This week, Mineirão began the process of revitalizing its pitch for 2025, a process called regular pre-season treatment. Again, most of the games at the stadium will be led by Cruzeiro, its main partner.
The series of procedures and rest lasts about a month, scheduled to end on January 18th, Saturday, the day before the first match of the season. The celestial team will face Tombense, in the Campeonato Mineiro.
Due to the new Club World Cup, which will be played between June and July, the season will be longer than usual, generating changes. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) calendar starts on January 12th and ends on December 21st.
“Changes in the Brazilian football calendar will cause the season to start earlier and end later. This will be a big challenge for pitch managers, even though there is a break due to the tournament”, said the technical manager of Gigante da Pampulha, Otávio Goes.
Stages
The first stage of field treatment consists of cleaning and removing tchatch (organic matter that accumulates around the base of plants), with vertical cuts, followed by aggressive helical cuts.
Then, soil aeration begins, allowing air, water and nutrients to penetrate and reach the grass roots. Subsequently, the so-called topdressingwhich consists of placing a thin layer of sand to correct the micro-leveling of the lawn.
The last stage is nutrition, with fertilization and the use of herbicides to control pests. During the revitalization period, maintenance is also carried out on the water sprinklers, on the goalposts, nets and the entire competition area.
At the turn of the year, helical cuts begin at different heights. This type of cut is technologically advanced for football pitches, healing faster and providing a better finish to the field. Between cutting days, specific products are applied to specific areas.
For the middle of next year, the program for the overseedinga technique that consists of planting ryegrassa species suitable for the period of low temperatures.
Atlético
Despite having its own stadium, Galo can host state games at Mineirão. This is because the club will promote the installation of synthetic grass at Arena MRV, work that should last until the start of the Brasileirão Série A.
