Dejphon Chansiri denies pitches/injury link at Sheffield Wednesday and confirms future plans

Sheffield Wednesday chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, has confirmed that pitch renovations will take place at both Hillsborough and Middlewood Road once the 2020/21 season is over.
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The Owls were unable to relay the pitch at S6 over the last preseason due to the quick turnaround between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, a fact that has led to the understandable deterioration of the playing surface over the course of the last few months.

Meanwhile, with numerous injuries being sustained in recent times, there have been questions marks as to whether the playing surface at the training ground has had something to do with it.

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And it’s an issue that has now been brought up with the chairman during a Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Engagement Panel.

According to the minutes released from the most recent meeting ‘the panel questioned if ongoing injury issues are caused by the condition of the pitch and/or training facilities’.

And went on to explain, “DC said that normally, all the pitches are re-laid at the end of every season but the pandemic has made that plan impossible and the pitch surfaces have suffered at almost all clubs as a result.

“But DC said the science suggests that while it is easy to blame the pitches for injuries, this is not the case. The data points to the general physical elements of training and playing, especially in such a congested calendar, it is the same in the Premier League, not just the Championship.

Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough and Middlewood Road will undergo pitch renovations after the season has ended. (Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough and Middlewood Road will undergo pitch renovations after the season has ended. (Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)
Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough and Middlewood Road will undergo pitch renovations after the season has ended. (Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)
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“DC said of course the overused pitches do not help but are not the root cause of injuries. He said significant pitch investments have been made at the main stadium and training ground and confirmed the pitch renovation at Hillsborough and Middlewood Road would begin as soon as the season is over.”

Wednesday have just one home game left to play – against Nottingham Forest this coming weekend – before they take on Derby County on May 8th in their final match of the campaign.

At this point in time it remains to be seen whether the Owls will be in the Championship or League One come 2021/22, but with a four-point gap separating them from safety, the odds are certainly stacked against them.

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