Sheffield Wednesday's Middlewood Road pitches under renovation - Hillsborough pitch to follow

Sheffield Wednesday’s preparations for next season are taking place not only off the pitch but, well, on them.
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The pitches at their Middlewood Road training ground are undergoing renovations and are being re-laid ahead of the summer.

Similar work on the Desso pitch at Hillsborough will commence in the coming days.

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Though no exact dates are confirmed, players and staff have ‘six or seven’ weeks off now before reporting for pre-season and will return to a new training surface.

The pitch at Hillsborough will undergo end-of-season renovation work.The pitch at Hillsborough will undergo end-of-season renovation work.
The pitch at Hillsborough will undergo end-of-season renovation work.

The work comes as a matter of course at the end of each season, though it was made impossible ahead of the 2020/21 campaign given the quick turnaround between seasons.

Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri spoke about the pitches at the club in a recent meeting with the Supporter Engagement Panel.

Minutes released from the meeting said: “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.

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“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.

“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.”

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