New pitch could cost more than £3m, council says

Scarborough Athletic's artificial pitch was supposed to be replaced in time for the new football season in August

A new football pitch could cost more than £3m after serious structural problems were discovered at the ground, a council boss has said.

Scarborough Athletic's artificial 3G pitch was due to be replaced after the final home game of the season on 21 April, in time for the start of the new season in August.

However, a site survey revealed the pitch at the North Yorkshire Council-owned Scarborough Sports Village had major problems with its foundations and drainage system.

Council chief executive Richard Flinton said the original £300,000 resurfacing project could now cost more than £3m.

Scarborough Athletic was also informed the pitch would not be ready in time for the start of the season and would take a "substantial amount of time" to fix.

The council said it was working with the club and wanted it to be in the "driving seat" to find a short-term solution.

The pitch may take a "substantial amount of time" to fix, the club has been told

Flinton said: "The pitch is only in the region of eight years old, so it should have a much longer lifespan.

"We are having negotiations and discussions with the developer involved in putting the foundation of the pitch down.

"We're working hard with our own experts to work out what's gone wrong here with the drainage."

He said there were many options on the table but they had to be realistic about the timeframe and look for solutions in the meantime.

"If it involves the substantial relaying of foundations, reinstituting all of the drainage system again, relaying the pitch on top of all that work, then you are looking at a very substantial period of time," he said.

"That is a massive project and that's why you're talking sums of money in excess of £3m to achieve that."

Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, attended a Scarborough Athletic home game on Monday, alongside more than 2,000 fans.

"What was really striking to me was that this is more than just a football club," she said.

"It's 100% fan-owned, people volunteer many hours in many different roles to keep it ticking over.

"It brings people together, so of course people are worried and fans were pulling me aside to ask what was going to happen."

Hume said a meeting would be held this week to look for a solution but authorities were still learning about the complexities of the project.

"We need a plan of action, so that worried fans know what's going to be happening in the season to come," she added.

"We are finding the best plan to minimise the impact on the club and the fans. We all want to see Scarborough Athletic playing at their ground on a brilliant pitch."

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