19/05/2023
With there being a lot of speculation around yesterday’s announcement I have some information which may be useful in steadying some nerves.
In case you missed the announcement, we are no longer hosting our European games at Inver. The artificial surface failed a test where ball speed is measured. You can read more on the club website.
The automatic assumption for most is that we will now play our games at Seaview to try and keep us on a surface we’re comfortable and familiar with. This will definitely not be the case as they’ve stated their venue is unavailable. ❌
The alternative preferences now are either Solitude or the Ballymena Showgrounds. Ballymena being an obvious contender due to a short travel time and capacity capabilities. Solitude however, may suit our style of play better with it being a 4G pitch. 🏟️
With both Cliftonville and Ballymena Utd not qualifying for Europe, they’ll need the cash that we can bring with these fixtures and ultimately can’t afford to turn us away. 💰
There have been some rumours about our disqualification from the competition for not naming a second ground when applying for our license. This is speculation again. Inver Park is a category 2 stadium, meaning that we do not need to name another ground in our application.
To answer another query, the club did look into replacing the surface at Inver Park before our next pitch assessment. Although we could complete the job in time, there were too many risks associated with this option and it was discarded.
There is a wider issue here with the club catering for such a large section of the community on the pitch. A lack of funding into football and sport in the town has left us in the situation we’re in today. Inver Park is always in use and we’ve suffered the consequences of being the hub to our community. Hoping the local council get to work after seeing this announcement.
I expect this issue to be resolved in the next week. That’s your lot for now Reds 🔴⚪️
