New pitch to be laid at Spotify Camp Nou

Spotify Camp Nou finds itself in preparation mode for the coming 2022/23 season as work on the stadium's pitch began on Monday of this week. Work started with the removal of the old surface and will carry on over the next few weeks in order of the grass to be in perfect conditions for the first game of the season at home which is the Joan Gamper Trophy fixture against Pumas of Mexico on 7 August. 

The pitch at the stadium has been changed every summer for the last seven years in order to guarantee the best surface for the players over the season. The position of the pitch, the microclimate at pitch level and the steps necessary to avoid disease according to study over recent years make it difficult to begin each league campaign with the surface in perfect condition without replacing the grass. 

The playing surface at Spotify Camp Nou is a hybrid surface consisting of approximately 5% synthetic fibres and 95% natural grass, the latter a mixture of strains to adapt perfectly to the conditions at the stadium in terms of sporting considerations as well as biomechanic and agronomical issues. The grass this season comes from the region of Extremadura where it has been grown specifically over the last few months for Barça's stadium. 

Recycling of material 

The replacement of the turf at the stadium is a process that takes into account sustainability, both in terms of recycling material and making use of it. The synthetic fibres in the pitch are taken to recycling plant so they can be reused by third parties. The soil and grass can be recycled for use as can the sand used in the playing surface. 

The work began on Monday 4 July with the removal of the top layer and will continue this week with the replacement of the sand. On 10 July the new turf will be transported from Extremadura in refrigerated lorries to arrive in Barcelona the following day. 

Between 11 and 12 July the new surface will be put in place during the evening to avoid stressing the natural grass. Once the turf is in place the process of knitting in the synthetic fibres will begin, a task that will take some 10 days until 23 or 24 July. The pitch will then undergo the final preparations in readiness for the Gamper Trophy game on 7 August, although the surface will not be 100% at its best until a few days later.