'Major' 10-year Sheffield Wednesday investment hoped to reduce player injuries
A major, long-term investment into playing facilities at Sheffield Wednesday is hoped to have an important on-field impact on team fortunes.
Work is underway at both Hillsborough stadium and at their Middlewood Road training ground to make major changes to the pitches Wednesday players both play and train on - including the largest-scale investment into the pitch at Hillsborough since the early days of Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership a decade ago.
It follows news of a significant outlay on revamping the club’s academy facilities, which are set to include new changing facilities and a fresh a ‘state of the art’ artificial pitch, as well as a new reception area and viewing gallery.
The pitch at Hillsborough has attracted criticism from fans and football figures in recent seasons, while it has been suggested the feel of the pitches at the training ground have not helped the club’s injury record. Wednesday were not alone - the 2024/25 season proved a difficult season for ground staff up and down the country, with several Championship pitches showing signs of struggle during the campaign. It is hoped such significant investment can rejuvenate both sets of S6 playing surfaces in efforts spearheaded by new head groundsman Lee Jackson.
Jackson arrived earlier this year with a world class reputation following three decades with Premier League giants Manchester City, where he worked his way up to the role of Senior Grounds Manager. Further alterations will be made to both Owls sites, ranging from aesthetic improvements to important structural revamps.
A 10-year cycle on the ‘Desso’ pitch laid in the early months of Chansiri’s ownership is up and will see a brand new top put in, with up-to-date technology set to improve its performance in midwinter months that have seen the stadium pitch look tired in recent times. The top layer of the pitch will be pulled out and the plans represent a different operation to the standard end-of-season work that occurs annually.
Explaining the changes being made to the playing surface at Hillsborough, Jackson said: “It’s like artificial grass when it goes down, it’s laid rather than stitched and then it’s built from there. Works will probably go on for four to five weeks all being well. It’ll be very similar to the playability we’ve had before, it’s just that the structure will be different. We’ve had testing done on the pitch a few weeks ago and it’s draining fine underneath, so we’ve taken the decision to take the top section out because that’s what it needs.
“We’ve had great backing from the club since I’ve come in, in terms of recognising what’s needed across both sites. The club have backed me up and backed themselves up in many ways because it’s something that will be here for the next 10 years, to get the long-term use out of it.”
The two training pitches at Middlewood Road are usually re-laid on alternating cycles. Accusations have been levelled in the past to suggest this has caused issues with injury in that one pitch is harder under foot than the other and causes inconsistencies for players’ bodies. Wednesday suffered a spate of calf injuries earlier this year and it is understood there was a school of thought to suggest the playing facilities may have had an impact.
Now, both pitches are being re-laid at the same time with fresh technology to reduce hardness and give them the same feel. It’s hoped it will offer a reduced chance of soft tissue injury throughout the cut and thrust of a busy Championship fixture schedule. The changes to Middlewood Road are said to represent to be the biggest investment on the training ground in three decades.
“The team gets a benefit because they generally train on two pitches per day, so you won’t have the inconsistencies if one pitch is done one year and one the next,” Jackson continued. “It’s for that player comfort and feel, the whole sort of thing around it is to make them so close in terms of both pitches. There’s going to be a benefit there, you’re not tending to get so many injuries going from one hardness to another. It’s a great piece of work to be done.”