3SC Attributes Lekan Salami Pitch Issues to Dry Season, Pledges Major Upgrade

3SC Attributes Lekan Salami Pitch Issues to Dry Season, Pledges Major Upgrade

By Admin 

Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) has attributed the poor condition of the playing surface at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, to the ongoing dry season, while assuring stakeholders that efforts are underway to restore the pitch to acceptable standards.

The club’s response follows a notice from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board, which declared the pitch unsuitable for hosting league matches. In a statement issued on Saturday, 3SC management said the club had already commenced remedial work aimed at improving the surface, particularly to meet broadcast and safety requirements.

“Deliberate measures have already been implemented to improve the quality of the turf, including intensified pitch maintenance, grass treatment, levelling, and regular watering,” the statement read.

The club acknowledged the impact of prevailing weather conditions, noting that the dry season and harsh climate had significantly affected the playing surface. However, management stressed that the situation was being actively managed to ensure both immediate improvement and long-term sustainability.

“Shooting Stars SC remains fully committed to providing a safe, professional, and broadcast-friendly playing environment that reflects the club’s history and status in Nigerian football,” the statement added.

Shooting Stars were originally scheduled to host league leaders Rivers United in a Matchday 24 fixture on Sunday, but the encounter has been postponed due to Rivers United’s involvement in the CAF Champions League.

Following the NPFL’s assessment, the club has been directed to select either the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta or the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos as venues for subsequent home fixtures. It remains uncertain whether the league body will approve a return to Ibadan once remedial works are completed.

The former league champions currently sit sixth on the 2025/26 NPFL table, with 35 points from 23 matches.

Earlier in the week, NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye described the condition of the Lekan Salami Stadium pitch as “embarrassing” during a radio interview, underscoring the league’s concerns.

The deteriorating state of the pitch has also had wider implications, prompting the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to relocate next week’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture between Nigeria’s Falconets and Senegal to the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta.