Early days in Raith Rovers' six-week pitch replacement project
Exciting work at Raith Rovers’ Stark’s Park which will ultimately see the aging, decade-old original 3G pitch dug up and replaced by a new state-of-the-art Greenfields 'MX Elite' synthetic surface began on Monday.
The start of the major upgrade – which is expected to take around six weeks to complete – was highlighted as the club posted online photographs of the early hours of renovation at the Kirkcaldy outfit.
The aim is to get the new 'MX Elite' system - a high-tech woven system designed for elite performance which is used by the likes of Falkirk and Livingston as well as rugby teams – finished in time to be played on during the 2026-27 pre-season and July’s Premier Sports Cup matches.
The work is being undertaken by Professional Sportsturf Design (PSD) Scotland and Sportex.
Raith’s ultimate aim under manager Dougie Imrie is to achieve promotion from the William Hill Championship to the William Hill Premiership.
As things stand, this scenario – although undoubtedly wonderful for a club which has not played in Scotland’s top flight since way back in the 1996-1997 campaign – could provide Raith’s board with a further headache as artificial surfaces are banned in the Scottish top division from 2026-2027 following a vote by premiership clubs in 2024.
However, Raith have still opted to create a new, high-quality synthetic pitch to ensure it serves the community, youth teams and the first team, while aiming for a long-term, top-quality playing surface.