A £250,000 project to replace Maidstone United’s 3G pitch starts today.

Contractors are at the Gallagher Stadium to remove the existing surface, which was laid in 2016 following promotion to the National League.

It will be replaced by a state-of-the-art pitch, with work expected to take between three and five weeks.

Maidstone are using money generated by their record-breaking FA Cup run to fund the project.

They earned about £800,000, before tax, after reaching the last 16, bowing out to Championship side Coventry.

United’s Gallagher Stadium was the first ground in the country to be built with a 3G pitch.

The original pitch lasted four years, from 2012 to 2016, during which Maidstone won three promotions while its most high-profile fixture was the televised 2-1 FA Cup replay win over Stevenage in 2014.

The second pitch witnessed plenty of magic moments, too, with United winning the National League South title in 2022 and disposing of Barrow and Stevenage, again, en route to the last 16 of the FA Cup this season.