Relaying the pitch at Arbour park

[Irishadrian]

Holland is banning artificial pitches from the end of the 25/26 season

[Nathan]

14 minutes ago, GlenSTFC said:

But have these now all been eradicated or are they still in use and danger to life? 

There must be plenty of old buildings that still contain asbestos as this can be difficult to identify and expensive to remove.

And you could say it's a danger to life as it causes cancer 😉

[GlenSTFC]

7 minutes ago, Nathan said:

There must be plenty of old buildings that still contain asbestos as this can be difficult to identify and expensive to remove.

And you could say it's a danger to life as it causes cancer 😉

I’m sure there are but aren’t most condemned? I certainly wouldn’t t work somewhere that had known asbestos.

[Nathan]

4 minutes ago, GlenSTFC said:

I’m sure there are but aren’t most condemned? I certainly wouldn’t t work somewhere that had known asbestos.

Not necessarily; I'm sure that my old workplace (a Royal Mail depot) had some on site. As did the roof of my garage in my old house.

[Twyford Rebel]

1 hour ago, GlenSTFC said:

I’m sure there are but aren’t most condemned? I certainly wouldn’t t work somewhere that had known asbestos.

Glen, you'd be hard pressed to find a building that didn't contain asbestos - asbestos was only banned for use in construction in 1999! Asbestos is still everywhere - in artex ceilings, pipe lagging, corrugated roofs, insulation, heating systems.... the list is endless. In the UK it is almost impossible to avoid asbestos. However..... asbestos is usually harmless unless it is disturbed (for example, don't drill into an asbestos ceiling as it will release harmful particles into the air). But you almost certainly do, or have worked, in a building containing asbestos!

Edited March 8 by Twyford Rebel

[Reading Rebel]

Most if not all bona fide construction work is carried out after testing for Asbestos.

[GlenSTFC]

50 minutes ago, Twyford Rebel said:

Glen, you'd be hard pressed to find a building that didn't contain asbestos - asbestos was only banned for use in construction in 1999! Asbestos is still everywhere - in artex ceilings, pipe lagging, corrugated roofs, insulation, heating systems.... the list is endless. In the UK it is almost impossible to avoid asbestos. However..... asbestos is usually harmless unless it is disturbed (for example, don't drill into an asbestos ceiling as it will release harmful particles into the air). But you almost certainly do, or have worked, in a building containing asbestos!

Fair comment but as you say you’d actually need to attack it for it to be harmful and I’m sure nearly everyone is well aware of that consequence.

[HEAVY TRUCKER]

actually the disease i believe is called asbestosis not cancer

[Irishadrian]

4 hours ago, HEAVY TRUCKER said:

actually the disease i believe is called asbestosis not cancer

The cancer directly linked to asbestos is mesothelioma

[SloughFlyer]

So in short - we are laying a new asbestos pitch and Glen doesn't want to work there😂

[RoyalRebel]

 

Im surprised someone didn’t suggest they are being banned because they are alien spacecraft landing sites.

This is from a 3G pitch supplier:-

On the 26th April 2023 the European Commission voted to support a ban on the sale of intentionally added microplastics. Based on their definition of intentionally added microplastics, this restriction will include polymeric infill materials (e.g. rubber crumb) used in synthetic turf (3G) surfaces.

This development is something that we have been expecting for a while, and we have been working hard behind the scenes to develop a variety of alternatives.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

• Existing 3G pitches: The ban on polymeric infill materials will come into force in 2031 after an 8-year transition period. This period has been designed to ensure that existing synthetic turf fields containing polymeric infills can continue to be used and maintained until they reach end-of-life.
• New 3G pitches: The ban will mean that from 2031 only natural performance infill materials will be permitted for use in synthetic turf systems. However, the use of existing synthetic turf fields with polymeric infill will still be allowed.
• Alternatives: SIS have already developed systems using alternative performance infills which are available in our current product portfolio. These new generation systems tend to have a shorter pile (typically 40-45mm) and will require a shockpad. Other options being worked on include dense, non-filled carpets, which many are referring to as ‘4G’ turf systems.

[Curtis]

If there is any expectation of Football League status in the next 10 years the laying of a grass pitch might need to be considered…..

[Reading Rebel]

On 09/03/2025 at 09:42, Curtis said:

If there is any expectation of Football League status in the next 10 years the laying of a grass pitch might need to be considered…..

With the current amount of usage and money coming in there's absolutely no chance of reverting to a grass pitch until there's no other choice.

Edited March 11 by Reading Rebel

[Nathan]

3 hours ago, Curtis said:

If there is any expectation of Football League status in the next 10 years the laying of a grass pitch might need to be considered…..

We'll also need attendances that are at least 3x what we have at the moment, and with Arbour Park being where it is and with Slough being what it is that's pie in the sky. But that's not the only thing that will need to be considered: https://sgsa.org.uk/regulatory-support/advice-for-promoted-national-league-clubs/, https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/player/ground-grading

Grass or 3G, it's not going to happen unless Elon Musk or some Hollywood film star buys the club and we get a load of American interest and a Netflix deal like Wrexham. Does anyone have Mark Wahlberg's number? 😀

1 hour ago, Reading Rebel said:

With the current amount of usage and money coming in there's absolutely no chance of reverting to a grass pitch until there's no choice in the matter.

Do we know what usage it gets at the moment and how much revenue this has generated for the club?

Edited March 9 by Nathan

[Reading Rebel]

On 09/03/2025 at 13:17, Nathan said:

We'll also need attendances that are at least 3x what we have at the moment, and with Arbour Park being where it is and with Slough being what it is that's pie in the sky. But that's not the only thing that will need to be considered: https://sgsa.org.uk/regulatory-support/advice-for-promoted-national-league-clubs/, https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/player/ground-grading

Grass or 3G, it's not going to happen unless Elon Musk or some Hollywood film star buys the club and we get a load of American interest and a Netflix deal like Wrexham. Does anyone have Mark Wahlberg's number? 😀

Do we know what usage it gets at the moment and how much revenue this has generated for the club?

Agree about increased attendances needed when you are a football league club which would surely increase dramatically when playing bigger football league clubs and also having wealthy owners to dig deep.

Not sure what you mean by where AP is and Slough being what it is. Surely there are existing Football League clubs that are similarly situated to AP and have the demographics similar to Slough.

People I talk to say the pitch is in full usage day and night. 

As to how much revenue it generates would only be known by our owners and maybe a few others but must be a tidy sum.  

Edited March 11 by Reading Rebel

[DonnyNo6]

I've got a sort of inside track on this subject as I look after a FIFA/FA Approved 3G here at the Academy thats about seven years old now.

They are always looking for new methods and updates on these surfaces and I've asked about the Cancer links given we're a school and obviously my own two kids are keepers, the stats are inconclusive and as with anything one expert says it does, another expert says it doesn't.....bit like red wine is good for you, but on the other hand it isn't.

They are looking at new rubber ideas or alternatives and several companies have been doing that for years, I was recently told they now offer the same coloured rubber crumb for the pitches so you don't see the black pellets anymore but colour dyed ones to match, guessing they are full of something or another that again someone will say are harmful, who knows as I need to do ours later this year and that costs roughly £10,000.

In terms of the carpet being relayed, much will depend on the base and drainage underneath it, mine was checked three weeks ago and it literally needs a new top everything else underneath is future proofed but will still be in the region of £125,000.

 

[Reading Rebel]

23 hours ago, DonnyNo6 said:

I've got a sort of inside track on this subject as I look after a FIFA/FA Approved 3G here at the Academy thats about seven years old now.

They are always looking for new methods and updates on these surfaces and I've asked about the Cancer links given we're a school and obviously my own two kids are keepers, the stats are inconclusive and as with anything one expert says it does, another expert says it doesn't.....bit like red wine is good for you, but on the other hand it isn't.

They are looking at new rubber ideas or alternatives and several companies have been doing that for years, I was recently told they now offer the same coloured rubber crumb for the pitches so you don't see the black pellets anymore but colour dyed ones to match, guessing they are full of something or another that again someone will say are harmful, who knows as I need to do ours later this year and that costs roughly £10,000.

In terms of the carpet being relayed, much will depend on the base and drainage underneath it, mine was checked three weeks ago and it literally needs a new top everything else underneath is future proofed but will still be in the region of £125,000.

 

Unfortunately some people take everything they read as gospel without looking deeper into the details.

Edited March 11 by Reading Rebel

[Curtis]

Although that does sound like a lot of money, you would have thought that with the FA Cup & FA Trophy runs prize money and a share of three big matches with attendances of 1,800 along with a transfer fee for Leon that the Club could possible be close to £100k ahead of budget this season.

[Nathan]

18 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Not sure what you mean by where AP is and Slough being what it is.

RR I mean that the location is not ideal as there is no room for expansion. Surely we won't be able to put up large stands behind the goals or expand the car park? Even adding catering and toilet facilities to the East side of the ground (which we will need to do if we ever want to go up to the NLP) will severely impact the standing space and therefore the capacity.

ATM we're barely NLS compliant and the capacity issue is a bit iffy IMO. As I understand it, to go up to NLP we'll need a capacity of 4000 as well as the potential to go up to League Two minimum (which is 5000). Our official safe capacity at the moment I believe is 2500, which as I read it (https://www.thefa.com/get-involved/player/ground-grading) is lower than 3000 needed for Grade 2 grading (NLS minimum). As we're limiting this to 2000, it's obvious that major reconstruction work will be needed if we ever hope to progress in this regard. They must think this is possible or else we wouldn't have been allowed to compete in the play-offs in 2020, but is it really financially viable?

18 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Surely there are existing Football League clubs that are similarly situated to AP and have the demographics similar to Slough.

Slough's demographics mean that it is not a town that is ripe to attract thousands of football supporters (especially non-league football).

But you're right there are a few places with similar demographics that have teams in the Football League. However these were all established Football League clubs with much larger fanbases to start with and were therefore much better placed to survive bad times (such as 13 years homeless for example), as well as usually being large towns not quite so near London and within spiting distance of 5 big Premier League teams, or else cities in their own right. All of these things unfortunately have worked and will work against us.