[UptheA7]

Watched the Fairydean today on the new 3G surface. Great facility but how financially viable is it for an amateur club to use? Over a hundred pound (including ref fees) to play a game, can clubs afford it?

[NE63 exile]

Off the top off my head I don't know what prices that other clubs charge but the likes of Montrose and Stenhousemuir have their prices on their websites.
Sadly that seems to be the going rate certainly at some of the council owned facilities near where I live.

[hadders]

Firstly i must agree it looks a superb facility.Would i be correct in thinking that the Fairydean have it every Saturday from 1 oclock to 5 oclock,if this is the case why cant they arrange to play their game at either 1pm or 3pm which would allow another game to be played possibly at no cost because the fairydean already have the 4 hours set aside.I know that when both Spartans teams are at home one plays at 1pm and the other at 3pm which makes sense.

[winaukee]

hadders, on 28 January 2012 - 22:48, said:

Firstly i must agree it looks a superb facility.Would i be correct in thinking that the Fairydean have it every Saturday from 1 oclock to 5 oclock,if this is the case why cant they arrange to play their game at either 1pm or 3pm which would allow another game to be played possibly at no cost because the fairydean already have the 4 hours set aside.I know that when both Spartans teams are at home one plays at 1pm and the other at 3pm which makes sense.

This would be the ideal scenario but think it is unlikely to happen.

First training session tonight on the 3G with the Hotspur and looking forward to it which makes a pleasant change.

[dawg255]

UptheA7, on 28 January 2012 - 21:14, said:

Watched the Fairydean today on the new 3G surface. Great facility but how financially viable is it for an amateur club to use? Over a hundred pound (including ref fees) to play a game, can clubs afford it?

dont think many amateur clubs will be able to afford the pitch for games but i think it is well priced for training which will allow club to train year round on a great surface. also maybe for training games through the winter if both clubs split the cost.

[winaukee]

dawg255, on 30 January 2012 - 18:44, said:

dont think many amateur clubs will be able to afford the pitch for games but i think it is well priced for training which will allow club to train year round on a great surface. also maybe for training games through the winter if both clubs split the cost.

Trained on the 3G for the second week and worryingly parts of it where frozen. I know it was cold last night but I thought this was meant to good to temperatures below -10. There was also piles of frozen pellets at the side of the pitch which I'm guessing should really be on the pitch.

[UptheA7]

We are training on it tonight and have been informed that it is perfectly playable, the snow being cleared off the playing area on saturday had caused the rubber crumb to move but this has been re-spread and all is back to normal.

[The Old Northerner]

UptheA7, on 07 February 2012 - 10:13, said:

We are training on it tonight and have been informed that it is perfectly playable, the snow being cleared off the playing area on saturday had caused the rubber crumb to move but this has been re-spread and all is back to normal.

Brushing snow off a 3G seems to be a common mistake

[winaukee]

UptheA7, on 07 February 2012 - 10:13, said:

We are training on it tonight and have been informed that it is perfectly playable, the snow being cleared off the playing area on saturday had caused the rubber crumb to move but this has been re-spread and all is back to normal.

Have a nose at the end furtherest away from the rugby pitch and you'll see what I mean.

This post has been edited by winaukee: 08 February 2012 - 15:04

[yoursisters athletic]

The Old Northerner, on 07 February 2012 - 10:51, said:

Brushing snow off a 3G seems to be a common mistake

Have to agree. All this advice about wearing the right footwear, in particular metal tipped blades and then they go and do that! That's gonna shorten the lifespan of it more than any studs will do!!

[Ally1988]

winaukee, on 07 February 2012 - 07:24, said:

Trained on the 3G for the second week and worryingly parts of it where frozen. I know it was cold last night but I thought this was meant to good to temperatures below -10. There was also piles of frozen pellets at the side of the pitch which I'm guessing should really be on the pitch.

The 3g park we were training on in Baillieston on Tuesday night was icy as well so not an isolated incident to Gala's pitch.

[Border bellend]

3G pitches are the future for Scottish football, I think alot of clubs will look at gala as a template to see if it will benefit their club and I'm sure within the next 5 years most major football towns will have their own 3G pitch.

[UptheA7]

Border bellend, on 12 February 2012 - 22:44, said:

3G pitches are the future for Scottish football, I think alot of clubs will look at gala as a itemplate to see if it will benefit their club and I'm sure within the next 5 years most major football towns will have their own 3G pitch.

There could have been another one if they hadn't squandered a fortune on the pitch in the forest pish! The money would have been better used on a facility that would have lasted for years and used by thousands.

[HibeeJibee]

Ultimately that was Arts cash and ridiculous a project as it is, the money would've gone on some statue or contemporary dance exhibition if it hadn't gone on the world's most expensive forest clearing.


SBC's report last year aspired to ATP pitches at (in order of priority):
* Peebles (High School)
* Hawick (Volunteer Park)
* Duns (old High School)
* Kelso (Woodside Park)
* Selkirk (High School)
* Jedburgh (Elliott Park)

p67 onward:
http://www.sportbord...%20Facility.pdf

However it noted that if these were to be "self-funded", SBC would effectively need to sell 3 / 4 grass pitches for every ATP it installed (assuming that housebuilding market even existed).

Therefore grants, capital funding, etc. would have to bear much of the burden.

My prediction is there'll be 3G pitches in Peebles, Hawick + Duns by the end of the decade.

This post has been edited by HibeeJibee: 12 February 2012 - 23:46

[UptheA7]

HibeeJibee, on 12 February 2012 - 23:44, said:

Ultimately that was Arts cash and ridiculous a project as it is, the money would've gone on some statue or contemporary dance exhibition if it hadn't gone on the world's most expensive forest clearing.

I know HJ but it is simply the waste of that kind of money that annoys me. The government go on about getting people to lead healthier life styles and then allow money, no matter where it comes from, to be spent on this. The world has gone mad..........