The drama and heroics of the last day of the season may still be vivid and fresh in the memory of all those connected to the club however the planning and preparation for next seasons premiership campaign kicked off before the celebrations had ended. The coming and going of players as manager Paul Hartley builds a team that can compete in the Premiership is the most visible of the changes that are taking place at Dens over the summer months however if you take a look behind the scenes at Dens, you will see the background staff working on many different projects!
The Home and Away changing rooms at Dens are to be completely revamped to bring them in line with the most modern stadiums in Scotland. The changing rooms will benefit from new flooring, ventilation system, lockers, showers and the introduction of bespoke ice tanks at the request of the manager. Also included in the revamped Home changing room will be a large interactive whiteboard which will aid the players and manager alike in pre and post-game analysis.
New Shower Room – Mid Installation
Another summer improvement is the completion of the pitch irrigation system and seeding of a new pitch. The irrigation system has come at a substantial cost to the club however with the installation of a rain water collection system it is expected that the reduction in water bills will soon cover the installation expense. The irrigation system comprises of 18 pop up sprinklers, 8 of which are located on the pitch and the irrigation system can deliver an inch of water all over the pitch in 36 minutes!! Its little wonder that the pitch that was only seeded 2 weeks ago has already been cut multiple times and is looking absolutely fantastic, however spare a thought for the grounds men who are cutting the pitch by hand, walking up to 15 miles a day!
New Dens Park Playing Surface
Eagle eyed fans will also see improvements in the main stand over the summer, a 3 year programme has started focusing on the steel works in the roof of the main stand. The steel has been wired brushed, cleaned and painted Dark Blue in the section A & B of the main stand, this work is not only pleasing on the eye, it is part of a preservation programme that will maintain the magnificent Archibald Leitch designed Main Stand.
Ongoing Steel works in Main Stand
As a follow up to the improvements made on the female toilets in the South Enclosure during the season the Dundee FC Supporters Society have committed to improving the male toilets during the close season. The Society are working with the club on a number of ways to improve the match day experience of all Dundee Fans.
The positive atmosphere is evident to all connected to Dens Park at the moment with season tickets proving extremely popular and I think it is clear to see that we are not only building a team for next season but rebuilding the club!
