The West End Redbacks opening Shield match of the summer will be the first played on the new drop in pitches at Karen Rolton Oval.
A massive project for the SACA grounds team which has been months in the making, the pitches were transported from Adelaide Oval to Karen Rolton Oval on troughs weighing 30 tonnes each, taking over five hours, with many more hours spent inserting them perfectly in the middle of the Oval.
SACA’s Grounds Manager Trent Kelly spoke about the process ahead of the first match to be played on a new pitch. Watch the video below.
The pitches aren’t the only new upgrades at Karen Rolton Oval, with a number of sustainability initiatives implemented ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Permanent power pits have been installed so that generators are no longer required to power match days, with this move going to save over 2,000 litres of fuel and 5.7 tonnes of CO2 emissions per season.
A new waste management system has also been introduced at Karen Rolton Oval, with three different bins now available both internally and externally to better manage the impact on the environment.
There is now a yellow recycling bin including 10c deposits, a green bin for food waste and organics and a red bin for remaining mixed waste.
These initiatives have been driven by the SACA Sustainability Group.
The Shield match between the Redbacks and Tasmania will begin at 10:30am on Tuesday, October 3 at Karen Rolton Oval.
See the Redbacks squad for the match here.
Entry is free all four days and food and beverages are available to purchase from the Park 25 Pantry.