The Green Green Grass of Home

[CityDave]

Right we have had a few complaints about the state of the pitches just now some worse than others. Problem is with grass it doesn't grow in winter so pitches don't repair only get worse as we play the bulk of our football games during the cold months.

At Inverness we are looking into the possibility of going to a 5g artificial surface for next season. After years of having one of the best pitches in Scottish football and an award winning groundsman our pitch has come to the end of its life and is needing replaced. A perfect opportunity me thinks.

Not a fan of the artificial surface but anything to rid us of this undersoil heating influence that has indirectly damaged our pitch would be a big help. We never needed undersoil heating given our close proximity to the Moray Firth and the fact that some of the salt water gets under the pitch has helped. We rarely had call offs due to the weather affecting the pitch before we had to follow the old SPL criteria.

What do fans think of the pitches now and is this a good reason to talk about summer football or should artificial pitches be more widely used?.

[The Saintee]

Our pitch has been ruined by the salty tears of the 5000 Dundee fans in Perth yesterday. ????

[P45]

Artificial. The weather is too shite in Scotland to have good grass pitches.

[Dee Man]

Our pitch has been ruined by the salty tears of the 5000 Dundee fans in Perth yesterday. ????

[CityDave]

Something I didn't mention is what do you think about other sports and other teams using your pitch during the winter months, do you think a pitch can be over used?

Didn't a couple of Premiership grounds get used for rugby in the past?

[itzdrk]

Something I didn't mention is what do you think about other sports and other teams using your pitch during the winter months, do you think a pitch can be over used?

Didn't a couple of Premiership grounds get used for rugby in the past?

Nothing should allow that cancer a home

[CityDave]

Sometimes though the state of the pitch is a convenient excuse for some managers and teams when the result doesn't go their way, forgetting their opponents also had to play on the same surface.

[Addie]

I think we need to accept the reality that over the course of a season in a Northern European climate, that the itches will be shite. Too much criticism of the artificial pitches for my liking of late. Especially tear stained meltdowns on Super Snore Board from Rangers fans at Palmerston this week. End of the day if you are paid to play fitba for a living you should be able to kick a ball on any surface.

For me artificial is the way forward. It might even be the catalyst to stop this 'get the ball forward attitude' that hinders our game, avoiding simple, passing and build up play. You will never please everyone though - when teams get knocked out of Europe the debate will raise its head again.

[mrcat1990]

Artificial. The weather is too shite in Scotland to have good grass pitches.

This. Managers love to moan about pitches looking rough, yet will also make snidey comments when going away to a team that use artificial. Make artificial the norm and have these pitches everywhere, so then managers can moan about one artificial pitch being worse than another.

[Vbhoy]

Even if we had summer football, we'd still be playing in March, April and November at the very least and maybe one of the winter months as well. Artificial pitches are the way forward

[atfccfc]

I know a lot of big clubs use Artificial lights on pitches throughout the season. But obviously this costs money. Something most Scottish clubs can't afford. I know Celtic has this system not sure if any other SPFL clubs do. Our pitch was poor early in the season (because of damage from Commonwealth games) but seems to have improved in recent weeks.

Artificial pitches for smaller clubs is a good investment. Saves on cost of expensive training grounds, cuts down on postponed games and can be hired out to raise much needed money for clubs.

Watching MOTD last night and Southamptons pitch looked like it was the first day of the season. Not early April.

[CityDave]

Even if we had summer football, we'd still be playing in March, April and November at the very least and maybe one of the winter months as well. Artificial pitches are the way forward

The problem is around pitch use during the winter months especially forcing games on when the weather is at its worst. Even taking a break for a month during the winter might save the pitch wear but then we can't tell during when the worst weather would hit.

[CityDave]

Look at the state of the pitch at Celtic Park after this 1970 OF match, so much for a golden era of football.

Amazing that this used to be the norm back then.

Anyone got any Scottish football pitch mudbath pictures put them up on this forum.

Any picture of grounds in Scotland where a match has been abandoned or postponed due to the state of the pitch and or the weather, very welcome as well.

[CityDave]

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I know a lot of big clubs use Artificial lights on pitches throughout the season. But obviously this costs money. Something most Scottish clubs can't afford. I know Celtic has this system not sure if any other SPFL clubs do. Our pitch was poor early in the season (because of damage from Commonwealth games) but seems to have improved in recent weeks.

Artificial pitches for smaller clubs is a good investment. Saves on cost of expensive training grounds, cuts down on postponed games and can be hired out to raise much needed money for clubs.

Watching MOTD last night and Southamptons pitch looked like it was the first day of the season. Not early April.

Its a marked difference between the south of England and us up in Scotland near the North Pole, grass starts to recover weeks before we start getting new growth on grass up here in Scotland, hardly a fair comparison.

[atfccfc]

Its a marked difference between the south of England and us up in Scotland near the North Pole, grass starts to recover weeks before we start getting new growth on grass up here in Scotland, hardly a fair comparison.

Wasn't using Southampton as a comparison, just an observation.

The English premier league has money to spent on what ever it likes. and I just noticed how lush their pitch looked yesterday.

Clubs do need to do something in our leagues which is cost affective to them. And I suppose artificial pitches is the way forward for the majority if they so wish. I did vote 'other' but it was to show my point about the light system used.

[CityDave]

Tannadice, winter 1962/63

[~~~]

Artificial pitches is the way forward for clubs. Said it in another thread, the Scottish Government should give financial support to clubs installing these pitches if they are free to rent to the local community for use.

[scottmcleanscontacts]

In a Utopian Scottish Footballing world we'd have lush green pitches fit for a game of bowls but it's just not possible given how many games are played on our surfaces and the weather we experience here.

I think the most modern synthetic surfaces are probably as good as it'll get and surely the injury risk is much less than it was way back when?

Financially it would be great for the clubs, certainly in the longer term if they were able to hire the pitches out on a regular basis and train within the stadium as well.

[Dee Dee]

I think the only game to be abandoned at Dens was in 1936. There's been a few last hour postponements though!

[Dee Man]

Too many nancy boys moan about playing on poor pitches. I played on this yesterday: