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Post by richard on Jan 1, 2018 21:13:26 GMT
Interested to hear Jeff Stelling this afternoon talking about teams in the National league who play on artificial pitches. He was saying that if a club with such a pitch was promoted they would have to relay to grass or they would be refused admission to the football league. Not only that, but by refusing to revert to a grass pitch once promoted, they would be in breach of National league rules and as such would also face relegation to the National league south or north.
It begs the question as to why anyone with ambitions to be promoted would lay an artificial pitch, considering the huge cost and the implications?
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Post by paulinem on Jan 1, 2018 21:23:38 GMT
Was also interesting that when we played Bromley their fans said that since their new 4G pitch their home record was worse than their away record. So not such an advantage for them either!
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Post by bluesntwos on Jan 1, 2018 22:51:24 GMT
For a lot of teams promotion is a pipe dream, we're hanging on for survival, I'd like our 4g pitch to be the only thing holding back our promotion but I fear that we could install one and it wouldn't be an issue for at least a decade.
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Post by oldboneze on Jan 2, 2018 8:08:35 GMT
The last time the Football League voted on the issue it was a close decision and I believe that they will be voting again soon.
The Chairman of Maidstone is very active in this regard and has suggested that he might go to law if his club are denied promotion because of their pitch.
Given that the FA allow them in the FA Cup and UEFA allow them in European competitions, then it is inevitable that they will be allowed in the League some time soon.
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Post by arthurmorris on Jan 2, 2018 11:52:47 GMT
Artificial pitches are allowed in the Scottish Professional Leagues including Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premier League. So yes it can only be a matter of time before they are allowed in the English Football League.
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Post by gezzer on Jan 2, 2018 12:02:37 GMT
I find it odd but not surprised that you can have an artificial pitch in the National League but are in breach of their rules if being refused admission to the Football League you are then in breach of National League rules?? Mind boggling
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Post by Captain Duff on Jan 2, 2018 14:28:50 GMT
I find it odd but not surprised that you can have an artificial pitch in the National League but are in breach of their rules if being refused admission to the Football League you are then in breach of National League rules?? Mind boggling Not really, the (correct) argument would be that they should lay a proper pitch in the close season. |
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Post by waggoner on Jan 2, 2018 16:34:51 GMT
I find it odd but not surprised that you can have an artificial pitch in the National League but are in breach of their rules if being refused admission to the Football League you are then in breach of National League rules?? Mind boggling Not really, the (correct) argument would be that they should lay a proper pitch in the close season. All very well that is. An artifical pitch could cost between £250,000 to £500,000 to install. Imagine getting one fitted and 2 years up the line you gain promotion via the playoffs and have to tear it back up, thus losing the pitch (and it's original cost, and revenue gained by using it for other things) then having to pay for a grass pitch (100k?). Then imagine getting promoted and getting relegated in your first season in the Football league after ripping up a perfectely good 4G pitch and replacing it with a grass one. It would be better refusing promotion and keeping the 4G pitch in the long run?. Only in England would you find a situation where you can win a league by having a 4G pitch installed, to be told that you have to rip it up to get promoted or face relegation if you refuse!! Or of course you could try your hand at taking on the National league, Football league and the FA. But given how they all treat clubs at our level would you risk it? |
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Post by gezzer on Jan 2, 2018 17:05:58 GMT
Not really, the (correct) argument would be that they should lay a proper pitch in the close season. All very well that is. An artifical pitch could cost between £250,000 to £500,000 to install. Imagine getting one fitted and 2 years up the line you gain promotion via the playoffs and have to tear it back up, thus losing the pitch (and it's original cost, and revenue gained by using it for other things) then having to pay for a grass pitch (100k?). Then imagine getting promoted and getting relegated in your first season in the Football league after ripping up a perfectely good 4G pitch and replacing it with a grass one. It would be better refusing promotion and keeping the 4G pitch in the long run?. Only in England would you find a situation where you can win a league by having a 4G pitch installed, to be told that you have to rip it up to get promoted or face relegation if you refuse!!Or of course you could try your hand at taking on the National league, Football league and the FA. But given how they all treat clubs at our level would you risk it? Yes to the league below the one you have just been promoted from using your 4g pitch!! |
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Post by waggoner on Jan 2, 2018 18:37:31 GMT
All very well that is. An artifical pitch could cost between £250,000 to £500,000 to install. Imagine getting one fitted and 2 years up the line you gain promotion via the playoffs and have to tear it back up, thus losing the pitch (and it's original cost, and revenue gained by using it for other things) then having to pay for a grass pitch (100k?). Then imagine getting promoted and getting relegated in your first season in the Football league after ripping up a perfectely good 4G pitch and replacing it with a grass one. It would be better refusing promotion and keeping the 4G pitch in the long run?. Only in England would you find a situation where you can win a league by having a 4G pitch installed, to be told that you have to rip it up to get promoted or face relegation if you refuse!!Or of course you could try your hand at taking on the National league, Football league and the FA. But given how they all treat clubs at our level would you risk it? Yes to the league below the one you have just been promoted from using your 4g pitch!! You really couldn't make it up could you? laughable situation |
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Post by Captain Duff on Jan 2, 2018 19:15:04 GMT
All very well that is. An artifical pitch could cost between £250,000 to £500,000 to install. Imagine getting one fitted and 2 years up the line you gain promotion via the playoffs and have to tear it back up, thus losing the pitch (and it's original cost, and revenue gained by using it for other things) then having to pay for a grass pitch (100k?). Then imagine getting promoted and getting relegated in your first season in the Football league after ripping up a perfectely good 4G pitch and replacing it with a grass one. It would be better refusing promotion and keeping the 4G pitch in the long run?. Only in England would you find a situation where you can win a league by having a 4G pitch installed, to be told that you have to rip it up to get promoted or face relegation if you refuse!!Or of course you could try your hand at taking on the National league, Football league and the FA. But given how they all treat clubs at our level would you risk it? Yes to the league below the one you have just been promoted from using your 4g pitch!! Yes, and the solution is either don't waste the money on plastic grass to begin with, or if you insist on doing so and keeping it accept that you can never join the league. It really isn't difficult. |
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Post by eyeswideopen on Jan 3, 2018 7:35:04 GMT
Yes to the league below the one you have just been promoted from using your 4g pitch!! Yes, and the solution is either don't waste the money on plastic grass to begin with, or if you insist on doing so and keeping it accept that you can never join the league. It really isn't difficult. Its hardly wasting money though, some clubs at our level really do struggle financially, if something like that keeps them viable by letting it out almost every weeknight then good luck to them. Yes you could go down the good old proper route of football is played on grass, always has always will be, but then the obscene amount of money at the top tier not getting filtered down the pyramid is simply not fair. Football has changed, so football clubs need to do the same. A top premier league player like Aguero for instance, his weekly wages would keep us afloat for one whole season.
For anyone not quite sure how difficult it is at the lower levels, take Forest Green for example, threw absolute millions at getting out of this league and now sit firmly rooted to the bottom of league two, I realize that its not always like that as Lincoln have proved, but you get my point.
It also smacks of massive hypocrisy by the football league to not allow 3 and 4G pitches, as some of our older members will remember, QPR, Luton, Oldham and Preston all giving plastic pitches ago in the 80s and 90s, they ripped them up for their own benefit, nothing to do with any FA or FL ruling, the pitches themselves have also come on dramatically since then too.
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