Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has said it deeply regrets the postponement of Saturday’s Irish Cup tie at the Ballymena Showgrounds due to a badly waterlogged pitch.
In a statement issued to Belfast Live, the council says it is currently working with “pitch maintenance specialists to manage and improve the pitch on an ongoing basis”.
However, it also suggests a long-term and sustainable solution to the problem may lie in the eventual release of Sub Regional Stadia Funding by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Ballymena United said on Saturday that it would be demanding answers from council as the club seeks a “solution” to ongoing drainage and surface issues at the Warden Street venue.
The Braid club’s second round tie with Portstewart was postponed and rescheduled for February 15 due to the unplayable state of the pitch following a period of rain.
After Ballymena posted photographs of the surface on the club's social media platforms, one fan claimed the penalty area resembled a “paddy field” while others branded the pitch “brutal”, “savage” and “shocking”.
Mid and East Antrim Council has said it will continue working with Ballymena United and other partners to seek a solution after admitting the "grass playing surface has proved difficult to manage".
But it suggested a long term solution to “significantly upgrade the pitch and facilities to the highest possible standard” may lie in the long awaited release of Sub Regional Stadia Funding.
It is feared the release of that money (£36.2m), which was allocated to the game here in 2015, may be further delayed due to the latest political crisis at Stormont.
The Mid and East Antrim statement read as follows:-
“Council deeply regret the postponement of Saturday’s match between Ballymena United FC and Portstewart FC, which followed a period of heavy, persistent rainfall.
“We share the disappointment and inconvenience this caused both clubs, their management and their supporters.
“We work closely with Ballymena United in an effort to achieve the best standard of facilities at the Showgrounds.
“This has previously included significant works to the pitch in 2018 to ensure it met European dimensions, and this was subsequently achieved.
“However, the grass playing surface has proved difficult to manage.
“The remedial work carried out to date on the playing surface has been as a result of interim solutions.
“Moving forward in the short-term, we are working with a number of pitch maintenance specialists to manage and improve the pitch on an ongoing basis.
“Long-term, like many across Northern Ireland, we urgently require the release of the promised Sub Regional Stadia Funding to significantly upgrade the pitch and facilities to the highest possible standard.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners, including Ballymena United, and thank them for their patience during what has been a very challenging and frustrating time for us all.”
A new pitch was installed and laid at the Ballymena Showgrounds in 2018 as part of a substantial investment in the sporting facility by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
But less than four years later and despite ongoing remedial work, major drainage problems and other issues exist.
On Saturday, Ballymena United chairman John Taggart said the club was “extremely disappointed to see the pitch in this state when all other games, both Irish Cup and local Saturday Morning League, were all able to go ahead”.
He said Ballymena was committed to seeking “a solution from Mid and East Antrim Council” to ensure the Showgrounds pitch is “of a standard befitting the highest standard of local football”.
