The Moss Redevelopment
For many years, "The Moss", deserved it's title. A pitch that struggled to accommodate any kind of wet conditions would place any planned game into jeopardy and many such games were postponed at the eleventh hour depending on how much rain would fall in the hours leading up to kick off. Major repair was needed if the club were going to sustain any kind of future.
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Having secured €40,000 from Sports Capital funding in 2012, Drumoghill began their redevelopment work in 2013. The final game to be played on the old pitch was a 1-0 win against Raphoe Town in April 2013.
Given that the entire project had been estimated to be in the region of €100,000, it was important to have a plan in place to raise the funds required and also to have someone in place that could oversee the design of the new pitch. The club were blessed to have someone that already had a lot of the expertise needed in Kieran O'Donnell and he took on the role of overseeing the entire project. Our plan was based on developing a sand-based pitch in conjunction with Seamus Fullerton from Pitch Dimensions. The first task was to level the pitch which involved a complete clearance of the site and levelling of the grounds before installing drainage across the entire surface. This was then covered with sand before high quality top soil was spread across the pitch area.
Work began in April 2013 and the first task was to level the pitch which involved a complete clearance of the site and levelling of the grounds before installing drainage across the entire surface. This was then covered with sand before high quality top soil was spread across the pitch area.
July 2013 - Drains installed, pitch levelled and covered with sand with top soil in place ready for levelling
By September of that year, we were ready to set the seeds for the grass on our new pitch and patches of green were already evident through the Winter of that year. Secure fencing was now in place to protect the growth from unwanted intruders (rabbits looking to burrow their way into the sand was a particular problem) so when Spring had sprung we had lovely layer of green grass ready for nourishing.
June 2014 - Newly developed pitch ready being nourished and treat many months before being approved for use
The first game on the new pitch was on Sunday 7th September 2014 when Ritchie Moore scored twice for the reds in a 2-0 home win over Kildrum Tigers. It was fitting that the St. Johnston club were our first opponents given they they were kind enough to permit us to avail of their Station Road ground during the period in which The Moss was being redeveloped.
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Our official opening took place in July 2015 when Shay Given was guest of honour on a memorable day for all of those associated with the club. Finn Harps provided the opposition on a day when many local politicians were also in attednance. Donegal County Council had also made a notable contribution to the development with the club securing €16,000 from the club through their Development Fund Initiative in the years during which redevelopment and planning of the new pitch took shape.
Official opening of the New Moss on Sunday 5th July 2015
The work though didn't stop there and soon after planning began for the development of a second pitch that could be primarily used for training and under-age games. The same approach was used to ensure sufficient training was in place and the diggers moved in during the Summer of 2020
July 2019 - Work begins on the second pitch
August 2020 - Grass seed has been sown and treatment is ongoing.
November 2022 - Floodlights are installed
November 2023 - Poles in place ahead of installing secure perimeter fencing
April 2024 - Pitch is complete