Scarborough Athletic Pitch Could be Out of Action for 44 Weeks And Cost £3m to Repair

A Scarborough Councillor has been told repairs to the 3G pitch at Scarborough Sports Village could take 44 Weeks to complete once a decision to go ahead with repairs is approved and could cost £3m to repair.

In a post on social media Councillor Rich Maw says he received an update from North Yorkshire Council Officers on Friday answering a number of questions he had posed to them about the evolving situation with the pitch at the Sports Village.

Councillor Maw says:

The take away is this, we are looking at a possible 44 WEEK period of time for delivery AFTER it is decided by the Executive (which is not yet a given) to proceed!

It appears there may also be possible legal challenges ahead also. 

The more we learn about this, the worse it gets...In summary, this appears to be a horrendous own-goal and will be devastating news to SAFC, fans, sponsors and the entire town.

Councillor Maw has posted the response he received from the council to a number of question he put forwards including some asked by concerned fans.

How long will this take?

"The works are complex and require 2 packages of procurement, one for the civil/structural work and one for the pitch resurfacing as well as statutory consultation with the Environment Agency and Building regulations submission.

Following any decision to proceed tenders, award of contract, mobilisation and construction would take approximately 44 weeks. The Civil works require a full procurement given the scale and cost.

We are currently exploring options with the Club, the League and the FA around whether there is any possibility of flexibility or remedial works to enable match play to continue on the pitch whilst the issues are worked through but  officers are not hopeful given the advice they have had about the state of the pitch.

In any event given the scale of the works it would be extremely tight to complete the construction during the closed season (2026) (with the tender/mobilisation periods taking place prior to this)."

Why has the drainage system failed and who signed this off as satisfactory for football matches?

"The pitch has failed prematurely and the evidence from the surveys shows a wider problem with the construction of the drainage resulting in ground instability. This has clearly got worse since the facility was constructed in 2017. To prevent further premature failure the underlying issues now need to be resolved prior to resurfacing.

The surveys suggests the underlying issue is a problem with the original construction. We are assessing the evidence in relation to this and considering all options."

Who signed this off?

"In relation to pitch sign off. As a FIFA quality pitch the pitch required inspection and sign off annually, undertaken by a FIFA approved assessor. It has achieved this certification each year.

However, given the current position of the pitch and the technical advice we have received, it will not pass another inspection until the pitch is resurfaced."

Will the Council support the football club financially during this period?

"We are in dialogue with the Club about the support required as they work through options around ground share and the financial impact on them as a Club. Of course, any decisions about financial support would need to be considered in line with the Council’s governance, most likely by the Executive, depending on the level of support required."

Why has this taken so long – you have known since last year that the pitch required resurfacing?

"We have been working on this since last year and initially expected the resurfacing works to be undertaken this summer, prior to the start of the football season.

However, the information from the surveys fundamentally changed the project, both in terms of technical scope and cost. We have spent a considerable amount of time working through potential technical options and seeking specialist advice about the best solution.

The potential costs are in excess of £3million, this requires additional governance and a decision of this scale needs to be made by the Executive, alongside all options.

Given the scale of the work, this requires a full procurement, and current estimates are around 44 weeks until the pitch is fully complete and handed over (from the point of decision)"