PICTURES: Elgin City Football Club dig up Borough Briggs pitch in effort to improve drainage as chairman Graham Tatters aims to get park ready for mid-July and start of next SPFL season
Elgin City will be playing on a brand new surface at their Borough Briggs stadium next season.
The Moray club began renovation last week by digging up their entire pitch in an effort to improve the surface and its drainage.
The park came under criticism last season due to its poor state during adverse weather, with Elgin struggling to gain results on their home park as they slipped into a relegation battle at the foot of League 2.
Video below from Elgin City FC Facebook courtesy of Kieron Sutherland from G Irons Verti Draining Sports Turf.
City managed to avoid bottom spot and will remain in the SPFL next term and the club has taken action on their surface with a major operation to create a smoother and better drained pitch next term.
Chairman Graham Tatters said fans will have noticed the work going on when they passed the stadium in the past few days.
"The top surface has been stripped down to the roots to smooth the area," he said on the club's website. "Once that is completed, low-lying areas will be smoothed off.
"Then there will be drainage slits across the pitch filled with 4mm to 6mm of P gravel every 500mm encompassing the full length of the surface.
"It is hoped this will improve the drainage and eradicate the areas that suffered from water retention over the last couple of seasons.
"The pitch will be covered with 80 to 100 tons of top dressing the seeded area."
With City's next campaign scheduled to begin in mid-July with the start of the League Cup competition, it means the club has little over two months to establish a new surface in time for their opening home matches.
Tatters is confident that the park will be ready in time. but said Elgin will seek to play their first fixtures at away venues if the repair work does not run to plan.
"The fact the roots have not been dug up should mean we will be ready for the start of the season," he said.
"If not we will try and ask the early fixtures to be played away from home.
"It is difficult arranging that because as you know there is a short time frame between the end of the season and the start of the cup tournament."