JUST hours after 500 kilos of grass seed were sown at Darlington Football Club's new stadium it was revealed that the turf will be ready for its first cut in just eight days time.

Giant water tankers were moved in to ensure there was constant moisture for the costly new grass shoots.

The magnificent centrepiece of the multi-million pound stadium has been the subject of countless hours of complicated preparation work which has seen the installation of both a sophisticated irrigation system and the latest technology in underground heating.

The pitch, says chairman George Reynolds, will be the pride of the region. "I never thought I'd see the day when I would be happy to sit and watch grass grow - but that is exactly what I've been doing this week."

Layer after layer, the pitch has been created from the world's finest products of their kind, including 1,500kg of specialist fertiliser and 3,400 tonnes of rootzone - a mixture of 70 per cent sand and 30 per cent soil.

"The pitch is one thing which must be right, fortunately we learned a lot from repairing the waterlogged ground at Feethams and that expertise has been applied to this new pitch," said Mr Reynolds.

And while keeping a close eye on the grass, 25,000 seats have been ordered for the stands.

"This is going to be a family stadium and we want everyone to be comfortable when they come to matches,'' said Mr Reynolds.

He also revealed that his staff had received hundreds of calls for season tickets at the Neasham Road stadium.

"Seating plans are being drawn up at the moment and once they are complete we will start selling the two for the price of one season tickets along with car parking spaces," he said.

On the stadium development itself, large sections of the concourse have now been laid and with 80 per cent of the roofing complete some interior work is already under way

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