Plastic pitches

Glasgowisblue

Glasgowisblue

Well-Known Member
Do you feel that the spfl should be making grass pitches mandatory . We know it's a financial decision over a football decision. Should the governing body financially be helping out clubs go back to grass as it detracts from the quality on the pitch and the viewing experience for fans . Grass pitch technology has improved drastically from even five years ago , Motherwell being a great example. The better the product on the pitch the easier it is to market for the spfl.....
 
It definitely is a financial decision, although with modern technology I think the pitches are much better than, say, even 10 years ago. That said sometimes players with a history of knee/ankle injuries wont be risked on those surfaces so those clubs with artificial surfaces do gain an advantage
 
Glasgowisblue said:
Do you feel that the spfl should be making grass pitches mandatory . We know it's a financial decision over a football decision. Should the governing body financially be helping out clubs go back to grass as it detracts from the quality on the pitch and the viewing experience for fans . Grass pitch technology has improved drastically from even five years ago , Motherwell being a great example. The better the product on the pitch the easier it is to market for the spfl.....
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Plastic pitches are an abomination proven to cause certain types of injury. They are purely installed as a money saving exercise and do nothing to enhance play.
 
I didn't notice how bad plastic parks where until we where on the "journey" some absolute shockers Alloa comes to mind Broadwood was crap too.

I don't think any club in the top flight should be allowed to use a plastic pitch. I understand the financial aspect to smaller clubs but the top level of football in Scotland should be played on grass IMO.
 
I help coach youth football and it's all played on plastic pitches. The one thing I've noticed,in my opinion, is that it's making players softer as it's basically taking the slide tackle out of the game.
I've noticed when a player transfers to senior football that they can be a bit soft.
 
Should be mandatory for a Hybrid pitch in the top flight. Plastic pitches are an abomination. Especially Kilmarnock's.
 
Should the governing body be helping financially. could their be a fund set up between all member clubs. Hiring lighting , sharing lighting etc
 
Yeah anyone in the top flight is a must for grass as it's just embarrassing to be honest and SPFL should be helping out the with cost and if the club can't maintain it for the season then they get fined, simple.

It isn't hard for a groundsman to look after a pitch.
 
BarrheadRFC said:
No. Artifical surfaces are just as good as grass these days. No need to make grass mandatory
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I hope that is sarcasm.

I strongly detest the rising status of plastic pitches around the country.
They have a place indoors for training through the winter period.
Other than that - competitive football should not be played on them.
We will be a nation of football criples in years to come.
 
There is a reason why all the big leagues in Europe don't allow plastic surfaces, higher risk of impact injury to certain players and the running and bounce of the ball is different, it's a way of saving/making money for clubs
 
It has to be grass. To much money is invested in players for them to be injured by a plastic pitch just to save a club some money
 
As much as i'm in agreement that grass pitches should be mandatory in top flight football, the issue is exacerbated by how bad our game is. If you pass the ball about on the ground, artificial pitches are actually really good to play on and arguably better than grass. The issues come from the bounce, and since 50% of Scottish football is played in the air, with balls bouncing about all over the place, it simply makes our game look even worse.

You'd think the teams with plastic pitches would realise this and adapt their game accordingly, but long balls to reign supreme.
 
ekbear said:
Should be mandatory for a Hybrid pitch in the top flight. Plastic pitches are an abomination. Especially Kilmarnock's.
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It still really pains me to think of Rugby Park having a plastic pitch.

I grew up travelling to watch Rangers play at the old Rugby Park when it was renowned for having the best playing surface in Scotland.

In fact, I'm sure we poached the Kilmarnock head groundsman at one point in the 80's / early 90's?

Anyway, plastic pitches are an abomination for top flight football. Absolutely no need for them in this country where we actually get grass growth all year round, albeit very slow growth in the winter months.
 
There is no doubt plastic pitches are getting better. However, they're still a bit shit and too risky for some players.
 
Top leagues should be grass parks. Don't think I can remember watching an enjoyable game on those plastic pitches.
 
At the top level we should be using grass pitches, or better still hybrid pitches. At lower levels there is a credible argument that playing on a good Astro surface is preferable to a badly-maintained, rutted grass pitch.
 
Grass every time at the top level. Also agree with an earlier comment that it should be 3 o' clock on a Saturday.
 
It should be mandatory a grass pitch in the top flight.

Would perhaps even stretch it to include the Championship.

Fully appreciate the financial advantages but artificial pitches have an effect on the game.
 
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