A STATE-of-the-art 3G pitch is set to be installed inside the Airco Arena in Hull by the end of next month. Officials at the Stadium Management Company (SMC) are planning to lay a £50,000 synthetic pitch to enable more football matches to be played at the venue. Work will start on laying the surface after the Sky televised netball clash between Yorkshire Jets and the Celtic Dragons on April 6. Once completed, the indoor facility will no longer be able to stage sports such as netball, trampolining, gymnastics and basketball. However, the surface – which will be the biggest of its kind in the region – will allow the venue to stage more football matches and leagues. Hull City chief executive Ehab Allam, who manages the SMC which runs the Arena, has now signed off on the project which will cost in excess of £250,000 to complete. It is understood the facility will be used for training by the Tigers' academy teams as the club look to improve their current Category Three status, the lowest ranking of all Premier League sides.The new surface does not mean that court sports cannot be held at the venue, with a special £20,000 surface set to be brought in to stage the British Squash Open later this year. Events like the Hull Business Expo will also be able to remain at the venue, with the use of a temporary surface.
