Lardos Football Pitch

With the new championship regulations, all teams competing in the first and second local leagues must have a stadium with natural or artificial grass. However, due to the economic downturn, the state could not provide us with one and therefore the team had to choose a nearby pitch (approx. 20 km away from Lardos). This resulted in a huge loss of income and therefore the team couldn't be competitive anymore.

In 2011, I have entered the board of my favorite football team with a single mission. To reconstruct the team's football stadium...

During the first survey, we found out that the pitch was tilting towards the north east corner and that was the reason for water concentration at that side. I saw that they tried to remove the water in the past but without luck as the slope didn't allow it to flow naturally outside the pitch. To top all that, the stadium was approximately 30 - 50 cm lower than the adjacent road which meant that rain water entered the pitch and couldn't be naturally accommodated outside it.

Due to the limited budget on our hands we found an ongoing nearby project on a small river and asked for all the waste material to be dropped in the stadium. 150 truck loads later we started leveling the pitch so we could accurately calculate the remaining layers.

The level of the pitch was raised at this stage for about 20cm and it was time to start calculating the aggregates needed for underground water drainage.

We managed to secure another 120 truckloads of rough aggregate (avg. diameter 25 - 40cm!!!) which was laid on top of the first layer. We then filled the gaps with pebbles (avg. diameter 3cm) from a nearby beach. That ensured proper water flow and stabilization of the top layer of soil. These layers raised the level of the pitch for another 50 cm (10 - 20 cm higher than the road level). At the same time a friend drilled 30 holes along the concrete footing of the fencing allowing underground water to exit the pitch area. Surface water will be accommodated outside the pitch through side channels that will be constructed with the appropriate slope.

Mr Shahid Khan and his baby at work!

In between expected doubt from the local community, we were then ready for the soil....  
We found three sources of soil suitable for grass planting. We sent samples to the Technological Institute of Crete for analysis and found out that the soil was of the highest quality! After a thorough survey, I placed a grid of steel rods all over the pitch and calculated the level of soil needed in order to achieve a slope of 1% from the center to the short sides and a slope of 0.2% from the center to the long sides of the pitch. 
We then started digging, sieving, layering and compressing!!! 

The state was kind enough to provide us with a propper grader and a very experienced driver in order to ensure uniformity of the slope.

The first layer of soil (not sieved). Cant you see the resemblence between this and the famous Madrid Stadium? ...well neither do I!

With the help of the local youth community we managed to remove all the small rocks from the top soil and get it ready for grass plantation...

At work...

It was found that a total of 700 truck loads was needed to complete all the layers of the new pitch. The final level of the pitch is now 30cm above the road on the sides and 60cm in the center.

This project relies on voluntaries of all ages and skills from the village. We are now in a position where we can install the watering system and start planting the grass. We still have a long way ahead of us to bring the stadium where we want it but we have definitely taken a huge step towards the goal we've set 2 years ago and with a budget that didnt exceed 20k....

Here are some photo realistic pictures of how we dream this stadium....

The new stands!

The new stands!

The new entrance!

The new stands!

The dressing rooms, administration offices and the new gym.

The floor plan as measured 

The deressing rooms, the administration offices and the new gym.

The new public toilets

The team's new dressing room.

After a very busy summer, we managed to finish the watering system of the pitch. And it is a true beauty! 

Here's a photo taken by mr Kyriakos Kafallas when it was all up and running. 

We also got the seed for the grass and we are moments away from turning  our dream into reality. 

We are currently waiting for the temperature to drop down to accepted levels so we can start planting! However, there are a lot to do before having games played in...

On September the 10th, after a week of cleaning the pitch from smaller rocks, we finally managed to start the plantation of the grass... It was by far the highlight of these wonderful three years... 

Some "minor details" such as the refurbishment of the stands and the dressing rooms have to be sorted out and the project will be on its way to completion!

More construction photos will be uploaded very soon....

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It has been a busy period for all of us but we are finally there! The stadium is ready for the team's first match after four years on Sunday 16/2/2014. We have to work on some things here and there but the "babe" is READY after two and a half years! Here are some pictures of it. 

I will be posting more after Sunday....

Some "recycled" seats found nearby...