September 2024

Question posed by François Benoy

"Mayor Polfer,

With just a few days to go before our national football team's important match against Belarus, the Stade de Luxembourg pitch is once again in very poor condition, even though it was supposed to have been renovated again this summer! Up to a few days ago, it was impossible to tell if the pitch could even be used at all.

As you may recall, instead of putting down a standard natural grass turf, the City of Luxembourg had decided to put down a hybrid-grass turf, at considerable extra costs.

In accordance with Article 9 of the Municipal Council's internal rules and regulations, I would therefore like to put the following questions to the College of Aldermen:

• What is the current condition of the pitch? How can this be explained? Who is responsible for its upkeep?
• Could the current condition of the pitch adversely impact other matches scheduled to take place in the near future? If so, when will the pitch be restored, and what will be done to ensure that future matches can be played on it?
• Was any restoration work carried out on the pitch this summer? What was the nature of the work exactly? How much did it cost? Who was the work carried out by?
• What other work has been carried out on the pitch in the last few years? At what cost?
• What steps should be taken to ensure that the pitch remains in playable condition in the future?
• How much did the special hybrid-grass turf cost? How much more did it cost than a normal pitch, in terms of initial laying and regular upkeep?"

Response provided by Mayor Lydie Polfer

"Councillor,

In response to the question you sent by email on 5 September 2024 on the topic of the poor condition of the Stade de Luxembourg pitch, I can provide you with the following details:

• What is the current condition of the pitch? How can this be explained? Who is responsible for its upkeep?

Currently, the condition of the pitch has not been compromised and can be used for sporting events. Fungal pathogens are at the root of the problem. The contract for the upkeep of the Stade de Luxembourg's hybrid pitch was awarded to the company 3S-Tech SARL

• Could the current condition of the pitch adversely impact other matches scheduled to take place in the near future? If so, when will the pitch be restored, and what will be done to ensure that future matches can be played on it?

At this time, it is difficult to predict how the reported defects will affect the playability of the pitch for upcoming matches. Be that as it may, what I can say is that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the pitch is in playable condition.

• Was any restoration work carried out on the pitch this summer? What was the nature of the work exactly? How much did it cost? Who was the work carried out by?

Upkeep work has been carried out on the hybrid pitch, in accordance with the supplier's recommendations. The purpose of the work that was carried out was not to restore the pitch as such. Work on the pitch was carried out by a specialist company. This entailed removing the three-centimetre layer of felt that forms on the surface – a process known as "scalping" – and the poa annua grass that had invaded the pitch over the past few years. This was done to restore the substrate of the surface of play to its original condition, and to ensure that the pitch satisfies UEFA's and FIFA's stability, safety and playability criteria. With hybrid pitches, a layer of felt forms when the pitch is mowed.

The cost of the upkeep work breaks down as follows:

1. Initial order: €100,332.60 (incl. taxes);
2. Additional costs for anti-fungal treatment and to prepare the pitch for the match on 8 September 2024: €36,170.50 (incl. taxes);
3. Upkeep and anti-fungal treatment until the match scheduled to take place on 15 November 2024: €65,520.15 (incl. taxes);

The City of Luxembourg advanced the additional costs mentioned above (pts. 1 and 2), given the urgency of the situation. Seventy percent of the Stade de Luxembourg's operating costs are covered by the Ministry of Sport (Ministère des Sports) and 30% by the City of Luxembourg.

• What steps should be taken to ensure that the pitch remains in playable condition in the future?

A prevention strategy, with a focus on mechanical upkeep, irrigation, pitch-health monitoring, and seeding is to be implemented to prevent the fungus from developing again in the future. Regular analyses will be conducted to monitor the development of the fungus, and to determine whether the counter-measures are effective.

• How much did the special hybrid-grass turf cost? How much more did it cost than a normal pitch, in terms of initial laying and regular upkeep?

The initial investment for the laying of the hybrid grass turf, including the various utilities networks and surroundings inside the stadium, amounted to €3,251,415.07 (incl. taxes). As a reminder, it was the FLF (Luxembourg Football Federation) that recommended this type of pitch.

Compared to a normal pitch, the extra cost for this type of pitch is estimated to be €250,000. The cost for regular upkeep of a hybrid grass pitch is similar to that for normal grass pitches. Hybrid grass pitches also need to be "scalped" and reseeded every one to three years, which means an additional cost of approximately €110,000.

This response is being provided pursuant to Article 25 of the Municipal Law, as amended on 13 December 1988, and Article 9 of the City of Luxembourg Municipal Council's internal rules and regulations of 13 May 2013, as amended, and, as such, shall be considered equivalent to a written reply to the question that was asked. It will be published in the minutes and on the City of Luxembourg website.