Scunthorpe United would like to say a huge thank you to their ground staff and the volunteers who helped clear the pitch and surrounding areas of snow on Friday, ahead of our home game against Oldham Athletic on Saturday.
We encourage Iron fans to book their tickets as soon as possible for the game. You can buy tickets in person from our ticket office, by calling 01724 747670 or online via www.sufctickets.com. Buy online before 12noon on Saturday and you can make an advance saving.
After heavy snowfall this week, the club put an appeal out on the club’s website and social media channels for volunteers to help clear the snow and aid our efforts to get the game on, and we have been delighted with the response from our fans.
Chief Executive Officer James Rodwell said: “We had all our first team ground staff and there were around 13 or 14 volunteers too, which was actually a perfect number. They have been fantastic and we can’t praise them highly enough. They had tea, coffee, bacon sandwiches and then Fish and Chips afterwards, so we kept them well fed and watered. They’re going to come again in the morning should we need to get any more snow off the pitch covers - though we’re not expecting a large amount.”
“Some people came and gave us a couple of hours of their time before they went off to do their shift at work too, which was just incredible really and shows how much people want to watch a game of football this weekend. We must praise our Futsal team too. They were all here courtesy of the SUFC Trust and they really helped us out. It’s been a really good atmosphere at the ground today and reflects well on Scunthorpe United as a football club.”
“It was bitterly cold on that pitch. The wind chill was probably down as low as minus eight or nine. Everyone mucked in though and there was a real spirit. I can’t thank them enough.”
“The Board of Directors were kind enough to allow us to buy some new frost sheets at the end of last year. They are new lightweight sheets that are much easier for the ground staff to get on and off, and they make it far more difficult for the frost to get into the ground. We’re grateful for that and they seem to have done their job particularly well.”
The clear-up started at 8am this morning and the group got three quarters of the pitch cleared by 12noon, before Graham Alexander put the first team through their paces out on the Glanford Park playing surface. The rest of the pitch was cleared afterwards and readied for Saturday’s game.
The club requested an inspection on Friday morning, and the EFL sent down a local referee to assess the pitch. He was very complimentary about the condition of the playing surface, saying it was playable.
As usually scheduled before a game, the match referee John Busby will be at the stadium on Saturday morning at 9.30am.
“It’s not just the pitch which is important though, but the surrounding areas too,” added Rodwell.
“Anyone who has been to the stadium today will have seen a little ‘BobCat’ whizzing about, courtesy of one of our sponsors AMS. We thank George for that immensely. It’s about making sure the car park is safe, the snow is clear and the place is sanded and salted. All the gangways, entrances and steps to the stadium have to be clear.”
“It really has been quite a big task. People always need to be vigilant because it’s cold out there and they need to wrap up warm. We’re confident we’ve taken every measure to minimise risk and accidents, and we’re confident we can get a game of football on.”
Keep logging on to Scunthorpe-United.co.uk and our social media channels for further updates.