3G/4G Pitches

[chris sliski]

This is getting worse than Last December ...a good case for a (4 g pitch) for our new ground ! eh ?

 

and if the football powers to be want to muck the FA cup up anymore..more mid week games and clubs to be seeded , it might not even worth joining in ...then we would not have the problem

 

to find another ground to play in this competition ! if drawn at home in the future if we had a (4 g pitch) !

 

Interested to hear your views ??

 

cheers chris s

 

Note: a 4 G pitch (artificial pitch) can be played on with football boots and is nothing like the surface that QPR or Luton had,

 

its a completely different and plays like the real thing. (seeing is believing) and would make more sense for a commercial

 

venture for the club and a sub-stainable future. (until conference premier) division who don't allow them to be used ...of course this

 

might change in the future..who knows....

Edited February 21, 2011 by chris sliski

[Tom]

Aren't 4G pitches banned under FA ruling for competitions?

 

I'd rather be in the FA Cup than have a 4G pitch. Surely the thing to do would be to have adequate drainage facilities at the new ground to solve this problem.

[Matt]

Agree with Tom, I'd rather be in the FA competitions. Also with our own pitch, with only one or two teams playing on it and an attentive groundsman, I don't see that we'd have too much of a problem. I can certainly see the benefits of being able to get a game on when others can't though.

[chris sliski]

Yes quite true...the fa ruling is as such...but we could always play an fa cup match on a neutral ground ?

 

but with the plans that the fa want to do with the fa cup , we may never be in a position to have a major game anymore !

 

one or two game's ? a week ? why when you could have as many as you like and make some real money for the club to be sustainable , please remember this will be a community

 

stadium and we should be looking to make an investment to ensure STFC is able to be sufficient for the future ...

 

Stadiums/faclities need to be used more than twice a week ....we can not expect that a benefactor , will be able to support the club for ever !

 

the stadium needs to earn its keep and to ensure we have the best for our supporters.

 

These are only my personal ideas....and wish ideas for debate ?

 

for and against ..just interesting to know...

Edited February 21, 2011 by chris sliski

[Tom]

But what if the FA refuse the game to be played at a neutral ground? I don't want to see Slough having to play elsewhere if we had a perfectly capable ground to be used - what would be the point of having a ground if that's the case?

 

The only benefit to having a 4G pitch is postponement during winter on hard pitches. If a ground is waterlogged because of a large amount of rain, surely a 4G pitch would be waterlogged too?

 

Perhaps the plans could include a "mini" 4g stadium to be built on the adjacent land marked for pitches, a suitable 4G space that includes room for standing areas or removable seating to be used as an alternative location. 99% of the time it would be allowed use by the community, perhaps a local school could use it as their home ground for football or hockey, or rented for 5/7 or 11-a-side. The 1% STFC might need it during winter it is already to standard, ready to use and in the locality of the club.

 

The club shouldn't risk non entry into FA competitions just because of the few games a year where there maybe some snow or frost to postpone them.

[Matt]

Totally agree that the facility should be made available to the entire community, but I thought part of the plan was to build some artificial pitches adjacent to the main stadium anyway?

[Bernie Gogan]

On the subject of 4G pitches, watched a bit of the Crusaders - Glentoran match on Sky earlier. I believe that must have been a 4G pitch and it looked great.. Point taken about use and therefore income, how much would one cost and how long a life does such a pitch have? However, a properly maintained and drained natural pitch would always earn my vote.

[brighton_rebel]

I think the FA need to change their rules. Non League clubs are really in the financial [censored] up and down the country and need to find as many income streams as possible to survive. I would prefer grass but if artifical pitches do the job then it is a sensible way of bringing in more cash.

Edited February 22, 2011 by brighton_rebel

[3spirit]

Agree with Tom, I'd rather be in the FA competitions. Also with our own pitch, with only one or two teams playing on it and an attentive groundsman, I don't see that we'd have too much of a problem. I can certainly see the benefits of being able to get a game on when others can't though.

 

 

When we were in the Conference in the Alan Thorne chairmanship years,we had an excellent groundsman and the pitch was superb for most games.Like all things,just need the right man for the job.I think the groundsman then was a Terry ?someone or other.

 

As Windsor and Burnham are exploring the possibility of a 4G pitch for their stadium.I would suggest we seek to use their facilities if we ever needed to[while lower non-league/one off game].We've played on grass every other season,so what's so different now.

[chris sliski]

Good debate keep the views and thoughts coming...

 

The four G would have good drainage too...and think how clean everything would be around the club ! no mud , helps to keep costs down on cleaning !

 

Have any of you tried cleaning up after a game ? you would know what I mean ...

 

The stadium could be used for 7 days a week and would be able to hold not just football events but all manner of events there..gaining more revenue for the complex..

 

and more money for the club !

 

The FA cup is not the be end of our world ...IMO we need to ensure our club is stable and debet free...and one or 2 apperances in the cup does not make our season.. but survival does

 

with a proper faclity making revenue to give football to you all !

 

chris s

[3spirit]

Good debate keep the views and thoughts coming...

 

The four G would have good drainage too...and think how clean everything would be around the club ! no mud , helps to keep costs down on cleaning !

 

Have any of you tried cleaning up after a game ? you would know what I mean ...

 

The stadium could be used for 7 days a week and would be able to hold not just football events but all manner of events there..gaining more revenue for the complex..

 

and more money for the club !

 

The FA cup is not the be end of our world ...IMO we need to ensure our club is stable and debet free...and one or 2 apperances in the cup does not make our season.. but survival does

 

with a proper faclity making revenue to give football to you all !

 

chris s

 

Well,Chris,surely we wouldn't be having events on our pitch in our football season but of course we could still have the loads of events in the summer when no football is played.I've been to concerts on the Wembley pitch and the Emirates stadium come to that.

There must be a way of overcoming,the standing on a grass pitch.They usually put boards/grids down.I know we're looking at cost effective ways but we have to be wary of flash in the pans technology that go out of fashion, to traditional grass which can provide a lot more than just a football pitch.

 

As for the FA Cup,that is one of the most attractive ways to pick up more support from the floating or unaware prospective football fan.Look at the publicity Crawley generated just last week at Man United.Their attendances need to grow just like ours do.

However,you are right we do need to cover every angle for what is the best way that our new stadium can best serve it's team and management structure,to make it stable and self-financing.

[Ted]

4G would keep the cost down (a groundsman won't come cheap), avoid postponements, and allow greater use of the stadium, which is meant to be a community facility.

 

Provided we can play the FA cup games somewhere locally, I'd be ok with 4G.

[Ian]

As for the FA Cup,that is one of the most attractive ways to pick up more support from the floating or unaware prospective football fan.Look at the publicity Crawley generated just last week at Man United.Their attendances need to grow just like ours do.

 

 

Lets not pretend that Crawley are suddenly going to have attendances 50% up just because they took 9000 "fans" to Old Trafford! We had over 2000 for the Walsall and Yeading cup games back in 2005 but approximately none of those were there at our next league game. I recall Watford playing Chesterfield just after they played Middlesbrough in the FA Cup semi at Old Trafford. Chesterfield had 30,000 at OT yet brought about 250 to Watford. FA Cup games are great at creating a bit of one-off publicity but I'm not convinced it does any more than that.

 

I think it's absolutely right to consider anything that means revenue can be generated more frequently than just once every two weeks for nine months of the year. It's absolutely the way forward for all clubs at all levels. My question mark over a 4G pitch is whether it would 'behave' like normal grass. I don't know enough about them to be able to answer that.

 

All of that said, I'm getting fed up with postponements, and not just those that I bloody cycle to........or part way to! I want to see the Rebels play!!!!!!

[readingrebel]

As for the FA Cup,that is one of the most attractive ways to pick up more support from the floating or unaware prospective football fan.Look at the publicity Crawley generated just last week at Man United.Their attendances need to grow just like ours do.

 

 

Lets not pretend that Crawley are suddenly going to have attendances 50% up just because they took 9000 "fans" to Old Trafford! We had over 2000 for the Walsall and Yeading cup games back in 2005 but approximately none of those were there at our next league game. I recall Watford playing Chesterfield just after they played Middlesbrough in the FA Cup semi at Old Trafford. Chesterfield had 30,000 at OT yet brought about 250 to Watford. FA Cup games are great at creating a bit of one-off publicity but I'm not convinced it does any more than that.

 

I think it's absolutely right to consider anything that means revenue can be generated more frequently than just once every two weeks for nine months of the year. It's absolutely the way forward for all clubs at all levels. My question mark over a 4G pitch is whether it would 'behave' like normal grass. I don't know enough about them to be able to answer that.

 

All of that said, I'm getting fed up with postponements, and not just those that I bloody cycle to........or part way to! I want to see the Rebels play!!!!!!

 

 

Agree,

 

the idea of having a surface that will stop games being postponed and being used more often to increase revenue sounds great but we need to know more about the surface.

 

Does the ball bounce the same as on grass?

 

Can players slide on the surface without fear of burns?

 

Would games still have been postponed due to the rain, snow and minus temperatures that we've had?

 

There must be minus points about the surface and I think we need to know what they are before even considering it.

[brighton_rebel]

We could also stop a lot of these postponements if we played more Tuesday night games earlier in the season. But of course when i asked the league about the possibility of this, they just replied 'no comment. http://sloughtownsoapbox.blogspot.com/2011/01/weather-warning.html

I would never want to see us not play in the FA Cup. Some of my most enjoyable games watching the Rebels have been FA Cup matches. It also does attract new supporters - it might only be a few that stick with us after the cup run has ended, but at our level just a few extra fans helps the coffers.

[chris sliski]

Yes your all right about finding out more about a 4 g pitch and its characteristics ..

 

I along with Glenn, We visited Stratford upon avon , they had a 4 g pitch , it played and looked like the real thing, the surface has within it Millions apon millions

of rubber particals, with special machine needed to ensure the rubber is kept within the plastic grass , but its got a 10 years life span , however the surface/ carpet

only needs to be change after that , the base and drainage on the intial costs are covered.

 

Yes normal tackles can be made and the bounce of the ball is good too...

 

But of course , its needs further investigation...

 

Snow and ice would be the same down fall for the pitch , but it would be much easier to clear , not causing damage to the cells, un like grass which you can do more damage too.

 

 

cheers chris s

 

all good points ..from this debate..

 

3 spirt , the FA will make changes soon I believe to the FA cup and maybe upto the 1st round proper we will be ok to use a 4g pitch , but if the fa get their way

we may only have a very very outside chance to get a good draw in the future...we will see ...

 

watch this space...

Edited February 22, 2011 by chris sliski

[Tom]

I'd imagine any decision by a club would have to be ratified by the league too?

 

Having played on a 4G pitch, the bounce of the ball is different than on grass and you cannot wear normal studded boots. I could easily see other clubs complaining of an advantage and vetoing any possible decision.

 

The rubber balls are a pain too.

[chris sliski]

Tom take your point..but no worse than on a uneven surface ...the ball runs true and you can wear normal football boots if you want to..

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

Over here in Staines-upon-Thames I had a G4 lawn laid by a local lad.

 

Although we dont have a large garden the wife insisted that we should have some new grass laid.

 

So I had a look through the local rag but never got round to ever phoning anyone.

 

Then one day I saw this advert on a old bill board, so I gave the bloke a ring and he came round to give me a quote.

 

He looked a right dodgy geeezzza in his track suit and shades but promised to do a good job and I gave him the 5 grand.

 

He eventually came round and laid it.

 

The thing with this G4 grass is it looks just like the real thing, and we were well pleased with how it looked.

 

The problem then came that after a few weeks when it went brown and started to look like the old lawn.

 

So I phoned the geeezzza up who had layed it, and after some hassel got hold of him at the local council offices - took some doing as it appears he has a secratery who "handles his calls"!

 

Problem was that he is now out of the lawns business and now on what he calls the "gravy train"!

 

As I was now getting a bit feed up with this I went back to the original bill board where I had seen him advertising and had a closer look.

 

What I found was that the last part of the advert had been blown down and what it shoud have said was:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ali G 4 Mayor

[Martin]

In absolutely no circumstances should we go for any type of pitch which gets us excluded from FA competitions or sees us having to play ties on a netural ground. My favourite Slough memories are in the FA Cup and Trophy and we would be poorer without them. A good cup run could see the club net a fortune, the vast majority of that would be wasted if we were seeking netural venues for our home ties.

 

I am all for making the club as profitable as possible but football has been played on grass for generations without any real difficulties. A couple of freak winters followed by wet springs does not mean we should immediately be looking for a different surface.

 

As Chris says it would still get frozen and the surrounding areas would still be dangerous so we would still have postponements in bleak winters.

 

I think we can build enough into the stadium complex to secure our long term future without having to go down the 4G route. In addition if other clubs in the area also opt for it, it may lose its novelty. Perhaps 4G is the latest fad that will soon go by the wayside like the plastic pitches we saw in the 80s.