[LeedsPhil]

HibeeJibee, on 09 February 2012 - 20:24, said:

I suppose technically-speaking Spartans Juniors have infact used 2 such venues... in that they played games on the backpitch at Ainslie Park during their first couple of seasons, if the Seniors were at home as well and therefore using the stadium pitch.

Maybe it was listed earlier, but Wishaw themselves used that 3G pitch at Wishaw Sports Centre from time to time.

Spartans first match after the SJFA passed the practice pitch fieldturf was on Saturday 15th January 2011, vs Blackburn United.
It had a 1.45pm KO, whereas the main (still grass then) pitch was the venue for Spartans v Gala Fairydean in the King Cup with a 2.30pm start.
From one point on the corner of the clubhouse balcony, the second half of one and the first half of the other could be watched simultaneously. I counted 23 as the attendance for the Juniors, 84 for the Seniors.

The first ever (above amateur level) indoor competitive match in Scotland was the oft-postponed Scottish Junior Cup 3rd Round match Blantyre Vics v Broughty Athletic, played at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Centre (near Motherwell - not the same as the Ravenscraig Stadium, Greenock Juniors home).
That was Saturday 12th Feb 2011. KO was delayed to 1.08pm since they had to wait for the kids' match on there to finish first.
According to the journalist sitting behind me, the SJFA missed a good chance for publicity in the days before that game, in that although we all knew the Vics' pitch would yet again be unplayable, the SJFA refused to rule out that possibility, the Ravenscraig Indoor booking always being regarded as just a back-up in case of matchday morning pitch inspection failure. I'd thought it would have drawn a bigger crowd than just the 100 "curious" souls who turned out, several of whom had come up from England.

Edinburgh United's first use of the plastic at Meggetland was on Saturday 26th March 2011 vs Haddington Athletic, when the dressing rooms were out of action at Paties Road. Apparently only 30 of us recognised the rare-tick attraction of that one.

I hadn't realised that Wishaw had sometimes used the astroturf pitch at the sports centre. Are you sure about that ?
I only ever saw them on the main grass pitch inside the athletics track at the back.

[HibeeJibee]

I think so. When Newmains had those features on the BBC website, one of their games was v Wishaw, and some discussion was generated about the ground it was played upon (which was lined for hockey and/or 5-aside football as well as football, and had fans standing around the pitchside without any paling or ropes). It was commented that Wishaw's main pitch had been unavailable. It was a Sectional Cup fixture IIRC i.e. August-time, ~2009.