Jump to content

Players take a stand against plastic pitches


Texia

Recommended Posts

Clark Griswold

Should be nowhere near the top flight of any football league. Disgraceful it was allowed in the first place, especially Livi's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Footballfirst

That's just elitism if they are deemed OK for use by full time, part time and amateur players in lower leagues. Artificial surfaces are either good enough to play on for everyone or no-one. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally agree. I played amateur football for 20 years and was injury-free until we started playing on artificial surfaces.

 

Ankle ligaments & knee ligament damage caused by the harder surface meant I had to stop playing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Footballfirst

Based on some academy games I've seen this season, some of Hearts youngsters are unable to handle the bumps and bobbles when they have to play on grass when compared against the much more consistent artificial surfaces. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don’t mind Hamilton’s or Killie’s too much, but the Livi one is a disgrace. it certainly gives them an advantage when it comes to their god awful football. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with them. They are shit. If clubs can’t aford to keep their pitch in order, they need to direct funds towards infrastructure instead of players. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Glib and Shameless Crier said:

I agree with them. They are shit. If clubs can’t aford to keep their pitch in order, they need to direct funds towards infrastructure instead of players. 

 

Or the league setup should assist clubs.

 

I think whoever presents the SPFL in the Champions League and Europa League should pay a levy should they reach the group stages.

 

Won't happen though. Old Firm won't even consider helping fund VAR!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, kila said:

 

Or the league setup should assist clubs.

 

I think whoever presents the SPFL in the Champions League and Europa League should pay a levy should they reach the group stages.

 

Won't happen though. Old Firm won't even consider helping fund VAR!

 

I’d be fine with that too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maroon Sailor

I don't know anybody that likes them

 

Worse one ever was QPR and they still don't provide a decent surface for football

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

I don't know anybody that likes them

 

Worse one ever was QPR and they still don't provide a decent surface for football

 

Still recall watching highlights after it had been installed and it was farcical. A bit like watching basketball but with feet. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, OmiyaHearts said:

Totally agree. I played amateur football for 20 years and was injury-free until we started playing on artificial surfaces.

 

Ankle ligaments & knee ligament damage caused by the harder surface meant I had to stop playing.

And.... getting older wouldn't have helped :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Treasurer
46 minutes ago, GYL said:

100% agree......not sure if it can be enforced though seeing as they are FIFA/ UEFA approved surfaces?

I'm sure the SPFL & SFA could make up a new rule as they go along.

They seem to like doing that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Treasurer
3 hours ago, Footballfirst said:

That's just elitism if they are deemed OK for use by full time, part time and amateur players in lower leagues. Artificial surfaces are either good enough to play on for everyone or no-one. 

Don't think it's the fact that some clubs have artificial pitches that's the problem. It's more the variation in the standard and quality.

That is something the League should have rules in place for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As FF said above our youth teams are playing on these surfaces once or twice a week.  They are then struggling to cope with a grass park where the ball may bobble up and does not have a consistant roll on a flat artificial surface. I also think to be considered for the elite group of pro youth teams in the Project Brave programe, you need to have an indoor full size artificial pitch available. When the best youngsters Scotland has to offer are being trained and playing on such surfaces, its no wonder we dont produce the kind of players we did 30/40 years ago before these astro turf pitches started appearing at sports centres throughout the country. I know the oriam is one of the better surfaces but its still completely flat and will never play the same as a grass pitch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, jambo3tevie said:

As FF said above our youth teams are playing on these surfaces once or twice a week.  They are then struggling to cope with a grass park where the ball may bobble up and does not have a consistant roll on a flat artificial surface. I also think to be considered for the elite group of pro youth teams in the Project Brave programe, you need to have an indoor full size artificial pitch available. When the best youngsters Scotland has to offer are being trained and playing on such surfaces, its no wonder we dont produce the kind of players we did 30/40 years ago before these astro turf pitches started appearing at sports centres throughout the country. I know the oriam is one of the better surfaces but its still completely flat and will never play the same as a grass pitch.

 

That and throw in that young kids don't (or can't) play a kickabout in the streets, or local park anymore. Controlling a tennis ball on a cobbled road was a thing of true skill.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, jambo3tevie said:

As FF said above our youth teams are playing on these surfaces once or twice a week.  They are then struggling to cope with a grass park where the ball may bobble up and does not have a consistant roll on a flat artificial surface. I also think to be considered for the elite group of pro youth teams in the Project Brave programe, you need to have an indoor full size artificial pitch available. When the best youngsters Scotland has to offer are being trained and playing on such surfaces, its no wonder we dont produce the kind of players we did 30/40 years ago before these astro turf pitches started appearing at sports centres throughout the country. I know the oriam is one of the better surfaces but its still completely flat and will never play the same as a grass pitch.

In my opinion, the ball rolls more unnaturally on an artificial pitch than a grass one. Obviously that depends on the quality of a pitch but the quality of most in Scotland has improved significantly in the last few years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally don't see the problem. The games played on far worse surfaces the world over. Or the weather dictates many clubs in the likes of Scandinavia have to have artificial surfaces. Doesn't seem to do them any harm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Australis...... said:

Did Kilmarnock not say recently changing their pitch to a grass pitch would cost £10 million to do so.

Don't know how it would cost that much.

 

They were being intentionally misleading. What they really meant, was that they hire the pitch out year round for other things and they would t have that income stream anymore if it was a grass pitch, as it couldn’t take the extensive use. They would also have to hire somewhere to train and play reserve games etc. They then added that to the cost of ripping it up and replacing it.

 

Meanwhile, they have far more cash to fund their signings, wages and loans, sticking with the plastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get rid of them. Appalling to see all these rubber pellets covering players. Health scare too. They should be banned. Tough for those who have them . Football should not be played on these pitches

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seymour M Hersh
4 hours ago, Maroon Sailor said:

I don't know anybody that likes them

 

Worse one ever was QPR and they still don't provide a decent surface for football

 

I raise your QPR with Luton Town's concrete pitch. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jambo3tevie said:

As FF said above our youth teams are playing on these surfaces once or twice a week.  They are then struggling to cope with a grass park where the ball may bobble up and does not have a consistant roll on a flat artificial surface. I also think to be considered for the elite group of pro youth teams in the Project Brave programe, you need to have an indoor full size artificial pitch available. When the best youngsters Scotland has to offer are being trained and playing on such surfaces, its no wonder we dont produce the kind of players we did 30/40 years ago before these astro turf pitches started appearing at sports centres throughout the country. I know the oriam is one of the better surfaces but its still completely flat and will never play the same as a grass pitch.

 

From a different perspective, I went to watch my nephews team play Spartans a few years back. The game being played on the artificial surface at Boroughmuir HS. They came up from the Borders and were used to playing on grass pitches every week. You could see how uncomfortable they were on that surface, unable to anticipate the different bounces on the hard ground.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think perhaps the league should ring fence a portion of the clubs that get into Europe's prize money to pay for this. 

 

Its an absolute necessity. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

manaliveits105

Tell Killie and the other tinpot clubs who are overacheiving on their shitty plastic pitches to get rid for next season or feck aff 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

King Of The Cat Cafe

Out of curiosity, just how many of our horrendous tally of injuries this season have been picked up on an artificial pitch?

Edited by King Of The Cat Cafe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, King Of The Cat Cafe said:

Out of curiosity, just how many of our horrendous tally of injuries this season have been picked up on an artificial pitch?

 

Very few I would reckon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seem to remember a few years back that Livingston were being lauded for the quality of their grass pitch. About the same time that Motherwell were having big trouble with their one. What went wrong at Livi?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm disappointed our players have signed this. 

 

If these 3g pitches are good enough for amateur to Championship level, they're good enough for the Premier League players too. 

 

Killie, Hamilton and Livingston have 3g pitches for a reason. Perhaps if television money (for example) was distributed evenly they wouldn't need them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, King Of The Cat Cafe said:

Out of curiosity, just how many of our horrendous tally of injuries this season have been picked up on an artificial pitch?

 

None. Djoum done his achilles on grass. Berra and Souttar both got long term injuries on grass. As has Smith and Mitchell (twice). 

 

Let's ban grass... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, OmiyaHearts said:

Totally agree. I played amateur football for 20 years and was injury-free until we started playing on artificial surfaces.

 

Ankle ligaments & knee ligament damage caused by the harder surface meant I had to stop playing.

 

Of course you have no actual evidence your injuries were caused directly by the pitch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

King Of The Cat Cafe

It is interesting to look into the comparisons between injury rates on artificial pitches and grass.

 

Quite a few scientific/medical studies insist there is no significant difference - particularly considering the latest generations of artificial pitches.

 

Yet the main opponents seem to be players.

 

Here is a link to a PFA article, albeit  from 2013 that sets out both points of view:  https://www.thepfa.com/news/2013/4/11/research-artificial-turf-versus-natural-grass

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Glib and Shameless Crier said:

 

They were being intentionally misleading. What they really meant, was that they hire the pitch out year round for other things and they would t have that income stream anymore if it was a grass pitch, as it couldn’t take the extensive use. They would also have to hire somewhere to train and play reserve games etc. They then added that to the cost of ripping it up and replacing it.

 

Meanwhile, they have far more cash to fund their signings, wages and loans, sticking with the plastic.

Probably the best argument against them is your last paragraph

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

Of course you have no actual evidence your injuries were caused directly by the pitch.

None at all. But it was a common complaint from many amateur players when artificial surfaces became commonplace. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Alan_R said:

Personally don't see the problem. The games played on far worse surfaces the world over. Or the weather dictates many clubs in the likes of Scandinavia have to have artificial surfaces. Doesn't seem to do them any harm.

This in spades.  Either allow plastic pitches or have summer football.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bazzas right boot
8 hours ago, Footballfirst said:

That's just elitism if they are deemed OK for use by full time, part time and amateur players in lower leagues. Artificial surfaces are either good enough to play on for everyone or no-one. 

 

 

Mmmm

 

Shame, we could have had red Ash pitches back in the day....... 

 

 

Amateur teams may not have the money to have a good quality grass pitch, nor should they due to thier status. 

 

Professional sides get money and should be made to have grass imo. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The injuries can come after because playing on a harder surface can cause fatigue and tight muscles for a few days. This can cause problems for a number of days after.

The only good reason to have one is finances, nothing to do with players or supporters, therefore it's not really a good reason to have one. If kili or livi can't afford to have grass maybe they should cut their cloth accordingly.

Edited by jambopilms
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the problems with the artificial pitches that pro teams have is that they are often over-used and under-maintained. 

 

They are designed for something like 20 hours use per week, and should be raked etc to help keep the 'grass' upright, and shouldn't be played on with trainers, just blades or (molded) studs. 

 

Most will have the first team training on them for a couple of hours each day. The youth and academy teams at least a couple of hours each evening,  plus first team and reserve team matches and maybe some academy matches as well. That's before you consider any commercial lets, and things like other pro teams possibly using it for reserve matches etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They’re the employees & they’re not happy with a part of their working environment. Quite right to make some noise about it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...