Plastic Pitches

The Conference are going to allow these next year I believe. How many clubs will take advantage of this new rule? Could be a smart move for the first teams to do so because they won't have many home games postponed.

We're looking at you Gateshead!

Makes you wonder why the likes of QPR, Oldham and Preston (was it Luton as well) had artificial pitches and now they don't.

I played on Preston's artificial pitch a few times - it was hired out to the community and the skin injuries to some of the 'dive in ' players were bloody.

Also, you quickly learnt that the ball had to be played to feet, otherwise the ball rolled past a player without chance of stopping (no friction to stop the ball).

Conclusion: seems to have been tried but ultimately not taken up.  

Quoted from Teestogreen

Makes you wonder why the likes of QPR, Oldham and Preston (was it Luton as well) had artificial pitches and now they don't.

  

Weren't they banned?

Quoted from Abdul19

Weren't they banned?

They still are banned in the league (the vote in November was a tie so the rule stayed the same). Doesn't stop someone digging it up following a promotion though it it helps them achieve it.

If they were - then interesting move that the Conference league is taking an alternative view - according to Grimrob

The modern ones are far better than the old ones like Luton & Preston but whether they are good enough for real competitive matches I wouldn't like to say. I have a feeling the new training pitch at Man City is artificial and is being used for youth and women's games.

They must save money longer term and anything that does that when almost nothing is trickling down from above is going to help a lot of teams in this league. Not that it's going to affect us............................................................................................................................................................

Have to say that i agree with Southwark on this, but would suggest that it is only a matter of time before this
option will have to be considered for many League 1 and 2 clubs as well, the distribution of wealth in pro Football
in this country is nothing short of a disgrace and the new technology artificial pitches, which bear no relation to the
failed ones of the 80's and  90's, offer massively reduced running costs and an additional income stream.
I seem to remember England playing Russia in Moscow a few years back in a qualifier and there wasn't much in the
way of criticism of the surface then and they have continued to improve since, so  sadly (and i would hate to see it at GTFC)
i think this is possibly the route many struggling clubs will have to go in the future, if given the go ahead by the FL..

They are perfect for a ground that gets heavy use , for example two or more teams play on them. You can also play youth/womens football on them without having to worry about damage to the pitch. Not sure if you can change the markings if you want to play another sport like rugby on the same pitch though. Maidstone should go up to the Conference South next season, they may be the first team in our division to have one if nobody else builds one as they have huge crowds and should soon get promoted.

I'm not sure about cost saving, surely a full size plastic modern type pitch would be quite expensive?

Yes i agree that the initial cost would be quite expensive, but i would assume that  if the FL approved them that
loans/grants would be available for financially strapped clubs and with  regular use they would soon pay for
themselves - you have to factor in the yearly cost of  a full time groundsmen team and all the materials and
equipment needed to maintain  a natural grass surface..
I am not advocating artificial pitches, football should be played on grass, but its only a matter of time before some
clubs  switch for financial reasons IMO.

I've played on one this season for my university and it's a damned sight better than playing on some of the bogs we end up with.

Quoted from mariner91

I've played on one this season for my university and it's a damned sight better than playing on some of the bogs we end up with.

Out of interest - What was it like for scorching the flesh when you do a slide? They used to be deadly. Would you say it compares well with a grass pitch?

One of the things that has always put me off plastic pitches is the effect it has on the way the game is played. Players were quite reluctant to fall over and the bounce of the ball was quite different as well. It seemed more like 5 a side with 6 extra players each. Being an old traditionalist I prefer the idea of playing on a bog!

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Out of interest - What was it like for scorching the flesh when you do a slide? They used to be deadly. Would you say it compares well with a grass pitch?

One of the things that has always put me off plastic pitches is the effect it has on the way the game is played. Players were quite reluctant to fall over and the bounce of the ball was quite different as well. It seemed more like 5 a side with 6 extra players each. Being an old traditionalist I prefer the idea of playing on a bog!

It wasn't too bad in all honesty, more scratchy than a football pitch but didn't hurt really. I thought it actually played better than a grass pitch and suits teams who want to pass the ball. I think the bounce is possibly slightly less than on a grass pitch but it's a uniform bounce everywhere and there are no bobbles. Nothing can beat a good grass surface but I would personally choose a 4G pitch over a dodgy grass pitch any day.

Hopefully, the modern day artificial pitches (which will almost certainly find their way into the League and Conference before too long), will prove to be fairer for both teams than the older ones. When Luton had one back in the late 80s/early 90s, they had a ridiculously good home record. I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence that they were relegated from Division One the season after the artificial pitch was removed...

Quoted from Maringer

Hopefully, the modern day artificial pitches (which will almost certainly find their way into the League and Conference before too long), will prove to be fairer for both teams than the older ones. When Luton had one back in the late 80s/early 90s, they had a ridiculously good home record. I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence that they were relegated from Division One the season after the artificial pitch was removed...

I played on that Luton pitch and the bounce was horrendous. Think of a rock hard pre season/end of season surface and multiply it by 10.

Forget about the plastic pitches,

Lets get back to the good old days with mud up to your ankles,

A real leather football that got heavier as the match went on,

Plus good old fashioned footy boots that covered your ankle,

Ah !!   those where the days,

On the other hand,

If they are better than the previous ones,

It will be interesting to see if the players like them or not.

Genuine question. How do these pitches compare to the one at Bradley. Are we talking the same type of pitch or is the Bradley one different?

Do they still have the astroturf pitch down Ladysmith road. Lost a fair bit of skin to that surface in years gone by!

Quoted from Jaws

Do they still have the astroturf pitch down Ladysmith road. Lost a fair bit of skin to that surface in years gone by!

It's in a right state due to "lack of funds".