with no choice but to commence with the renewal and refurbishment of the playing grounds because they were not going to last the whole season. The timeline for the projects was three months, and it cost about R16-million.
When the Sunday World team visited the stadium, tractors and heavy grass-stitching machines were hard at work to meet Wednesday’s deadline.
After the City match, Chiefs will play three more home matches at FNB this month, and Grobbelaar said that he was not having sleepless nights.
Said Grobbelaar: “Following a comprehensive, independent technical assessment and expert consultation with international turf specialists, SMSA replaced the ageing GrassMaster hybrid system with a brand-new state-of-the-art GrassMax hybrid pitch to ensure FNB Stadium maintains its world-class playing standard.
“Despite these challenges, SMSA is proud to confirm that the new FNB Stadium GrassMax pitch will be completed on schedule and will be ready for play by the start of the season,” he added.
He explained that this project was essential to preserve FNB Stadium’s status as one of the world’s leading football and event venues.
“Despite all the challenges, our pitch maintenance company Sporturf and their international partner, GrassMax, did great work in the execution of this crucial upgrade within an exceptionally tight timeline.
“Although the northern section of the pitch will still be in its final growth stage with the first fixtures, it will not affect playability,” Grobbelaar added.
He mentioned that they had a successful renovation at Orlando. “We adopted a scientifically recommended grass blend of Kikuyu and Fescue to replace the Kikuyu and Ryegrass mix. Sporturf has delivered in regard to the 9-week window, but they have no
control over environmental factors.”
Grobbelaar further said that the northern section will continue to improve in the coming weeks, and was looking forward to a great playing surface in the new season.
