Cliftonville confirm new pitch to be installed at Solitude

The Reds played their final home game of the season on Tuesday night as they beat Crusaders on penalties in the European Play-off semi-final.

A new artificial turf pitch will now be installed for the coming season after a "rigorous research and tender process".

In a statement the club said the project will take "approximately four weeks to complete".

"Cliftonville Football Club are pleased to announce that in the coming weeks, work will commence to install a new artificial turf pitch at Solitude," a statement on the club website read.

"Following a rigorous research and tender process, the Club have appointed McAvoy Construction (NI) Ltd to remove the existing surface – first installed in 2010 – and replace in with a Domo VarioSlide S Pro 50/15 pitch.

"The new field conforms to the highest standards and will be certified as a FIFA Pro pitch. As well as removing the existing surface, McAvoy’s will be repurposing it for use at other venues with the rubber crumb being utilised for equestrian sport.

"It is estimated that the project will take approximately four weeks to complete. Arrangements have been made to ensure that our Academy and Ladies teams can continue with training and games at other venues while the works take place."

It will be the second new surface for the 2021/22 campaign as Coleraine as begin work on the installation of a 4G pitch.

The Bannsiders are currently lifting the old Showgrounds surface with die-hard fans snapping up their own piece of history with individual sods, the centre circle and penalty spots all being sold off.

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