It was already clear in the first game of the new season: the pitch in Gleisdorf, the home ground of SK Sturm II, is not suitable for the Bundesliga. From now on, no more second division matches can be played in the Gleisdorf stadium, as decided by Senate 3 of the Bundesliga. By Monday, August 12, the club must either prove that the pitch has been repaired or name an alternative stadium.
Gleisdorf chairman Robert Becker-Tonnerer explains the situation: “The lawn is suffering from heat stress, that’s the way it is in our region at the moment.” And the Gleisdorf resident is confident: “When the new commission is made on Monday, the lawn will be playable again.” Sturm’s groundskeepers are now taking care of the conditions in Gleisdorf. “In the 2nd league, those in charge expect a lush green lawn. But that’s not possible in midsummer and then in November and December without turf, undersoil heating, etc.,” says Becker-Tonnerer. “But then there are hardly any stadiums in Austria where games can be played.”
The regional league match between Gleisdorf and DSV Leoben will of course take place in Gleisdorf on Friday. “For me, the pitch is now playable for the second league,” says Becker-Tonnerer. Sturm’s sports director Andreas Schicker does not agree. “If you have seen the pitch, you have to say that it was not suitable for the Bundesliga. So you have to have some understanding for this decision.”
Last season, the double winners’ second team had to move to Wiener Neustadt for games because the Gleisdorf pitch was not suitable for play. “It will be a race against time until Monday, but we have done everything we can to make it work,” says Schicker. If it doesn’t work out and the pitch is still declared unsuitable at the next commissioning, the Graz team will have to move again. Whether that would be in Styria or another federal state, “we have to weigh things up. We are in talks,” says Schicker.
