As I’m sure you are all aware, West Suffolk has experienced the lowest rainfall ever recorded since records began. We had an extremely dry spring and early summer, which has significantly affected the condition of all our pitches and the effectiveness of remedial work carried out. By the end of last season, I’m sure our avid supporters will still recall the “dust bowl” conditions for our final home matches. I’m also sure there are questions about what we, as a club, have done to mitigate the condition of the pitches. Equally, there will be plenty of speculation about what we are doing to ensure playable pitches for the beginning of the season in September.

We hosted matches at the club until 18 May. Immediately after the final match, we began the planned remedial work. This included slitting, harrowing, fertilising, seeding, and top dressing the pitches with 200 tonnes of soil. The next stage was to irrigate using the system installed at the club. Unfortunately, as a result of a deliberate act of vandalism, the pump would not operate. After much investigation and repair, the pump ran briefly before burning out. A generous club sponsor supplied and installed a new pump; however, there was insufficient water available for it to operate effectively. Combined with the ongoing drought, this caused the first seeding of grass to fail.

Fortunately, we had held seed in reserve for just such a situation. Just over two weeks ago, following a soil and pitch consultation, contractors cross-seeded and fertilised pitches one and two. We were fortunate that the country then experienced some much-needed rain, allowing the new seed to germinate. After further consultation with an irrigation expert, we carried out alterations to the irrigation system, overseen by a long-standing club stalwart with the support of first-team and social-team volunteers. As a result, we now have a functioning irrigation system. However, due to low residual water levels, it can only be used for one hour in every 24. To extend this, another generous club sponsor has agreed to pump water by tanker into the pump sump. We are hopeful that we can keep the soil moist until the drought breaks and the much-needed rain arrives. In the meantime, available pitch space is limited to pitch three, pitch four, and pitch five (the grass area over the bridge).

We have heard suggestions that a borehole is what the club needs. Unfortunately, as the grounds owned by the club are on a landfill site, this makes the exploration of a borehole impossible. A borehole could be considered on the lower pitches/flood plain, and we have consulted a contractor regarding its sustainability. Unfortunately, there are three reasons this cannot proceed: firstly, we do not own the ground; secondly, the cost would be around £16,000; and thirdly, the water flow and volume from a borehole would not be sufficient to irrigate with the required pressure.

Another option considered was pumping water from the river into the sump. Again, this is not feasible: firstly, due to the distance from the river to the sump; secondly, the requirement for an extraction licence; and thirdly, because the river has been dry for some time.

Could we have used the mains water supply? Anglian Water would no doubt have taken a dim view of this, and irrigating such a large area from the mains would have been prohibitively expensive – somewhere in the region of £15,000.

We are in the early stages of exploring rainwater harvesting and improving the efficiency of water collection. The drainage ditches that feed the sump are currently clogged and overgrown, and these need clearing urgently. This would have two clear benefits: improved water flow into the sump and more effective pitch drainage.

If anyone has any suggestions that might help us with pitch maintenance and irrigation, we would be more than happy to listen. We have not simply sat back and hoped for rain – a considerable amount of work and energy has gone into overcoming the drought – but ultimately, nothing works like the rain.

Our long-term aspiration remains the construction of a full-size all-weather pitch. Funding from the memorial bike ride, together with a significant donation, means this is closer to becoming a reality. With the potential loss of pitch four next year, we are keen to accelerate our focus. Any support or ideas on how we can raise the additional funds required would be greatly appreciated.