"We got experts who advised us the FNB pitch is beyond its lifespan and that we have to replace it,” Grobbelaar said.
Stadium Management South Africa CEO Bertie Grobbelaar has provided an update on the state of the FNB Stadium pitch, which has undergone a makeover during the off-season in order to host Betway Premiership matches.
The iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup venue serves as the home ground for Kaizer Chiefs, who kick off their 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign away to Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.
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Following the trip to the Mother City to take on Stellies, Amakhosi are scheduled to return to FNB Stadium next Wednesday to host Polokwane City, followed by another home tie against Richards Bay six days later.
“A lifespan of a GrassMaster pitch is anything between 10, 12 to 15 years depending on the usage. We didn’t run away last year, we got experts who advised us the FNB pitch is beyond its lifespan and that we have to replace it,” Grobbelaar said to Thabiso Mosia on Radio 2000.
“We couldn’t do it mid-season and had to wait until the end of the season. It was a bad playing surface towards the end of the season. They took out the pitch, did the work, maintenance and renovations.
“As I said to you, they are halfway with the stitching now, and the GrassMaster machine is on the pitch as we speak. So it’s not about the point of not caring about it.”
When pressed about whether the stadium will be ready to host Chiefs’ upcoming fixtures, starting with the clash against City, Grobbelaar admitted that the surface still has some bit of patches after work was done on it.
“We’re hosting the first game on the 13th (August) and you’re going to ask me again why is the northern side not as good as other sides,” he said.
“On the northern side, it (will still) have a bit of patchiness for about two weeks and it will be fully grown in. As a stakeholder in the football industry, we must play our role as venues. A football page is dependent on a good playing surface.
“For the spectacles that we anticipate this year, we all need to play our roles. I do understand it (the public frustration) but, as I said to you, not all pitches are hybrid. With the Kikuyu pitches, there is a problem with the change of the season.”
FNB Stadium is a multi-purpose venue and frequently hosts major music concerts, with the most recent being American R&B superstar Chris Brown, who performed in front of over 90,000 fans. Grobbelaar acknowledged that such events contribute to the challenge of keeping the pitches in top condition.
“Most of the stadiums rely on other events as well. If you only maintain a pitch to play football, then that’s a different story, but the minute you’ve got concerts and other events on the pitches, the maintenance and keeping it up to standard becomes a challenge,” he explained.
“We need to find the balance to be commercially viable and still deliver good surfaces for playing football. It is a challenge and no one can run away from that, but the venues need to also accept responsibility.
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“That is the problem and it’s not commercially viable to only have football at the stadium. I can’t speak for others, but a stadium like FNB, you won’t be able to maintain the facility without it being used as a multi-purpose venue.”
