Vitesse has seized the winter break to replace the turf in GelreDome with immediate effect. The Arnhemmers report on the club website that the work started on Monday, January 3, and that a completely new field will be built in mid-January. It will be the second time in a year that Vitesse replaces the turf in the stadium.
“The replacement of the turf is the result of the impact of the large number of matches in the first half of the season on the condition of the pitch,” Vitesse said via official channels. “In view of the short-term recovery perspective and the busy schedule in the coming months, this is the best way to literally and figuratively lay a good foundation for the second half of the season.”
The new turf must be ready to play on January 18, when Vitesse will take on DVS’33 Ermelo in-house in the TOTO KNVB Cup. Thomas Letsch was already critical about the pitch in GelreDome in mid-December after the won home game against Heracles Almelo (2-1). “We have now won three in a row, but we are already in December and we are getting a bit tired. It’s not that easy anymore and that also has to do with the field,” said the Vitesse trainer Broadcasting Gelderland.
“Just walk over it and look at it,” Letsch continued. “The field is uneven, there is little grass and the ball doesn’t roll well. You can see that we can play well on artificial grass at Cambuur, or at Rennes and Tottenham. Here it is less. But once that is the case, we have to adapt to that. We still have to go home against Sparta and PEC, but after that we definitely have to look at it. I think it’s good if the field is replaced again.” So letsch has been listened to. Vitesse also replaced the turf in February 2021, because it had suffered a lot of damage.
Related
More sports news