Renovation works on the lawn of the Athletics Track of Faro they are “scheduled to start on April 20th”, to be completed “a month and a half or two months later”.
Sporting Clube Farense will invest «about 50 euros» in a new lawn and a renovated irrigation system, and the professional football team will use this infrastructure as a training ground, as of next season.
The guarantee was given to the Sul Informação by the president of Farense António Barão, who says everything is ready for the progress of the works. "At the beginning of next season, we will have to have the functional field", he added, since "the training field is mandatory" for clubs that play in the professional leagues.
This work will be carried out under a protocol between the Chamber of Faro, which owns the track, and Farense, for the club's use of the space, signed about a year ago. An agreement that deserved distrust, at the time, by the clubs that were already using the infrastructure, the vast majority linked to the Algarve Athletics Association (AAA), but also the Rugby Club of the University of Algarve (CRUAL).
Two entities that are concerned about the absence of intervention for the requalification of the grass field, by Farense, stipulated in the protocol. In conversation with the Sul Informação, both the vice-president of AAA José Luís, and the person responsible for CRUAL Ricardo Rafael were afraid that another spring would pass, without the work going forward.
The bad condition in which the currently existing “turf” is mainly affected by CRUAL, since, admits José Luís, athletic clubs use it, essentially, for hammer throwing.
«After a year, everything is the same. We had started to do some work to renovate the pitch, even though we didn't have many conditions, and it was going well. We had a first experience and we already had a perspective of evolution, based on an assessment made by the professors of the University of Algarve Carlos Guerrero, of Agronomy, and Paula Farrajota, of Landscape Architecture» said Ricardo Rafael.
According to the person responsible for CRUAL, the Rugby Club had already guaranteed the grass, donated by golf courses in the region, and the technical support of specialists in the area, as there are many former athletes from the club who graduated in the area.
This solution was by the way, with the signing of the protocol. «I know that the good is the enemy of the great. Our solution may not be perfect, but it would solve the problem», he considered.
The idea was to make the field usable for games, as rugby players are forced to use other fields, as there are no conditions to make a match of this modality on the Athletics Track. Faro. “We've even turned down proposals from clubs that want to come here to train with us, as we don't have the conditions. These clubs would bring dozens of people to the council, which would boost the local economy», he defended.
António Barão admitted "that there were some delays" and that "things take time", assuring that Farense himself wanted "things to be ready for a longer time". Also because, currently, Farense's professional team «has been training in São Brás de Alportel, which doesn't work, besides representing an added cost».
According to António Barão, the works to be carried out consist of «placement of a new sandbox», since «the lawn was badly done and the one that is there is no use». Then, in addition to planting a lawn, a new irrigation system will be installed, including a connection to the network that was destroyed during the construction of the North Bypass to Faro and has remained so for a few years.
Regarding any limitations on the use of the Athletics Track, during the execution of the works - a fear demonstrated by José Luís, after signing the protocol – will not exist. «The works will not limit the use of the athletics track in any way», assured António Barão.
José Luís, for his part, assured that the Athletics Association did not contest the Protocol itself, assuring that it has nothing against the fact that Farense uses the space, but rather, "not having been informed by the local authority", about the protocol .
“This is an athletics track, made for this sport, and not a football field with a track around it. What we want is for those who were already here to be respected», he said.
The president of Farense reaffirms the commitment that there will be respect for the interests of all clubs that use the track.
«The objective of Farense is to contribute so that everyone has better conditions. There is room for everyone. The training of our main team will be, almost always, in the morning», he assured.
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