THE synthetic pitches around the Isle of Man will all be resurfaced at a cost of £640,000, if Tynwald gives approval to the scheme tomorrow.

David Cretney, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure, is seeking government backing for the proposal which will see the synthetic pitches at the NSC, Castle Rushen, Peel and Ramsey all resurfaced.

The work was included in the department’s budget estimates at the beginning of the year, but it still needs to be formally approved by Tynwald.

The first synthetic pitch - at the NSC - has already been replaced once when the original concrete-based pitch was replaced with a more forgiving surface which was used when the three other pitches were created some years later.

The pitches are used extensively, with the NSC facility the most popular of all, chiefly for hockey and football. It is particularly recognised that the standard of local hockey has improved dramatically since the NSC pitch was first created around 20 years ago.

All the synthetic pitches have been showing signs of wear-and-tear and attempts have been made to prevent further damage by stopping players wearing footwear such as “blade” football boots which can rip into the surface.

However, it is expected that there may be some objection to the proposed expenditure when the state of the economy is taken into consideration. Although the playing surfaces are not in prime condition, it is widely felt that the regional pitches could wait for another year or two before being replaced.