The secret of the AKRON Stadium pitch to weather any storm | OneFootball

A veritable deluge tested the Estadio AKRON pitch last Wednesday prior to the match between Chivas and Tigres, which had to be postponed for almost two hours due to the thunderstorm and the exorbitant amount of water that fell minutes before both teams took to the field to warm up.

Nearly 45 mm of rain fell on the field in a span of 70 minutes, but it remained firm, stable, and in optimal condition for the start of the match between the Rebaño and the felines.

Sebastián Muñoz, Turf Manager at Estadio AKRON, explains that the innovative and advanced drainage system that was recently installed and the outstanding technical work carried out over the last few months to ensure that the pitch meets the requirements of the 2026 FIFA World Cup played a major role in this, confirming the Rojiblanco stadium as the best in our country and one of the best on the continent.

"The result speaks for itself. The system we installed extracted approximately 390 m³ of water, equivalent to 4 cm drained in a short period of time, which allowed the surface to remain stable and in playing condition. The ground was very firm and the ball rolled excellently, largely due to the materials used both in the base and on the surface, as well as the choice of Bermuda grass, a species that grows sideways and provides great firmness to the ground," said Muñoz.

Ainara Zatarain, Director of Operations at Chivas, made it clear that the reconstruction of the ground profile, the choice of grass type, and even the use of materials involved meticulous and strategic work, with materials of the highest quality. The result is evident, as in a matter of minutes it was possible to extract an atypical amount of rainwater so that the pitch was in perfect playing condition.

"We are constantly analyzing how we can improve our stadium and we wanted the field to have the most advanced technology. We reviewed trends in Europe and now we have a field that complies with FIFA Quality Pro, which will remain as a legacy after the World Cup and will distinguish us from the rest of the stadiums in our country," explained Zatarain.

A considerable investment has been made to have a first-class turf, but Club Guadalajara's efforts do not stop there, as the intention is to take everything to the next level, both in terms of state-of-the-art equipment and the professionalization and constant technical updating of everyone involved.

"Our team receives training and turf management programs in order to implement new techniques. We want to contribute to the country's industry, as there are still clay or native soil pitches in Mexico, when in Europe sand profiles, such as the one we now have here at AKRON, have been used for more than 30 years," concluded Sebastián Muñoz.