The long awaited development of Ballinlough football pitch is well and truly underway, after much debate and consideration the club committee has given the green light to the drainage and resurfacing of the football pitch. It has also been proposed that a walking track, which will be available to all members of the community, will be laid around the pitch.
Tree feeling around the outside of the pitch has commenced, it will increase the available space for parking and the walking track, lending their expertise on Saturday afternoon were: (L to R) Fergal Mc Cabe, Pauraic Gaughran, Bernard O' Reilly (B), Hugh Mc Donnell and Seamus Mc Namee.
Following a wet year during 2012 during which many games had to be cancel it was decided that the drainage and resurfacing of the pitch was a necessity to facilitate the increasing number of matches taking place on a yearly basis. Until recent times Ballinlough football pitch had been considered one of the driest playing surfaces in the county but in the last few years it had become unplayable during long spells of the year.
The fencing has now been removed from around Ballinlough pitch and it has been closed down as an official playing venue for 2013 it is the intention of the development committee to commence the actual resurfacing of the pitch in April and to have the pitch back in use during the summer of 2014.
Despite difficult weather conditions tree cutting is coming along well, with a lot of people working on Saturdays and some even helping out during the week. Lighter branches are burned while heavier branches and tree are chopped and bagged for sale in the future. The pitch has been sprayed off and will start to die off early in April with view to playing the pitch in the middle of the month.
Pitch development is now well underway with the trees around the trees around the pitch removed, the pitch has also been sprayed off and is now ploughed.
Leveling of the pitch has now commenced, the first step is to remove all the topsoil off the pitch and then work can begin on leveling the pitch.
The main contractors ANDJON have laid hardcore around the perimeter of the pitch with view to putting in the putting in the path early in January, it is also hoped that the fence will be erected early in the month.