3G pitches now allowed in the Conference Premier

[Raymondo316]

http://www.thenonleaguefootballpape...onal-league-set-to-approve-use-of-3g-pitches/

Nothing stopping us & Sutton getting promoted now

Now its official i wonder if any current Conference Premier teams will decide to go 3G

 

[Sparrow]

I think we should all chip in to buy Braintree one.

 

[Tivvyultras]

good news for merthyr too

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

has to be a club pretty ok with never being promoted to FL

 

[hodge]

So what would happen if a club using a 3g pitch wins the conference? Would it just be a case of 2nd getting the auto promotion and the ones below doing the play offs?

 

[Tranmerewhite]

Unless they tore it up. I think this is mainly for teams like Braintree.. don't like it either way.

 

[Tivvyultras]

surly it's only a mater of time before the FL exepts them too

 

[Raymondo316]

Id imagine the Football League will be voting again on the matter shortly

It was very close to being passed last season http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29919748

 

[appletablepenny]

has to be a club pretty ok with never being promoted to FL

That's us in then!

 

[Luke Imp]

Not keen on that. Aired my views before.

There are enough variables such as pitch size etc to gain a bit of an advantage without allowing teams to play on plastic instead of grass and take away that one consistent of grass.

 

[Swedes]

Given that the vote between League One and League Two clubs last season was a dead heat with 4 abstentions, it wouldn't surprise me if it was passed at that level too. For those chasing imminent promotion then it may not be a good idea, for those looking to build over the next few years then it could be a very viable option. I'd have it at Haig Ave, no doubt about it.

 

[Southern Shayman]

I really don't like it personally.

But it makes such a compelling financial case for most clubs, it would be stupid for them not to look at it.

 

[Tivvyultras]

i know we have talked about it at tivvy but decied its to expencive for a club at our level

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

I don't see many league clubs picking up on it, but it's a potential financial life saver for many non league clubs. I've seen how it's helped revitalise Maidstone, cracking setup down there.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Speaking as someone who was at best sceptical at our putting in a 3G pitch, I've got to say it may be one of the better things our club has done.

I'm an exile, but I can confidently plan to attend games at home. That for me is the big benefit, we can schedule a home game for our first team, academy, colt teams, plus Sutton Common Rovers and Wimbledon ladies and know it'll be on. Our ground/club has now become a community hub. And watching games on it you forget it's artificial.

I miss 'real’ grass and muddy pitches, but we've made the right decision and investment for our club

 

[Son of Cod]

Is it different to the 3G pitches all the regular shitmunchers up and down the country play on? It must be, because if you go down on that stuff you rip yourself to shreds.

 

[Idsall Buck]

One fundament flaw against 3G pitches is that it is taking tackling out of the game. Having watched TNS a few times, all you see is block tackling. How many sliding tackles do you see on 3G pitches compared to grass? Very few. Grass every time for me, if Telford thought of swapping grass for 3G, no thanks.

 

[Swedes]

From someone who flown in on a few tackles on 3G surfaces (and taken a few tumbles on old astroturf surfaces), all I'll say is that any footballer who doesn't want the surfaces because they may get a bit of a graze is an absolute fanny. It's not much different than flying in on scorched turf in the summer.

 

[LeWhites]

I'm not a fan. There is that much to be gained from having a 3g pitch commercially and financially that clubs will be installing them left right and centre even if they've had no previous pitch trouble. Call me old fashioned but I don't like the look of the artificial pitches and no matter what the 'experts' say, the ball doesn't play the same as on grass.

We've only had a handful of games postponed in years. Obviously with some exceptions, there is no reason why with proper grounds staff and investment in drainage etc. all clubs can't boast a similar record. Teams like Braintree are more than happy to have a playing budget sufficient to sustain mid-table Conference football on tiny gates, so why can't they afford to spend a bit on fixing their pitch?

 

[LeWhites]

It's not much different than flying in on scorched turf in the summer.

Yes, and that is why grass pitches are watered before matches...

 

[High Horsey]

Brilliant , another excuse to use when we lose

 

[Silver Stone]

No tackling? Fucking eh, someone should have told us that before.

Look, I appreciate that not everyone wants a 3G pitch, and that's fine; this rule just says they're allowed, not compulsory. You can't tell me 38 postponements per season at Braintree is better.

I think all us Stones fans were skeptical about it at first, but its sheer use and reliability can't be beat, and the revenue streams brought in by being in action every single day are priceless. You also seriously don't notice the surface after a while of watching games on it.

Anyway, it works for us, it may not work for you. And that's okay.

 

[Seventyseven]

I'd have one at Plainmoor in a heartbeat. As mentioned elsewhere, being an exile it is a right pain in the arse to plan a weekend down in the 'Bay only to find out that the game is postponed.

I've visited the Gallagher on a couple of occasions (watching the Angels I hasten to add) and saw that ill-fated game at Whyteleafe in pre-season... and it really is no different to watching teams play on grass IIMHO. And, as also mentioned, the added advantage of having it bring in revenue everyday of the week would be a plus for clubs like Torquay who, let's face it, are right in the shit at the moment.

 

[JaredSUFC]

No tackling? Fucking eh, someone should have told us that before.

Look, I appreciate that not everyone wants a 3G pitch, and that's fine; this rule just says they're allowed, not compulsory. You can't tell me 38 postponements per season at Braintree is better.

I think all us Stones fans were skeptical about it at first, but its sheer use and reliability can't be beat, and the revenue streams brought in by being in action every single day are priceless. You also seriously don't notice the surface after a while of watching games on it.

Anyway, it works for us, it may not work for you. And that's okay.

This is almost exactly how Sutton fans feel

 

[Son of Cod]

From someone who flown in on a few tackles on 3G surfaces (and taken a few tumbles on old astroturf surfaces), all I'll say is that any footballer who doesn't want the surfaces because they may get a bit of a graze is an absolute fanny. It's not much different than flying in on scorched turf in the summer.

"Few" being the operative word there. You can lunge in a couple of times a match. However if you're sliding on the same areas of your knees again and again then you're gonna feel a substantial amount of pain, not only in a single match but subsequent matches. The amount of big scabs I've ripped clean off my knees that haven't healed properly from the previous game is ridiculous. It's not the same as a dry grass pitch, either. Dry grass will give you an uncomfortable burn but the sand in astroturf/3G rips your skin straight off and then rips off whatever is underneath. Horribly abrasive stuff, in my experience. I see your absolute fanny comment and raise you a...if anyone holds that opinion chance are they're probably not really that combative on the pitch.

 

[Jemfy]

There are is arguably far more variation in natural grass pitches due to weather, grass length, soil type (affecting pitch hardness) etc than artificial surfaces, not to mention problems from pitches getting ripped up during the game etc. Ideally everyone would have enough money to fit fantastic drainage systems, hire great groundsmen and give them the budgets required to run a pitch to carpet levels. That's not the case.

As others have mentioned 3G allows income from so many sources with football allowed on the surface 7 days a week with only minor set backs. The financial gain has to be huge over time if used properly, not to mention saving money from having to postpone and re-arrange games (lower midweek attendances etc).

There is a variation in the quality of artificial surfaces, so there should probably be some sort of quality control measure for 3G pitches brought in. Anyone who watched the women's world cup will have seen that some of the pitches played very well and others didn't. That said it would be horrid for a club to be in a position to have an artificial pitch not good enough to get them promoted!

I'm for this move. The football league will continue to reconsider it every now and then, though I think there needs to be more improvements in the technology before they will allow it. I think the key to changing peoples minds is some good cup runs by the teams playing on artificial surfaces without too many negative side effects - putting them in the public eye. Having teams in the conference allowed to have artificial surfaces, coming in at the 4th qualifying round rather than the 2nd, makes it more likely for teams with artificial surfaces to be in televised games more frequently.

 

[Bluandwite]

Not keen in the slightest, watched us play on a few in our Evo-Stik days at Woodley and Durham and thought they were awful. Games played an unnaturally quick pace, not a true bounce and as already mentioned the tackling was more just stand and block stuff. A completely minor and irrelevant point, but I just don’t like the look of them either, they’re unsightly.

I think more of them is inevitable as they do offer a lot of benefits, so they should be expected higher up eventually. At this level you’d probably expect a better quality surface than the two examples above as well.

 

[SGW]

http://www.thenonleaguefootballpape...onal-league-set-to-approve-use-of-3g-pitches/

Nothing stopping us & Sutton getting promoted now

Now its official i wonder if any current Conference Premier teams will decide to go 3G

If you follow that link and scroll to the bottom, one of the linked stories is that Maidstone need to replace their 3G sooner rather than later and that it hasn't stood the test of time and wear as expected.

Ironic or what?

Definitely not for me either btw

 

[Silver Stone]

If you follow that link and scroll to the bottom, one of the linked stories is that Maidstone need to replace their 3G sooner rather than later and that it hasn't stood the test of time and wear as expected.

Ironic or what?

Definitely not for me either btw

Well, when it gets the use it does, nobody here was entirely surprised. It's all good, the benefit outweighs the cost.

 

[GTFCfish]

You can't tell me 38 postponements per season at Braintree is better.

No wonder Braintree's pitch is fucked if they are having to play 38 games a season on it, the rest of us only have to play 23 plus the odd cup game the poor bastards.....