Oldham Athletic are delighted to partner with grounds maintenance company ALS Contracts, part of Maxwell Amenity Ltd.
The agreement sees the company take over maintenance of the first team pitch and training pitches.
Club director Barry Owen has been working with chief executive Mark Moisley over the past few months to identify what could be done to improve the playing surface at the stadium.
Mr Owen stated: “We have an excellent ground staff at the club headed by grounds manager Lee Williams and we wanted to enhance the availability of added machinery, stock and expertise.
“By doing so we decided initially to spend in excess of £180,000 on our pitch and training facilities.
“We have now employed the services of an outside company who will be initially contracted to the club to do all the necessary work.
“Our existing team will transfer their employment to the new company.
“As well as outsourcing the maintenance of the pitch, after detailed work undertook by Lee, a major problem was found with the main outlet for the pitch drainage which had been compromised whilst the new North Stand was being built.
“Work will be undertaken shortly to eradicate this problem which will help ALS Contracts and Lee to hopefully improve the playing surface next season.”
Managing director and owner of ALS Contracts Dave Saltman, whose company are already contracted to Shrewsbury Town and Wigan Athletic, added: “As a business, we supply to a lot of sports grounds and we work all over the UK and abroad.
“The partnership allows Lee and the team to have more resource than they have ever had and hopefully it will work well.
“I bring a lot of experience and on top of Lee’s experience, I only see it as a partnership to improve the pitches both at SportsDirect.com Park and at the training ground.”
Moisley also commented: “We are all excited at the input that the new company can provide and on their first day the manpower and machinery, evidenced at Chapel Road and little Wembley, allowed work to be done in a day that in other circumstances would have taken weeks to complete.
“We look forward to working with the company this season.”