With regards to under soil heating, it is pretty much mandatory at premier league level. Wasn't it Blackpool who were fined (or threatened to be) in the region of 10000 quid a couple of years back for having a match postponed (or if they didn't install it, can't remember the details)
Surely the time has come to bring in some kind of legislation on pitch quality, we have four leagues of professional football, yet we seem very lax when it comes to the quality of the playing surface, We have several clubs who allow their pitch to be used for rugby, which we have found this season is not conduicive for good football. In cricket, if a wicket is thought to be dodgy, it is examined by pitch inspectors, and if it goes against them a team can be fined and points docked, am not saying that our pitch is in that too bad a state but something needs to be done. In the early part of the season, especially when hot, we often see clubs watering the pitch, again no rules on what parts of the pitch can be watered, or for how long. Indeed there must surely be a case for no watering until the match has finished.
Seem to remember chelsea playing in a sandpit a few seasons ago, this is the worst time of the year for the pitch (and its really not that bad) if it is gong to cost in the region of £700,000 to fix I would say to let it be and invest that money in the team.
If you get a chance check out the Big match Revisited on ITV4. Look at the state of some of the pitches on there from the 70s & 80s. Some were like ploughed fields !!!
Football was very different back then Pershore, footballers were generally normal men who were very good at football. I love watching old games - no sponsors, no advertising boards, just for the fun of it... brilliant!
Can you ever imagine some of the over paid prima-donnas today wanting to play on those pitches! During the winter months there was hardly a blade of grass to be seen on some of them and I think that Blackpool are reverting back to those days! We all marvel at the footballers of today playing on nice flush manicured pitches but it would be interesting to see how they would get on playing on those old pitches! Remember back in the good old days when we were sponsored by FISONS
It's not about the state of the pitch it's about the state of the team on the pitch ... Who's ever played at , as we called it dog **** alley , which was lovestofts drive park , sliding tackles got quite messy... Yuck
JWM that's why I love FA Cup third round so much... but, it's not just non-league sides now, Championship pitches like ours and Blackpool's are just as bad!
