How long will the pitch at Stožice Stadium remain in a sorry state? Šport Ljubljana will renovate the playing surface, but only in the spring of next year
Photo: Planetnogomet.si
Olimpija became the subject of public ridicule after their last home European match in 2023. Desperate attempts to drain excess water from the field before the Lille match echoed even abroad. Many vented, exaggerating as usual, unwittingly forgetting that Olimpija isn’t to blame for the sorry state of the playing surface.
Olimpija regularly uses the Stožice stadium, which is not under its ownership. The largest facility in the country is managed by Sport Ljubljana, who clarified that the extensively damaged field primarily results from considerable overuse. In 2023, there were 32 matches and 28 training sessions held at Stožice.
Miraculous improvements in the turf aren’t expected. Olimpija will continue playing on a relatively poor surface for a while, but Sport Ljubljana has announced the renovation of the pitch. However, this won’t happen soon; it’s scheduled for spring next year.
“Since 2018, the stadium’s field has been a so-called hybrid turf, where artificial fibers are integrated into the natural grass up to 18cm deep. This system enhances horizontal and vertical stability, allowing for greater use, but it also requires regular annual maintenance and renewal, necessitating 6-8 weeks of non-use of the field. Unfortunately, regular annual maintenance of the Stožice grass wasn’t feasible this year due to numerous matches in the extended domestic league, the Slovenian national team’s qualifiers, and the early start of Olimpija’s European matches,” Sport Ljubljana informed Sportklub.
Sport Ljubljana: “Heavy rain and adverse weather conditions”
Furthermore, Sport Ljubljana (led by former handball player Tanja Polajnar as the director) shared the previously mentioned statistics of matches and training sessions, emphasizing: “Despite our maintenance team employing all known methods and practices available domestically and internationally to ensure the field is always as prepared as possible, it still sustains considerable damage after each use. This year, however, it’s notably worse due to heavy rains and adverse weather conditions. In our quest to restore the field to its former glory, we plan to commence renovation as soon as feasible, likely in spring 2024. Until then, we’ll do our best, implementing all known measures, to address the current state. We hope the football pitch at the Stožice Stadium will witness many more football stories, and believe us, our tireless maintenance team will be most delighted and proud when the field is in its best form.”
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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