Artificial Surfaces
“It’s about the money to be made, at the expense of whatever happens to get in the way of that”
natural pitches artificial pitches have also improved beyond recognition since TV money changed the investment in the game at the start of the 90s. The standard answer would be that
FIFA want to develop the game in less traditional footballing countries, some, but not all, of which have extreme climates and are unable to grow grass year round, which is the standard story they have spun for some time now. But that would be the line expected
from the press department of the governing bodies and the companies involved in selling plastic - it’s big business and, as with all business, it’s about the money to be made, at the expense of whatever happens to get in the way of that.
If you delve a little deeper you begin to see that, as with most things, those great big dollar signs in the sky take priority over any benefit to developing football nations.
Did you ever wonder what happened to the millions of rubber products that become useless after just a year’s usage, such as car tyres and trainers? Well, not a lot, apart from pollution of the atmosphere when they tried to burn them, and there is no degradation if you try to bury them. Now, governing bodies want your
children to be brought up on these dangerous, bacteria infested, outdoor
carpets filled with toxic waste products. That is exactly what they are! Did you ever see a house carpet left outside for months that looked healthy enough to lie down on, roll around on and, as with activity and sport, exchange fluids on? These imitation grass carpets are no different to the one in your house. Natural grass filters away all of this nastiness, unlike its fake counterpart. In summer, artificial pitches in extreme climates become dangerously hot and, in winter, unless heated, freeze just the same as a normal pitch, so the term ‘all weather’ is just yet another false marketing spin.
Governing bodies will retort that we see some pitches disappoint in some of the new super stadia built over the last fifteen years, the infamous examples being the new Wembley Stadium and Amsterdam Arena. A top official even infamously stated - when Arsenal were building the Emirates - that they should use artificial turf because they would not be able to make a pitch as good as Highbury in their new stadium! As we all know the natural pitch at the Emirates is superior to that of Highbury! Of course, the people behind all this the corporate Johnnies, will not say a lot, except to reiterate that, over the course of thirty years, they think they have bettered one of the planet’s, and Mother Nature’s most resilient living things,
something which has been evolving for millions of years, something that will still be here when humans have gone! Remember, grass has been around since before those fish creatures from the Guinness advert froze their tongues. In my opinion, the artificial companies cannot improve on what they have now, and what they have now is only good for stacking oranges on at the supermarket. It took them thirty years to develop that! There sales approach is bordering on the disgusting. All their spin is trying to rubbish natural grass, comparing ridiculous scenarios that just don’t exist and, actually, having the brass neck to say that, by having an artificial pitch, the club can sack the groundsman and that will reduce the wage bill! When looking for cuts, I suppose they [football clubs] overlooked the players’ insane salaries and seven assistants to the assistant coach then?
All clubs are constantly trying to seek an advantage all the time. It can be gained in a myriad of different ways - an advantage cannot be gained if all clubs are given the same advantage! So, if all clubs are given, for arguments
sake, £100k each per year, what is the advantage they now have over each other? There has only ever been one
argument for artificial and that is it can be used regularly for non-elite players,
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