on the South Stand, but is not as obvious due to its larger size. The slope causes issues with drainage and turf quality, as does the shadow over the grass for most of each sunny day created by the looming South Stand. A less specific issue is the high levels of rainfall experienced in the west of Scotland. The pitch received negative publicity during the late 2000s for being sparsely-turfed in parts and frequently waterlogged, and several games were postponed. The pitch and the consequent fixture congestion forced Gretna, who were ground-sharing with Motherwell in the 2007–08 season, to play one of their league games at Almondvale Stadium in Livingston. In the 2008–09 season, a Motherwell game against Hearts was called off due to the pitch being frozen, which prompted media criticism as the required under-soil heating should have prevented this. The pitch underwent extensive remedial work, costing £350,000, in preparation for the 2009–10 Scottish Premier League season. There was a severe winter in 2009–10, however, which damaged the pitch greatly. The club tried to make the best of the situation by relaying both goal mouths. In season 2010–11, the club removed the top few inches of the pitch and completely relaid the pitch. They also added twisted sand fibre which should prevent the pitch from tearing as easily. On 2 December 2011, a match against Hibernian was abandoned at half-time due to a floodlight fire causing safety concerns. In recent seasons, the pitch at Fir Park has been considered one of the best in the UK, winning the best pitch in the Scottish Premiership in the 2017–18 season. The drastic change in the playing surface came after considerable investment including the purchase of several lighting rigs to encourage turf growth, the cessation of all activities other than first team matches – preserving its condition and promoting an idea of grandeur and exclusivity among the youth squads hoping to play on it – and expert refurbishment led by head groundskeeper Paul Matthew who joined the club in 2014. Between 2021 and 2022, Motherwell's board invested part of the income from the club's record sale of David Turnbull in the installment of a new hybrid surface, mainly made of grass and strengthened by synthetic fibers, at Fir Park, becoming the fourth club in Scotland (after Celtic, Rangers and Heart of Midlothian) to do so in the process. Other uses During the