Plastic Pitches - Neighbours Don't See Eye to Eye

[Colmeister]

Originally Posted by maccawozzagod

i'm not particularly bothered one or t'other, if it's good enough for the Champions League and World Cup matches it's good enough for Accy

However the bit about it having no maintance costs doesn't ring true to me. How long does one of those pitches last for? I know it isn't a like for like comparison but the Sports Centre all weather pitch has been knackered for many a year now and has stuck to the "no maintance" mantra, but it hasn't been good enough for a proper match for many a year. Can the new 3g pitches be maintained or do they need a complete re-lay (at 500k) every few years? 20 years use from one at £25k per year is expensive enough ....


Like Teach said, good for training on

I know this topic is pretty much done now as the FA have no plans to change anytime soon, but below is some costings on the new 3G pitches.

8 of the bottom 20 clubs in the Scottish FL will now be playing on these pitches from this season. Whilst traditionally I much preferred games on grass, the new 3G pitches are simply state of the art. Infact even the elading rugby clubs up north have changed their views. New shock absorber levels make the pitches a lot safer too.

Annan Athletic recently installed a pitch at a cost of £592k. This is around £100k higher than normal but the reason it costs so much is not the surface itself, but the ground preparatory work. Anna for example had a ridiculous 4 foot slope - now completely even. Terracing had to be moved, and pipes removed and reinstalled. This is why the initial cost is often so high.

The carpet has a lifespan of 12 years - can last 14 if kept in prime condition. After 12-14 years a new pitch would be relaid, costing in the region of £110k - £120k. However Stenhousemuir FC for example make in excess of £30k profit per year and therefore if you set aside less than a third of that each season into a seperate account then you have your lump sum needed 12 years down the line.

Annan currently spend £25k per year mainintaing their grass pitch - this reduces by half next year with the 3G.

They have pretty much become a necessity up north due to the weather the past 3 years - games between December and March have been hard enough to come by in the central belt up here, but anything north or south of that and there's no hope of a game being played.

Finally, as many have pointed out, the biggest issue is with the initial layout. Scotland recently had a massive review as to why the national team are so poor - insert your own joke, I dont offend easily. :-) The main issue is the appaling lack of conditions - ie only 1 proper football academy in the entire country, and only 200 plastic pitches - the Dutch by comparison have over 3000. (even with the difference in size, Scotland should have around 2000).

Fortunately the most prominent figures in the current Scottish government are big football fans and as such have used different initiatives to either fully or partly fund these pitches. Most new schools come with plastic pitches too.

Many wont like it, but they are becoming more and more prominent throughout Europe and its also a great way for smaller clubs to involve their communties. ie schools get free use during the day, and it gets rented out at night. And importantly the game is pretty much guarenteed to go ahead. My own Scottish club (Clyde) will have one installed in time for next season - they've had multiple games off in recent years due to frost/floods etc and they lose 705 of all income having to play the game on a Tue night, so this is great news for my club for many reasons.

Its not for everyone though, I do concede. (apologies for unnecessary length of this post!!!).