Coaches speak on ARG surface

Two coaches in the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Premier Division have highlighted that the playing surface at the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG) is overly sandy.
Former national players Rowan Isaac of defending champions Asot’s Arcade Parham and Derrick Edwards of Sandals Grenades, both opined on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show this week, that the condition is also affecting the quality of play in the FA’s top flight.
Isaac, whose team has a perfect record after two showings, thus far, sympathised with those charged with the responsibility of restoring what was a badly damaged surface following the 2017 Carnival celebrations.
“The eastern end is definitely heavy so a lot of the teams defending that end would get stagnant. I was listening to the discussion and I would not want Batow’s [Everton Gonsalves] job right now because that field is in no good condition because I see a ball was passed to one of our players in a straight line and then the ball just shift,” he said. 
Meanwhile, Edwards, a professional landscaper, questioned whether or not those charged with preparing the venue were given the necessary tools to get the job done in an efficient manner.
“First, you must have the material to get the job done because if you don’t have the material it makes no sense, and that’s the first aspect. The second aspect is to have time to do the job because if you don’t have the time to do the job then you won’t get a proper job,” he said.
“Looking at the surface with the sand, I think it should have gotten some more time to get the grass to grow into those areas and it is going to take a lot of water and so on. And at the moment, I don’t know if they are watering it every day in the evenings because it’s better to water it in the evenings,” the former striker said.
A number of players have also shared concerns over the quality of the turf at the ARG, which is usually known for its smooth and player-friendly surface, calling it uneven and unpredictable.
President of the ABFA, Everton Gonsalves said in a previous interview that work on perfecting the surface would continue during the competition.