Oriel Park not yet ready to be put out to grass

Dundalk have announced that their much criticised ‘plastic pitch’ at Oriel Park will be replaced in time for the start of the new SSE Airtricity League season.

However, despite the club’s long-term preference being for a return to natural turf, the new surface will instead be what they describe as a “state of the art” synthetic pitch manufactured by the Italian company Limonta Sport, whose pitch at the FAI’s National Training Centre was used by the Lilywhites in preparation for their European games last year.

On the background to the decision to install an improved artificial surface which they say “guarantees unparalleled quality in terms of long-term playability,” a Dundalk statement explains: “It is the club’s preferred option to install a new natural turf pitch. However, having examined this option with stadium and pitch developers, we believe it is not the right time for the club to return to grass.