Champions League man ‘pitches’ to Rovers
By Teresa McGowan
The Sligo man responsible for producing the perfect pitch at this year’s Champions League Final says he’d love to get his hands on Sligo Rovers home ground.
The historic first all-English final between Manchester United and Chelsea will be played this day week, May 21, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on a natural grass pitch constructed by Support In Sport (SIS), who have offices in Sligo, England and Holland.
It is the fourth time SIS have installed a UEFA Champions League Final pitch.
Chief Executive Officer George Mullan, from Kevinsfort on the Strandhill Road, and a Rover’s season ticket holder told the Post: “This is the fourth time we’ve done the pitch for the Champions League final and we’ve done pitches for the World Cup.
“We even constructed the pitch that Portugal beat England on in Germany 2006.
“But I’d love to do the Showgrounds for Sligo Rovers because it is a disgrace. I’m a life long fan of the club and am a season ticket holder. I have approached them before about doing the pitch but they don’t have the money.”
Laying the Moscow pitch took a fleet of 28 refrigerated trucks seven days to transport the turf 1,120 miles from Slovakia to Moscow. There a team of 10 SIS crew installed the turf over two days.
The Russian football authorities say they are delighted with the resulting surface and UEFA officials report that the pitch meets all their requirements for top-level football.
SIS has designed and constructed sports surfaces for some of Europe’s leading clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic, Ajax and Benfica.