Hereford FC is laying the groundwork for a stronger season ahead—literally. After a frustrating campaign plagued by waterlogged pitch postponements, the National League North side has installed a brand-new drainage system at Edgar Street.

Last season, relentless wet weather forced Hereford to play home matches in Redditch and Worcester as fixtures piled up. The team narrowly avoided relegation with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Peterborough Sports, despite being 11 points adrift at one stage. Now, with the turf being removed and the pitch reseeded for next season, the club is determined to leave those headaches behind.

Hereford FC's general manager Jamie Griffiths revealed that the scale of the problem only became clear once contractors began digging. "They've gone the opposite direction to the old drainage," he said. "They've come across blocked drains, collapsed drains, drains that were below other drains—so it was expecting water to go uphill, which obviously water's not too fond of."

The new drains running the length of the pitch should solve those deep-rooted issues. Griffiths noted the team has been "pretty lucky with the weather" during installation and is optimistic: "Hopefully come pre-season it'll be a nice playing surface, and come winter we won't have the headaches that we had."

Funding for the project came from the club's founding shareholders—and a familiar face from the Premier League. West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen, who began his career at the club when it was Hereford United in 2014, stepped up to contribute. Griffiths shared, "He came to us and said, 'How can I help?' There was no expectation from us for Jarrod to do anything, so it's fantastic."

With the drainage fix in place and a little luck from the weather, Hereford FC is ready to keep its feet on solid ground—and its fans cheering from the stands, not watching from afar.