Three more inspections completed

The League’s Inspection Sub-Committee is continuing its annual round of ground inspections and on the list for Thursday 15 September was Cobham FC.

Members of the sub-committee were delighted with what they found, in that the ground has undergone a complete make over, with a brand new front entrance, new turnstiles, refurbished toilets, an additional stand and a complete tidy-up all round.

A League spokesman said “The transition at Cobham is incredible and we have no hesitation in recommending to the FA Technical Panel that the ground now fully meets with the requirements of Grade D”. An earlier FA inspection had already come to the same conclusion, bar a couple of minor matters which have now been dealt with.

Pictured are Dave Tippetts and Sam Merison standing outside the new entrance to the ground.

The Inspection team also took in Chessington & Hook United where the main concern was the pitch which had caused so much trouble last season with its stubborn refusal to drain. It was clear that the club has taken heed of the League’s concerns, with trenches, slits and bore holes having been dug to aid the drainage along with the recruitment of a specialist groundsman. Everyone is aware that the “proof will be in the pudding” so to speak, once midwinter arrives but there is absolutely no doubt that the pitch at the moment is looking better than it ever has before.

The final visit of the day was to Raynes Park Vale where the club has been set a series of improvements to be carried out by 31 October. There is a lot of work to be done, much of it peripheral, but it was pleasing to see some new faces at the club along with a greater tie-up with their youth section, resulting in a clear will to comply with the League’s requirements.