3G pitches to be allowed in all rounds of the FA Cup

[RalphC]

Maidstone United are hailing news that the latest third generation artificial surfaces will be allowed in every round of the FA Cup next season and urging the Football Association to go further and push for their introduction throughout the English game.

The FA rubber-stamped a major change in attitudes towards 3G this week following a vote by the FA Cup Challenge Committee to end a twenty year ban on artificial pitches in the world’s oldest cup competition.

Officials at the Ryman Premier’s Gallagher Stadium believe the move vindicates the two years they’ve spent lobbying for change at The FA and Football Conference through the campaign they’ve led on the benefits of 3G via the 3G4US group of clubs they set up in 2011.

Despite getting the green light in the Cup after the move was backed by the FA Board, third generation surfaces are still banned by the professional leagues from the Conference up after their clubs voted against the reintroduction in January, effectively blocking the promotion-chasing Stones from ever going up and eventually returning to the Football League under current rules.

United's co-owner Oliver Ash insists the time to complete the overhaul in attitudes first signalled by FA Chairman Greg Dyke during a major speech on 3G in February is now.

Ash said: "The FA is showing admirable common-sense, leadership and vision in deciding to promote 3G, not only for training and community facilities but now also for stadium pitches in senior professional competition.

"No clearer, more positive message could have been given by The FA to the English football world as to the many benefits that 3G Football turf can bring to football clubs.

"We hope The FA’s example will now lead rapidly to a reconsideration by the Football Conference and the Football League of all the benefits 3G can bring, including play in most weather, enabling and encouraging local community groups to use the club facilities and bond with the club, increasing sustainable revenues, enabling academies to operate in the main stadium at off-peak times, etc.

"As a result of the FA’s intent and the hope that it will lead in due course to further change, more and more clubs will be able to switch to the 3G business model promoted by Maidstone United and 3G4US and reap the benefits. This is great news for them as it is for English football as a whole. We applaud The FA for their initiative."

Sport minister Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald, also welcomed the FA's decision and revealed on Tuesday that she is also lobbying the Football Conference to change its rules on 3G pitches.

"It's not just Maidstone United that might benefit from such a move," she told the BBC. "Smaller clubs up and down the country that already use these pitches would receive a boost, and I want to see more of them across our communities."

She added: "I have held initial discussions with the football authorities to consider a change of the rules and will have further meetings over the coming weeks."

Under previous rules, synthetic surfaces have been outlawed after the First Round proper and the FA are now hoping the rule change in the competition will benefit senior Non-League clubs relying on more sustainable running costs.

FA general secretary Alex Horne said: "Clubs are increasingly seeing the benefits of using 3G surfaces across the football pyramid and clubs who play on those surfaces can now retain home advantage in the competition.

"These pitches are a very useful asset and capable of delivering 50-plus hours per week as compared to a natural turf pitch, which can deliver perhaps five hours per week. The value of 3G pitches has been clearly demonstrated during the recent wet weather where leagues within the grassroots game have migrated to them to address fixture backlogs."

Plastic pitches were banned from English professional football in 1995 after four clubs - QPR, Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and Preston North End - tried them during the 1980s. They are now commonplace across Europe and are in use at the highest levels of the game including international fixtures and tournaments.