Shame. Would have liked to have seen WERE LOOSE in 50 foot letters on the Amex pitch when Bruno and Vincent Kompany lead the teams out in a week in 9 days time.
Article states that the markings are "cut in to the pitch". It's not the cutting but the direction of roll, with the finer detail done with a brush. It's exactly the same as when you make patterns in suede, with the lay of the nap.
You can't beat the old traditional tartan design made with a 36" mower/roller, doing the pitch north to south, then east to west.