Robotic Lawn mower Leaves Amateur Football Club with Unplayable Pitch
Egels-Popens, Germany - A robotic lawnmower malfunction has rendered the pitch of SG Egels-Popens, an amateur football club, unusable until spring, forcing the cancellation of upcoming matches and incurring unexpected costs. The incident, involving the club’s robotic mower nicknamed “Robby,” occurred recently, leaving the field severely damaged.
The unplayable condition of the pitch impacts youth and senior teams, requiring seven home games to be relocated to a nearby artificial turf field. This relocation introduces additional rental expenses for the small, volunteer-run club, which discovered its insurance policy does not cover damage attributed to “higher force.” Club chairman,Thomas Fink,stated that while ”Robby” is not being blamed,the incident prompts consideration of future upgrades or a second robotic mower to share the workload.
According to Fink, the robotic mower simply stopped functioning correctly, “leaving a broken patch behind. Eventually, it just entirely stopped.” The club has received assurances from the maintenance company that no notable damage occurred to the robot itself.
The damaged pitch is now frozen, preventing immediate repairs.The club faces financial strain due to the unexpected relocation costs, as they are unable to play on their home ground for the foreseeable future.Fink indicated that “Robby” is now ”in hibernation” while the club assesses long-term solutions.
