Rochdale (A) Pitch Update

The club has received the following update from Rochdale ahead of tomorrow night's fixture at the Crown Oil Arena.

Rochdale Football Club can provide the following update on the Crown Oil Arena pitch ahead of Tuesday night’s game against Oldham Athletic.

As we announced last week, the Club have purchased enhanced rain covers, which arrived on Monday. With rain forecast for Tuesday morning and early afternoon, these covers are now in place to protect the surface from the elements.

The rain is forecast to cease at around 4pm on Tuesday, after which point the covers will be removed.

Last Friday, two Air2G2 machines were brought in to help with the drying process of the pitch. This work, coupled with the dry conditions over the weekend, has allowed the pitch to drain sufficiently for it to be in a playable condition.

Whilst we as a Club are confident that the pitch as it stands is playable, we fully understand that the final decision lies with the appointed match referee. Given that a definitive decision cannot be made on the condition of the surface until after the covers have been removed on Tuesday, the pitch will be assessed by the appointed match referee upon his arrival at the Crown Oil Arena.

After this point, ourselves and Oldham, who have been in contact throughout the process, will confirm whether or not the referee deems the pitch to be playable. However, we would like to reiterate that we are confident it is in a playable condition as it stands.