Dragons managing director Mark Jones has confirmed plans to lay a new pitch at Rodney Parade ahead of the 2020/21 season have had to be shelved due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
With both football and rugby authorities planning to reschedule fixtures potentially into the summer period, the usual opportunity for pitch renovations or the installation of a new surface is not available.
In 2017 a new £750,000 hybrid-pitch was installed at the home of Dragons, Newport RFC and Newport County AFC after the Welsh Rugby Union took control. This work included a new drainage and irrigation system tackling historic flooding issues and that surface came with a three year life span.
However with no clarity about the remainder of either the football or rugby seasons and the possibility of a quick turnaround required for season 2020/21, the Dragons management and grounds staff had to react quickly, with contractors to start work once the suspension to fixtures was announced, in order to make use of the time that was open for work to be started.
"There's a mini-renovation taking place," said Mark Jones. "After the weekend of the postponed Wales versus Scotland game we instructed a contractor to start seeding the pitch with a view to growing more grass, but as we are now looking at a longer lay off we've gone down a different avenue and are now embarking on a slightly larger renovation by trying to remove as much debris as possible from the existing turf, aeration with both hollow and large solid tines, applying 60 tonne of Mansfield sand, then applying seed and fertiliser.
"We were just about to press the button for the installation of a new pitch, because we are at the end of a three-year lifespan on the field," said Mark Jones. "When we got to Christmas we knew that we were going to struggle and that we would have to limp to the end of the season.
"Now instead of limping home for half a season we are going to have to manage it (for a whole one), because we are not sure when football or rugby will start up again, and the intention appears to be to finish the leagues and then have a small break.
"We are going to have micro manage the field and that’ll mean sitting down with the three entities and discussing the fixtures."
