- Wed. May 20th, 2026
The stitching of the St. Jakob Park field of FC Basel heralds the final step in the overhaul of the field. Earlier this year, new turf was shipped in to replace the turf that had been installed in the summer of 2024. Persistent drainage issues had made it impossible for that pitch to settle correctly.
Matters at St. Jakob Park were so dire that stadium management asked UEFA this summer to reduce the number of games it had penned in at this venue for the 2025 Women’s EURO.
During the summer break, the field was reinforced with synthetic turf fibres that were stitched 12 cm deep.
Venue management has also invested in grass grow lighting systems from Stogger turf care. Groundsman Arndt Valbert has six Booster 460, two Booster 80 and two Booster 60 units. Furthermore, he has one Booster 70C greenhouse from Stogger turf care.
All units will be on display when FC Basel hosts this’s year edition of the TurfTech Summit. This industry event will bring close to 300 industry experts together, of which 50 groundsman of professional football clubs from 15 different countries, on 1 and 2 September.