The Dutch company, Edel Grass, which was contracted by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to construct an artificial pitch at Omuthiya on Friday handed over the completed pitch to the Omuthiya Town Council.
The N$8-million pitch was fully funded by FIFA and through the Namibia Football Association (NFA) development programme and Omuthiya Town Council’s CEO Samuel Mbango has high hopes for the field.
This state-of-the-art artificial turf is the second in the country after the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek. Ramon Kuttschreutter of Edel Grass told Namibian Sun that the project started two years ago, but for turf installation only began two months ago after the shipment of materials.
“We have been on the site doing the initial installation since 9 January. The process went smoothly. We have done our part and we are now handing it over to the council. We have trained local town council officials on how to maintain these facilities,” Kuttschreutter said.
Kuttschreutter said that the only challenge they experienced is the hot Namibian weather. He also said that the turf can get hotter with the climate but it can be watered to cool it before use. He said they have done similar projects for FIFA in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Benin and many others countries. The South African company, Civil Engineering and Build did the civil works and field boundary fencing. Its technician Velem Wetue said that the hot weather was the main problem they encountered during the construction work and it will remain a challenge to the turf itself.
“This facility is designed to suit the hot Namibian weather. It is up to standard and we have a strong belief that it will help local football players to expose them to these new playing conditions,” Wetue said. Mbango said they expect the facility to bring much-needed football development to the region and they would like football organisations to start utilising the facility soonest. Mbango said that they made a request directly to FIFA to sponsor them with a modern facilities and their request was approved. “The council has not spent a single cent on this project. Everything water catered for by FIFA. Our task was only to assist the contractor in developing the site,” Mbango said.
He added that the soccer field is constructed on a 12-hectare piece of land that the council availed for a sport complex. He said that council officials have been trained on how to maintain the soccer field.
“The land is not yet fenced and the council is taking over with fencing. We have to make sure it is well secured and maintained because we are expecting it to boost our economy,” he said. Mbango said if the facility is not utilised, it will be a waste of resources. The turf has a 10-year lifespan.
