The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[Sortmeout]

1 hour ago, Squirrelhumper said:

We dont rent the pitch out. Its solely used by our youth teams/womens team and first team.

Only time it's ever rented out os for junior cup finals and the odd rugby international. 

Ah well there you go.

[yorkshirepud]

That actually saves money as the youth and women's teams would have to hire a pitch elsewhere if Rugby Park wasn't available. Our academy teams are paying to hire pitches as far as I'm aware so it would make sense from that point of view.

Like some though, I just worry we'd end up with a dreadful plastic surface that's somehow worse than our current pitch. If we're flinging that sort of money around I'd much rather we invested in a good grass surface that is sustainable in the long term while training our ground staff to look after it properly. 

Edited March 15, 2022 by yorkshirepud
Fat fingers

[Finlay21]

38 minutes ago, yorkshirepud said:

That actually saves money as the youth and women's teams would have to hire a pitch elsewhere if Rugby Park wasn't available. Our academy teams are paying to hire pitches as far as I'm aware so it would make sense from that point of view.

Like some though, I just worry we'd end up with a dreadful plastic surface that's somehow worse than our current pitch. If we're flinging that sort of money around I'd much rather we invested in a good grass surface that is sustainable in the long term while training our ground staff to look after it properly. 

I don’t think the groundsman gets credit , number of people saying train him !he has been doing it for 10 years and also is helped by volunteers and staff of our director ( who owns a ground maintenance business ) last season there was over £30,000 spent on maintaining the pitch with the estimate cost this season being £50,000 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Finlay21

[itzdrk]

15 hours ago, Sortmeout said:

Ah well there you go.

Rather than money in you save money on renting facilities you otherwise would so without exact figures you'd still expect it to be a sort of hidden profit. 

[diegomarahenry]

Block booking an astroturf pitch for a time when ordinarily it would be quiet shouldn’t be as expensive as installing and maintaining your own astroturf pitch I wouldn’t have thought.

the pitch looked like it still had plenty of grass on it on Friday night, it’s had a lot of rain and not a lot of frost this winter as well.

perhaps the dugshit performances are down to nerves and the expectation of getting shouted at by the Partizan home crowd.

The crowd who have in turn been subjected to some of the most defensive, uninterested, unappealing football for a generation.  
 

it is the old, the support need to lift the team but the team need to lift the support. 
Friday night, for the first 30 minutes it looked like the team collectively shat themselves. There were no heavy challenges, even when that wee p***k blasted the ball at The fans in the north terrace, no player was at the ref asking questions. 
The second half, the crowd was more vocal because it looked like the team were actually interested. 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, diegomarahenry said:

Block booking an astroturf pitch for a time when ordinarily it would be quiet shouldn’t be as expensive as installing and maintaining your own astroturf pitch I wouldn’t have thought.

the pitch looked like it still had plenty of grass on it on Friday night, it’s had a lot of rain and not a lot of frost this winter as well.

perhaps the dugshit performances are down to nerves and the expectation of getting shouted at by the Partizan home crowd.

The crowd who have in turn been subjected to some of the most defensive, uninterested, unappealing football for a generation.  
 

it is the old, the support need to lift the team but the team need to lift the support. 
Friday night, for the first 30 minutes it looked like the team collectively shat themselves. There were no heavy challenges, even when that wee p***k blasted the ball at The fans in the north terrace, no player was at the ref asking questions. 
The second half, the crowd was more vocal because it looked like the team were actually interested. 

 

I believe a good astro is over £500k and the top notch ones are £700k to around £1 million so definitely better with the grass unless they are going down the top of the range hybrid route with some lottery funding / grants or something.

[Roxanne's man]

I think the pitch is fine as is, I wouldn't quickly change it. We're right next to the sea and exposed to all weathers, yet somehow had one of the better pitches in Scotland. Not bad considering, can't be ever as bad as Firhill.

[Hawkeye the Gnu]

Back in the old days when we came visiting on a more frequent basis, my memory is that you had one of the better pitches in the country, mainly I thought, due to the sand in the mix and not having high stands to block off the sunlight. 

I might be talking shite tho’ in my old age (although there was always plenty of that on the pitch as well)………….phnarr  phnarr.

[THEHonestman1910]

29 minutes ago, Hawkeye the Gnu said:

Back in the old days when we came visiting on a more frequent basis, my memory is that you had one of the better pitches in the country, mainly I thought, due to the sand in the mix and not having high stands to block off the sunlight. 

I might be talking shite tho’ in my old age (although there was always plenty of that on the pitch as well)………….phnarr  phnarr.

Somerset has always struggled with frost/snow conditions. I remember one season when we went 3 months without a home game which relegated us that season. 

I think if you ask many Ayr fans, they would say that the pitch has lost its 'bowling green' look since Harkness retired. 

[Roxanne's man]

2 minutes ago, THEHonestman1910 said:

think if you ask many Ayr fans, they would say that the pitch has lost its 'bowling green' look since Harkness retired. 

100% this.

[RedEd]

22 minutes ago, THEHonestman1910 said:

Somerset has always struggled with frost/snow conditions. I remember one season when we went 3 months without a home game which relegated us that season. 

I think if you ask many Ayr fans, they would say that the pitch has lost its 'bowling green' look since Harkness retired. 

That was the worst winter in decades.  The problem with the pitch where frost is concerned is the Main Stand. It's situated on the south of the ground and blocks out the sun. 

The pitch, although decent, never has been a 'bowling green'. It absolutely had its issues when the previous incumbent was groundsman.

[Hawk89]

50 minutes ago, THEHonestman1910 said:

Somerset has always struggled with frost/snow conditions. I remember one season when we went 3 months without a home game which relegated us that season. 

I think if you ask many Ayr fans, they would say that the pitch has lost its 'bowling green' look since Harkness retired. 

That would have been around 2010/2011 wouldn't it? When we had a prolonged freeze. Absolutely booted the arse out my fuel card driving to all the midweeks from Grangemouth....sorry visiting sites.  Think that was around the time we sold the car park to stay afloat and there was some form of inflatable training dome that a poster on here was absolutely raving about?

[the west curve]

On 14/03/2022 at 19:44, Sortmeout said:

I hate our plastic pitch but there isn’t any doubt that in terms of income it’s been a good choice. I walked round past RP last Thursday night and the place was mobbed with youth teams using the pitch, not 100% certain that it wasn’t our own youth teams but if not then it’s all income that Ayr could be getting too.

Also saw what looked like a lot of parents in the hotel at the time having coffee etc so with you guys having the hub you could be increasing your income on that too.

Killie do not make any outside cash from their pitch as it is not available to hire. All teams that use it are part of the Killie set up. 

[Richey Edwards]

1 hour ago, THEHonestman1910 said:

I think if you ask many Ayr fans, they would say that the pitch has lost its 'bowling green' look since Harkness retired. 

Harkness was one of the clubs unsung heroes. Pitch has never looked as good as it did when he was groundsman.

[Hawkeye the Gnu]

27 minutes ago, Richey Edwards said:

Harkness was one of the clubs unsung heroes. Pitch has never looked as good as it did when he was groundsman.

We were the same. For many years we had the best playing surface in the country until the club formerly known as Rangers stole our groundsman. Hope he lost his job when they died.

[diegomarahenry]

We played a Scottish cup game against Ross County in the very early days of the Daziel era where they sanded the pitch heavily to get the game on, The game was one of the BBC picks for TV coverage, a rarity at the time, Ayr were second division and Ross County were still Highland league. Probably why they were desperate for the game to go ahead. 

There was so much sand on it, the pitch looked yellow on TV, it gubbed the pitch for years after that. The Kilmarnock, Jim Dick/Ian Ferguson game, the pitch in that game was like Firhill now. 

[Richey Edwards]

35 minutes ago, diegomarahenry said:

We played a Scottish cup game against Ross County in the very early days of the Daziel era where they sanded the pitch heavily to get the game on, The game was one of the BBC picks for TV coverage, a rarity at the time, Ayr were second division and Ross County were still Highland league. Probably why they were desperate for the game to go ahead. 

I had never heard about that before. And according to Google, we lost that game 2-0. 

[D'Jaffo]

Brilliant initiative from the club to host a game for fans who can pay to take part. I’d take part myself but I’m not paying £100 to be blowing out my arse after ten minutes.

Hope it sells out though.

[Superhursty7]

Brilliant initiative from the club to host a game for fans who can pay to take part. I’d take part myself but I’m not paying £100 to be blowing out my arse after ten minutes.

Hope it sells out though.

Would love to do this but the last time I played 7s I ended up spliting my tibia in two don't fancy another 6 months off work and a divorce lol

[1nickydevlin]

11 minutes ago, Superhursy7 said:

37 minutes ago, D said:

Brilliant initiative from the club to host a game for fans who can pay to take part. I’d take part myself but I’m not paying £100 to be blowing out my arse after ten minutes.

Hope it sells out though.

Would love to do this but the last time I played 7s I ended up spliting my tibia in two don't fancy another 6 months off work and a divorce lol

6 month off work and a divorce sounds fucking great tbh .