Plastic Pitches, Stay And Play Or Go Away

[Seaside Nipper]

I see Wishart condeming the trend towards the shabby ones, some players slating them in general.

Imo these pitches have no place in the Professional game and I reckon if SMFC installed one I'd be finished completely with attending the games here. Twelve senior teams have them ffs, that's a worrying trend. Our slide towards ( all due respect ) a League of Ireland standing is rapidly approaching

As per the norm though SFA appear not to consider the opinions and concerns of those playing the game, as for supporters, pah, 'you know nothing'

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/players-union-chief-fraser-wishart-7340320

[Buffs]

Gid rid. They give you cancer, allegidly.

[Stuart Dickson]

I see Wishart condeming the trend towards the shabby ones, some players slating them in general.

Imo these pitches have no place in the Professional game and I reckon if SMFC installed one I'd be finished completely with attending the games here. Twelve senior teams have them ffs, that's a worrying trend. Our slide towards ( all due respect ) a League of Ireland standing is rapidly approaching

As per the norm though SFA appear not to consider the opinions and concerns of those playing the game, as for supporters, pah, 'you know nothing'

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/players-union-chief-fraser-wishart-7340320

I'm afraid Wishart, not for the first time, is talking out his arse.

Like others on here I was born in the 70s and played most of my football in the 80s. I played most of my matches on gravel. Most of my training was done on wood, gravel or concrete. We didn't have 3g pitches, the only plastic ones we had in my era - and it was a special treat to play on it - was the skin shredding sand covered stuff at Barrowfield laid directly on concrete. Yet despite the lack of 3g pitches my knees are f**ked and any time I'm at Orthopaedics it's very clear that many others in there are also men in their early 40s. 3g pitches are a hell of a lot better than we grew up with, they are also a hell of a lot better than most of the grass pitches Wishart played on as a professional footballer.

Wishart conveniently ignores one of the scientifically proven major factors in terms of player injuries...boot choice. Why? Well would you want your union rep slating some of the biggest providers of player sponsorship in the game? Yet it's well known that grip and tear blade technology used in many of the modern lightweight boots are principle factors in injuries especially when players put fashion before safety and wear these boots on 3g parks that allow plenty of grip but won't tear.

This country needs MORE 3g pitches. We do not have the kind of land mass that would allow sufficient grass park numbers to satisfy all the training needs and playing needs of the game today. We also don't have the kind of customer numbers that afford the luxury of keeping a £10m stadium empty every 13 days out of 14.

Wishart as a representative of our game is a f**king embarrassment. Its time his members noticed and voted him out.

[chalky1]

In my opinion 3G is okay to train on but league games should be played on grass in professional football. A lot of the clubs using 3G see it as another income by renting out the pitch to teams during the week to train and play on. Stuart you mention players getting injured on 3G surfaces, that in my opinion is the players own fault and no one elses if they choose to wear blades on 3G.

[religion is saints]

My son has just done his anterior cruciate, turned on AstroTurf and boot stuck...he's 15, he's devastated...

[Stuart Dickson]

In my opinion 3G is okay to train on but league games should be played on grass in professional football. A lot of the clubs using 3G see it as another income by renting out the pitch to teams during the week to train and play on. Stuart you mention players getting injured on 3G surfaces, that in my opinion is the players own fault and no one elses if they choose to wear blades on 3G.

Ofcourse it is but why isn't the Union Rep as quick to highlight them as a major contributory factor in the number of injuries on 3g turf?

[oaksoft]

I see Wishart condeming the trend towards the shabby ones, some players slating them in general.

Imo these pitches have no place in the Professional game and I reckon if SMFC installed one I'd be finished completely with attending the games here. Twelve senior teams have them ffs, that's a worrying trend. Our slide towards ( all due respect ) a League of Ireland standing is rapidly approaching

As per the norm though SFA appear not to consider the opinions and concerns of those playing the game, as for supporters, pah, 'you know nothing'

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/players-union-chief-fraser-wishart-7340320

This is the future. Players need to get used to it and stop whining.

Alternatively they need to provide proper scientific research which directly links specific injuries to the specific pitch because this is all hysterical pish.

Players get injured on any surface.

[irvine_buddie]

People always say 3G parks are bad for your knees but I dislocated my knee trying to turn on a grass park and always feel dodgy playing on grass parks since. I play on 3G parks every week and never re-injured my knee on it yet (touch wood). Maybe i've just been lucky but i feel more confident on 3G because its consistent, grass parks can be totally different from one patch to another.

When it comes to professional team I still think they should play on real grass but can see why clubs further down the leagues need 3G.

[oaksoft]

My son has just done his anterior cruciate, turned on AstroTurf and boot stuck...he's 15, he's devastated...

Aye cos that NEVER happens on grass.

[oaksoft]

People always say 3G parks are bad for your knees but I dislocated my knee trying to turn on a grass park and always feel dodgy playing on grass parks since. I play on 3G parks every week and never re-injured my knee on it yet (touch wood). Maybe i've just been lucky but i feel more confident on 3G because its consistent, grass parks can be totally different from one patch to another.

When it comes to professional team I still think they should play on real grass but can see why clubs further down the leagues need 3G.

Yeah I've twisted my knee on grass as well.

I've also damaged my ankle when I was sprinting and hit a divot.

Thousands of players get injured on grass every week - many of them long term injuries.

Yet all Wishart is bleating about is a couple of specific injuries on astro.

Maybe if his members weren't fleecing their clubs for wages their clubs wouldn't need to look at money raising things like this in the first place.

[oaksoft]

Ofcourse it is but why isn't the Union Rep as quick to highlight them as a major contributory factor in the number of injuries on 3g turf?

It's nothing to do with fear of sponsors. Not everything is a conspiracy.

This is everything to do with fear of change.

Players spend 20-odd years playing on grass and now the clubs want to change.

We don't do change in Scotland.

Everything has to be resisted and fought over till the last man drops.

[santaponsasaint]

They are a cancer on the game. In front of the press players don't condemned them. But In private they tell a different story. Get rid of them.

[JJ McG]

My son has just done his anterior cruciate, turned on AstroTurf and boot stuck...he's 15, he's devastated...

I thought you were about 15 going by most of your posts.

[DougJamie]

If we had decent investment in Scottish Football this would not be an issue, however I think the get real card needs to be shown here.

We have one of best pitches in Scotland, however looking at some of other teams pitches and finances I am not surprised they had to go down this route, teams don't play on plastic because they want to. Well apart from stupid Killie.

Hamilton have 300 ST holders, Alloa have 100, we also still play Winter football despite so many protests, we are ranked 27th in Europe have a pish/ ancient national team and even our top team is an embarrassment.

We are comparable with National English League in status and fnances, so how the hell can we maintain 42 top flight clubs.

So if we got sensible, got a sponsor,, a 18 top league, an 18 second league and no more, had a season from March - November charge a max of £10 a game, play young kids then the pitches , would be grass all the way. More chance of smoking it then getting the above wish list

[southside saint]

I did my Anterior Cruciate and medial ligaments on grass. Running full pelt, foot went into a deep divot, did a 180 turn on my knee. After a 2 year recovery, I only ever played again on 3G with no problems.

If you are going to get injured, it's going happen regardless. There are too many variables-boots, blades, wet/dry weather, divots, rubber pellets, psycho defenders, weakness from previous injuries etc-to prevent it.

Would still rather watch football on grass though.

[Stuart Dickson]

It's nothing to do with fear of sponsors. Not everything is a conspiracy.

This is everything to do with fear of change.

Players spend 20-odd years playing on grass and now the clubs want to change.

We don't do change in Scotland.

Everything has to be resisted and fought over till the last man drops.

There's no fear of change when it comes to buying the latest colourful design in football boots. The sad fact is that many players at ALL age groups have lost their understanding of the most vital peice of wearable kit in football.

In the 80s we all knew what screw in studs were needed for each of the playing surfaces and weather conditions. You'd carry a pack of each type and you'd be changing studs after seeing the pitch. These days kids often have one expensive pair of boots selected for their colour and they'll use them on all pitch surfaces. No wonder there are injuries.....and yet here the Wishart chooses not to educate his membership on the technology in boots and about how to select the right boot for each pitch type. Instead he wants to ban certain types of pitch. He's either ear bitingly stupid or he's loathe to point in the direction of Adidas, Puma and Nike.

[Mid Calder Saint]

Those artificial pitches should have no place in the professional game.Dangerous for the players and the ball simply does not run true in my opinion.I absolutely hate them.

[Stuart Dickson]

If we had decent investment in Scottish Football this would not be an issue, however I think the get real card needs to be shown here.

We have one of best pitches in Scotland, however looking at some of other teams pitches and finances I am not surprised they had to go down this route, teams don't play on plastic because they want to. Well apart from stupid Killie.

Hamilton have 300 ST holders, Alloa have 100, we also still play Winter football despite so many protests, we are ranked 27th in Europe have a pish/ ancient national team and even our top team is an embarrassment.

We are comparable with National English League in status and fnances, so how the hell can we maintain 42 top flight clubs.

So if we got sensible, got a sponsor,, a 18 top league, an 18 second league and no more, had a season from March - November charge a max of £10 a game, play young kids then the pitches , would be grass all the way. More chance of smoking it then getting the above wish list

Nonsense. Tell me how the f**k could you fit all of the grass pitches needed on our land mass required for every football match and training session across all age groups of all participants in Scotland? And please tell me how you cost this bizarre project whilst reducing participation and customer numbers.

[Stuart Dickson]

Those artificial pitches should have no place in the professional game.Dangerous for the players and the ball simply does not run true in my opinion.I absolutely hate them.

Rubbish. 3g pitches are flat and consistent. Does the ball run true on a rutted Fir Park pitch, a sand covered Tannadice pitch or even on a frost ptch at Greenhill Road? Are you claiming players never deal with bobbles on a grass park?

[Seaside Nipper]

People always say 3G parks are bad for your knees but I dislocated my knee trying to turn on a grass park and always feel dodgy playing on grass parks since. I play on 3G parks every week and never re-injured my knee on it yet (touch wood). Maybe i've just been lucky but i feel more confident on 3G because its consistent, grass parks can be totally different from one patch to another.

When it comes to professional team I still think they should play on real grass but can see why clubs further down the leagues need 3G.

I've twisted my knee in bed before, but that's another matter, no need to ban the bed. Could have been in the car, on the grass or on the plastic, no great medical directive either way.

This synthetic pitch non sense, it really grinds my gears. It is simply another dilution to the games presentation. In a sport where image is important , wtf are we playing at putting pro teams on the plastic. The non sense justifications for bringing it into the game are feeble attempts to garner a few bob more for a provincial clubs coffers from the local populace aka 'the community'.

Freezing weather and snow still puts the game off as does wind and inclement rain. Also there is no great standard enforced across the leagues that stipulates the mandatory requirements of synthetic pitches adopted to any constitution that I am aware of, in terms of colour, depth, blade thickness and length, tolerance and resistance, technical build, sub bases, costs blah de blah. de blah. ( I'm sure someone will correct me though ) Hence I can understand Wisharts wee blast about the shabbier bin end versions of the surface is to a degree correct.

I just think, and its my opinion, that introducing these synthetic surfaces across the footballing leagues is just bollocks. It sends out completely the wrong signal and fundamentally changes the game and peoples attitude to it. Frankly , a lot easier you would think, to play the game on grass, in a period in the calendar with a historically better weather window.

More tinkering around the edges, ffs , it just degrades the game even further in my opinion. Synthetic surfaces are for indoor bowls, not football. If it is a true and consistant ball roll you are looking for , play snooker.

I'm sure at one time fitba used to be simple, a ball, a grassy pitch, two teams , a venue. We don't seem to want that any more. Imo that's a shame, maybe its me, I just cannae handle change.

[Drew]

I've twisted my knee in bed before, but that's another matter, no need to ban the bed. Could have been in the car, on the grass or on the plastic, no great medical directive either way.

This synthetic pitch non sense, it really grinds my gears. It is simply another dilution to the games presentation. In a sport where image is important , wtf are we playing at putting pro teams on the plastic. The non sense justifications for bringing it into the game are feeble attempts to garner a few bob more for a provincial clubs coffers from the local populace aka 'the community'.

Freezing weather and snow still puts the game off as does wind and inclement rain. Also there is no great standard enforced across the leagues that stipulates the mandatory requirements of synthetic pitches adopted to any constitution that I am aware of, in terms of colour, depth, blade thickness and length, tolerance and resistance, technical build, sub bases, costs blah de blah. de blah. ( I'm sure someone will correct me though ) Hence I can understand Wisharts wee blast about the shabbier bin end versions of the surface is to a degree correct.

I just think, and its my opinion, that introducing these synthetic surfaces across the footballing leagues is just bollocks. It sends out completely the wrong signal and fundamentally changes the game and peoples attitude to it. Frankly , a lot easier you would think, to play the game on grass, in a period in the calendar with a historically better weather window.

More tinkering around the edges, ffs , it just degrades the game even further in my opinion. Synthetic surfaces are for indoor bowls, not football. If it is a true and consistant ball roll you are looking for , play snooker.

I'm sure at one time fitba used to be simple, a ball, a grassy pitch, two teams , a venue. We don't seem to want that any more. Imo that's a shame, maybe its me, I just cannae handle change.

This.

[nosferatu]

On this same thread I have read a post from someone who doesn't like plastic pitches because the ball doesn't run true and another from someone who doesn't like them because the ball does run true!

FFS

I've also read a post calling them a "cancer" on the game!

Can someone direct me to a link who shows the evidence that plastic pitches are the cause of more injuries?

Edited February 10, 2016 by nosferatu

[windae cleaner]

My son has just done his anterior cruciate, turned on AstroTurf and boot stuck...he's 15, he's devastated...

Happened to me playing on grass

Hope your boy makes a speedy recovery

[Lord Pityme]

If they ever decide to instal one at the Paisley twenty one minutes past eight arena that to me would signal the end of trying to play football.

[BIG BEN]

People always say 3G parks are bad for your knees but I dislocated my knee trying to turn on a grass park and always feel dodgy playing on grass parks since. I play on 3G parks every week and never re-injured my knee on it yet (touch wood). Maybe i've just been lucky but i feel more confident on 3G because its consistent, grass parks can be totally different from one patch to another.

I think it's because you don't track back or tackle anyone????