Wembley Stadium managing director Roger Maslin says the national stadium’s playing surface will soon be back to its best.
The famed Wembley turf has been the subject of some discussion over the past few days following a busy schedule of games for both the England Men’s Senior team and the NFL.
But Maslin says that although the pitch is not at its usual high standard, it will cope with the busy and varied schedule for 2015.
“Whether it’s England, or Rugby World Cup, NFL, or Rugby League I am very confident we can deliver a fantastic surface”
Roger Maslin
Wembley Stadium managing director
“We strive to deliver the best possible surface, so I’m slightly disappointed that the surface isn’t as good as it should be but I’m confident it will be back to its pristine state after a winter renovation,” he said.
“This is a Desso surface, common with most Premier League grounds which provides structural strength and is perfect for a multi-surface venue.
“However, due to slightly too much topsoil during the summer renovation there’s more marking and scarring on the pitch than we’d want.”
He added: “We absolutely can [manage a busy calendar]. This isn’t so much a problem of the NFL but of our summer renovation and I am confident the renovation will get it back to how it’s been ever since we switched over to Desso in 2010.”
Maslin says the Wembley Stadium groundstaff will do their best to improve the surface in time for England’s European Championship qualifier against Slovenia on Saturday, and England Women v Germany eight days later.
“While the pitch will not be of the very highest standard we want for the Slovenia game, it will still be a good playing surface. We do expect it to be back to its best by March for the Lithuania game.”
He continued: “Whether it’s the England team which is absolutely at the core of the stadium, or whether it’s Rugby World Cup, NFL, Saracens or Rugby League I am very confident we can deliver a fantastic surface for all those event owners.”
Maslin says he has a good relationship with Roy Hodgson and will update the England manager on the condition of the pitch later this week.
He said: “Roy is totally entitled to his opinion. We have a very good working relationship with the England team and we’ll be working closely with them this week to ensure we deliver the best possible playing surface for the game on Saturday.
“I met Roy at the end of last week and no doubt we’ll pick up with the team on Thursday and Friday this week too.”
