SOLIHULL Moors have postponed tonight’s sold-out Arthur Cup fixture against Birmingham City due to pitch safety concerns at Damson Park.
The recent spell of hot weather has left areas of the Damson Park pitch an injury concern to players.
An inspection of the pitch took place prior to tonight’s match.
Both clubs have agreed to play the fixture at a later date. Tickets will remain valid while a new date is arranged.
Moors chairman, Darryl Eales said: “We are sincerely sorry that the postponement has happened at such short notice and caused disruption and disappointment to all supporters attending the game.
“From the Moors perspective, we are truly grateful for Blues efforts to work with us to try and ensure the Arthur Cup could be played.
“The Moors ground staff have worked tirelessly to get the pitch ready but it is probably a week behind where it should be, after a delay in the annual maintenance of the irrigation system which has also been compounded by the hot weather.
“We remained confident that the pitch would be 100 per cent playable but, on inspection [on Wednesday], both Craig Gardner and Stephen Ward agreed that there were a couple of areas of concern and it would be foolhardy to risk injuries at this stage of pre-season.
“I’d like to thank the Moors staff for their amazing efforts today but sadly nature has beaten us.
“The Arthur Cup is a fantastic event and we are now working with Blues to find a date in the near future to host the fixture and ensure a wonderful occasion.”
The game, played in memory of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, was due to kick-off at 7pm tonight at Damson Park.
Blues fan Arthur died at the age of six in June 2020 with the two clubs to raise funds for charity in his memory.
The charities include the NSPCC and Solihull Moors Foundation for the preventative work they do with at-risk children in Birmingham.
