Added: 22nd october 2024
With pernicious waterlogging problems having haunted their ground for a long time, precipitating the remedial works conducted during summer 2024, Ashby Ivanhoe FC hadn’t played a home game since November 2023. Following the successful installation of the Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain in August 2024 however, the pitch has recovered well, with a healthy grass sward establishing over the drain lines, opening the door for football to return to Ivanhoe’s NFU Sports Ground.
The persistent waterlogging issues had meant that the NFU Sports Ground pitch had been deemed unfit for competitive fixtures since November 2023, so Ashby Ivanhoe FC have had to have their home games hosted by Quorn FC – approximately 15 miles away. Whilst the hosting of these fixtures by another club is very generous, having to travel to a different club 15 miles away does rather diminish the ‘home-field advantage’, so Ashby Ivanhoe’s start to the season has been quite challenging: a fact that had been reflected in their results. However, since the club’s homecoming in the wake of the Hydraway drainage system installation, the team seems to have been galvanised, picking up three wins in nine days on home soil, beating the first and second-placed teams, and now sitting first in the league’s ‘recent form’ table.
Although the NFU Sports Ground pitches had been deemed unfit to host competitive fixtures since November 2023, the immediate impact of the newly installed Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain has already transformed the playability of the site. Whilst other local games have been cancelled due to the intense recent rainfall, the revitalised Ashby Ivanhoe FC pitch has delivered playability even under the most challenging conditions, once again demonstrating the tremendous value-for-money provided by investment in high quality pitch drainage solutions, as well as the importance of having a dependable home ground for a competitive season.
