Industry
G
rassroots football is “in crisis” according to FA Chairman Greg Dyke and, after the last World Cup, few would disagree with him. But, whilst the problem
might be obvious, the solution is less so. Dyke’s idea of ‘B’ teams was instantly
consigned to the pile marked ‘forget I ever said that’, but his plan to create 600 all- weather 3G pitches has been welcomed ... sadly without too much analysis. Writing about it, the ITN sports editor
Steve Scott said; “his [Dyke’s] reasoning is sound. ... these pitches can be used almost constantly, require very little maintenance and are better for learning and improving technique.
The plan put forward envisages 600 new
all-weather 3G pitches, focused on 30 of the country’s biggest cities over the next six years. He continues; “whereas grass pitches tend
to be used for four to five hours a week, with matches often cancelled due to inclement weather, 3G pitches can be used for 70 to 80 hours (a week).” It all sounds brilliant, until you examine the facts. The high costs of installing basic artificial
pitches are only the start. They are not maintenance free. They require ongoing brushing and disinfecting; a synthetic carpet can readily become a breeding ground for germs and viruses as it is contaminated with bodily fluids, such as spit, blood and vomit. Regular use will lessen the lifespan of the carpet fibres, and the need to replace the surface will usually occur every 5 to 10 years. For artificial pitches used at higher
skill levels, various tests will need to be carried out to include consistency of bounce and retention of levels. Maidstone Town had to undertake these tests to meet FIFA 2 star performance ratings before their recent FA Cup match against Stevenage; the first ever to be played on 3G.
Snow will make all pitches
unplayable, whilst a frozen artificial surface is as unplayable as a natural
grass pitch, unless PDV salt is spread in advance at a cost of around £300 a week - not a cost many small teams could afford, and certainly not one that cash-strapped local councils will be prepared to meet. For those with a care for the environment, the use of scrapped old synthetic pitches, shredded, will only fill landfill sites with carcinogenic waste. Also, what are the views of the players?
Top players worry about playing on poor pitches, but worry also about the impact on their joints, knees and hips when constantly playing on a surface that is a lot less forgiving than natural turf. The synthetic turf lobby is extremely well
funded and is both very vocal and effective. Unfortunately, the natural turf industry is fragmented and fails to provide the strong counter arguments that I am putting before you now. In this day and age, when all that counts is the bottom line, we should examine the running costs of artificial pitches compared to natural turf, based on their regular use by the tens of thousands of enthusiasts who turn out, mostly at weekends, to play football (see table 1).
Since the late 1960s, the England national
TABLE 1 Surface Type Quantity
Capital Cost
Maintenance Cost (total per annum)
Revenue (30 Weeks)
team has been consistently outplayed by other nations. In part, this is because our game does not encourage young players with the facilities many other countries provide for their footballing enthusiasts. To encourage more young players to enter and enjoy the game, and for those with potential to develop, we must provide them with good facilities - beginning with good pitches. Greg Dyke wants to set up centres of
excellence in locations all over the UK to develop these skills. I wholeheartedly support this desire. Premier League and Football League clubs do already offer centres of excellence through their Academy and youth development schemes. Installing some additional centres would certainly benefit English football’s aspiring talent base. But, where do the scouts and talent
spotters look in the first place? They look to schools and small clubs usually playing on park pitches. Many a top class player has been discovered playing on windswept, waterlogged, desolate pitches. In my own playing days, during the 80s and 90s, every park pitch was filled with the sounds of enthusiastic, if not always brilliant, football.
The choice for the kids of today appears to be more clearly defined between playing on
Natural Grass Pitches
Artificial Pitches
8,000 Council pitches existing 600 Installations proposed Nil
£300 million £64 million £6 million £48 million (6 hrs/wk/venue) £36 million (30 hrs/wk/venue)
£50 natural/£100 artificial hire 4 games per pitch per week 20 games per pitch per week Games playable (30 Weeks) @ 10 year resurfacing costs Cost per pitch per year
960,000 Nil
£2,000 Total cost per pitch in 10 years £20,000 540,000
£120 million £20,000 £200,000
PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 I 63
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