Stadium manager Greg Smith is delighted with the way that the Meadow Lane pitch is shaping up ahead of the new season.
The pitch was skimmed and reseeded following the end of the 2013.14 campaign and the Notts County Ladies’ mid-term break.
In the past two weeks, plenty of rain and a bit of sunshine has helped the playing surface to go from a dull brown to a bright shade of green - signs that the new season is on the way.
The ground staff have been working around the clock to ensure that the pitch is in great shape and on schedule to be ready for the return of Meadow Lane football on Saturday 19 July, when Notts face Derby County.
Greg told the official site: “We’re very pleased, the weather conditions have been perfect because we’ve had plenty of rain with the thunder storms, though we could do with a bit more sun.
“It’s germinated really well and we’ve been able to mow it twice now and reseeded the areas that are slow coming through.
“Trevor Hutchinson (head groundsman) and Jack Farmer (assistant groundsman - pictured left) have worked tremendously hard here and I think it looks great for the stage we’re at.
“Come July when we play Derby - and I’m looking forward to that game - it should look fantastic.
“But, it doesn’t end there, we’ve got to get this pitch through the whole season, through the cold weather conditions, and we’ve got to be that far ahead of ourselves.
“July is fantastic and we’ll learn a lot from the Derby and Birmingham games, with how the pitch reacts, but it’s ongoing.”
The next stage of the pitch process has been tidying the edges and the banks, with more mowing that will aid the thickening of the grass.
The maintenance team are also working hard around the stadium to ensure that Meadow Lane is in great shape ready for the return of the first team squad later this month and the new season in August.
Look out for daily pitch updates on the club’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.