There has been a flurry of activity taking place at Sixways off-the-field over the last two weeks as the stadium pitch has undergone major renovation in preparation for the 2013/2014 Aviva Premiership campaign.
Just 24 hours after Warriors had played their final home match of the season against Harlequins, the club's groundstaff were already hard at work preparing for the next campaign.
The renovation has involved the installation of a fully-networked drainage system as well as top dressing and reseeding of the pitch.
Sixways experienced over double the amount of rainfall between November and March this season compared to the same period twelve months earlier.
The worsening cold and frost conditions were also a hindrance to the maintenance of the surface throughout this period.
Martin Knight, Warriors Head Groundsman, explained: “We had over 400mm of rainfall between November and March of this season, whereas in the previous year we had 171.2mm.
“The combination of extreme cold spells and three months where it did not seem to stop raining caused us major water retention issues in the surface, which we had always planned to rectify once the season had ended.
“During these spells it was virtually impossible to carry out any grounds work on any pitches on site, which was hugely frustrating for my assistant Stuart Lambert and I.
“The sub surface of the pitch is largely clay, which makes fast and effective drainage very difficult.
“We consulted a number of pitch drainage experts to find the best solution for our pitch, which we have now undertaken.”
The major pitch works involved the installation of a network of drains at close intervals under the top surface.
The pitch maintenance was undertaken by Pershore-based company Phil Day Sports, who have a long-term relationship with the Warriors, and who will also be conducting the close season maintenance work on all other pitches at Sixways.
Brian Ryan, Head of Operations at Warriors, added: “We experienced a very difficult winter with the weather conditions that we encountered.
“Our groundstaff work extremely long and hard hours to get the best surface possible to assist the squad.
“They were hugely frustrated by the weather which prevented them getting onto the pitch to carry out any maintenance work.
“The new drainage system has been a major investment and will vastly improve our drainage capabilities.
“We will see an improvement in the condition of the surface next season even if we experience the same amount of rainfall.”