First published in the Steelmen Matchday Magazine vs Dundee Utd (29th January 2013)
Sunday’s ESPN live match between Aberdeen and Hibernian won’t live long in the memory of anyone, neutral or otherwise.
However, it did bring into sharp focus the need for clubs in the Scottish Premier League to start seriously looking into the use of synthetic grass.
I should clarify that I am not in any way having a go at Aberdeen or their groundstaff. If any club in this league understands and appreciates the difficulty of maintaining a pitch in adverse weather, it is us here at Fir Park.
Pittodrie is certainly not alone; indeed, it is in the majority with only a few surfaces in the SPL still conducive to free-flowing football.
Even our own here at ‘Well has been through the wars in recent weeks and head groundsman Mikey Ellis and his team deserve an acknowledgement for the amount of work put in of late.
It’s a double-edged sword for clubs.
There is significant pressure applied to get games on. Unlike when I was growing up when a call-off was part and parcel of winter football, if a game is postponed now there are statements, investigations and even fines dished out.
On the flip side, as Motherwell found out to their cost two years ago, clubs are also under the microscope from the beaks to maintain the quality and standards of their surface.
The two, I am afraid, do not and cannot go hand-in-hand without the use of additional equipment out with the reach of most clubs in Scotland.
It’s very difficult to maintain a quality surface when you are also being asked to pull out all the stops and battle ‘Mother Nature’ to get games on at all costs.
[pullquote]It’s very difficult to maintain a quality surface when you are also being asked to pull out all the stops and battle ‘Mother Nature’ to get games on at all costs.[/pullquote]
I am sure every groundsman would agree that continued use of ‘Undersoil Heating’ does absolutely nothing positive for a pitch. When it drops as low as minus seven or below and the heating system is cranked up full, then grass has no chance.
Pitches go bare, hard and bobbly and it’s very difficult for a player to get it down and play. The argument of players from the past still turning it on despite poor pitches is a mute one for me; the game has changed. It’s much quicker, the ball is much lighter and as a result the quality of the surface plays a bigger part.
Which is why we have to have 4G pitches (5G is not yet approved by FIFA) in use in our league.
SPL secretary Iain Blair told BBC Scotland’s Brian McLaughlin recently: “We are open to it as a possibility, but we would require a demonstration that it was going to be effective.
“It’s down to the clubs to propose it. We as a league are not promoting artificial surfaces, but there is a facility within our rules for a club to come forward and, subject to various criteria being met, it’s certainly possible that it would be approved.”
In my eyes, the fact that it is used throughout northern Europe in high-profile matches such as the Champions League should be proof enough.
The potential financial benefits are massive. It reduces costs, particularly from a maintenance point of view, and opens up potential new revenue streams from additional usage.
When the club were drawn against Aalesunds FK back in 2010, it was incredible to see just how often they utilised their facilities. It was in complete contrast to the never-ending battle we have here.
There is little evidence playing on a plastic pitches causes injury. There can’t be – it’s so widely used in top-level football and if it were costing teams, they would quickly bin it. They don’t.
So another thought to ponder during all this debate about the future of the game in this country. Fix a problem and generate more revenue. As I said on Twitter on Sunday – it’s a no brainer.
Alan Burrows is on Twitter
