The Netherlands will have two more grounds with turf pitches from the beginning of the 2009 season, if the developments at Voorburg, near Den Haag, and Excelsior ’20 in Schiedam go according to plan. And both clubs are increasingly optimistic that their ambitions will be realised.

That would bring the total number of grass facilities to seven, including the two grounds in Deventer. Four of the current Hoofdklasse clubs would then be playing their home fixtures on turf pitches.

Last season’s Hoofdklasse finalists Voorburg have adopted an inventive approach to raising the money needed for installing their square, which they estimate at €60,000.

They are inviting members and supporters to fund a section, ranging from a one-metre lateral strip which can cost as little as €90 a year to a whole pitch (€1800 a year). It is also possible to contribute to the purchase, maintenance and cost of use of light and heavy rollers and a mower – down to a €3 contribution to pay for one pass of the roller.

Ex-international Tim de Leede, who is helping to drive the campaign, is delighted with the way things are going.

‘We’re on course to get work under way at the end of next season,’ he said this week, ‘which would enable us to start playing on turf pitches in April 2009.’

Voorburg moved to their new Westvliet ground this season, and a new clubhouse is currently under construction.

The ground is in a slightly anomalous position, physically situated in Den Haag but as a sporting facility under the ownership of the Voorburg council.

‘Negotiations are still going on about the rent,’ De Leede says. ‘We’ve had six increases since we moved, and we’re not happy. But fund-raising for the grass square has gone very well.’

Excelsior face problems of a different kind, with their attractive new main ground marred by poor drainage in its first season.

That needs to be sorted out before laying a turf square can be tackled, and with the budget for the second phase of the ground’s development only gaining approval by the Schiedam local authority this month, work cannot begin on improving the drainage until the beginning of March.

Excelsior’s technical director Koos Gouka remains optimistic that the club will be in a position to start laying the turf square in autumn 2008.

‘Realistically, with drainage work starting in the spring, we can’t count on playing on the new ground until the beginning of June,’ he says. ‘That means we’ll need to play our first couple of home games on one of the other grounds in the Thurlede complex.

‘We’ll then see how the new ground behaves during the season, with a view of getting the turf square ready for 2009.’

Both Westvliet and Thurlede are valuable new assets for Dutch cricket, and turf squares at these two venues will add considerably to the options for the KNCB in hosting international matches and tournaments.

With the 2010 World Cricket League Division 1 tournament allocated to The Netherlands it is important that both squares get a chance to bed down during the 2009 season.