Confirmed: 'Complete modern renovation' of Preston North End's pitch this summer
Big news ahead of the summer at Deepdale
Preston North End have confirmed a ‘complete modern renovation' of the pitch - with work on its infrastructure to begin next week.
The Lilywhites’ home playing surface was a hot topic of debate. Over the festive period it visibly deteriorated and took months to recover, with manager Paul Heckingbottom labelling it a ‘cow field’ at one stage.
While there were other factors at play, PNE won two of their nine home matches from December 20 to March 6. Now, though, major work will commence at Deepdale ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
A club update read: ‘Work starts next week on the installation of a Premier League quality playing surface. The significant seven-figure investment ensures that PNE’s pitch will undergo its largest refurbishment in over 30 years, in order to be of an elite standard.
‘The hybrid-stitched GrassMaster pitch will offer much greater endurance and resistance to bad weather and low temperatures, helping the playing surface maintain a peak level of condition during the entire season and for many seasons to come.
‘Undersoil heating will also be installed at Deepdale, alongside new irrigation and drainage systems in what is set to be a complete modern renovation of the playing surface and its infrastructure.
‘Following a period of planning, work on the transformation of the pitch will begin in the coming days to ensure it is ready and in top-level condition in time for the start of the 2026/27 Championship campaign.’
Head Groundsman Pete Ashworth added: “It’s a great investment. I just can't wait for it all to get going and be completed, and then we can get it looking ready for the league. The first thing you do when you walk into a football ground is look at the pitch.
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“We want it to look the best, so the players walk out of that tunnel and have faith in the surface they are playing on. We're going to be removing all the top layer of fibre, basically all the way down to the gravel and drainage.
”Then, building it back up with fresh lower root zone, fresh upper root zone, and then stitching it with the artificial fibres, which will give us that stability moving forward."