Wembley to lay Desso pitch

Press Releasein Football

Wembley Stadium today made the following announcement regarding the playing surface.

The Board of Wembley Stadium has agreed to lay a playing surface provided by Desso Sports Systems for a trial period between major events this summer.

Following the concert by Green Day on Saturday 19 June, the opportunity to experiment with a Desso pitch will begin immediately.

It will be used for the first time at The FA Community Shield match between Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday 8 August.

During the intervening period there are no concerts at Wembley and the seasonal climatic conditions are optimal for embedding such a surface.

The Wembley Board has also renewed its commitment to maintain all options to provide the best available playing surface consistent with the stadium's business objective of generating revenue from use of the stadium as a multi-purpose venue.

Roger Maslin, Managing Director of Wembley National Stadium Ltd said: "The pitch is at the heart of the stadium and football is our number one priority. However, Wembley Stadium is a multi-use venue and developing our event calendar with a range of football, rugby, sports and entertainment events is key to the success of our business plan.

"The crucial balance for us is to maintain a good quality playing surface for football, whilst at the same time fulfilling our business plan commitments and maintaining our heritage as a multi-event venue."

The Desso pitch will be in place from June throughout the 2010-11 football season which concludes with the Football League Championship Final at Wembley. This will be followed by a full schedule of concerts in the summer of 2011. In 2012, Wembley will focus on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, following that summer's concert season.

Should The FA be successful in its bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the pitch will be used entirely for football in that calendar year through until the completion of the tournament.

Wembley Stadium remains committed to providing the best possible variety of world class sporting and other events, providing value for our Club Wembley members, who are fundamental to the success of the Stadium.

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