Queens v Raith

[Michael W]

I'm pretty sure we were told that 7-10 years was the lifespan of our pitch depending on level of usage, so Queens' pitch is probably about where I'd expect it to be in terms of condition. 

[sidofthesouth]

Injuries are obviously a concern on our surface, but what bothers me more if that it just reduces the quality of play on show at every single game thats played on it. Its not like the Scottish championship has brilliant players anyway, but asking them to play on a poor, bobbly surface just adds insult to injury. That they still manage to serve up half decent quality games on it is to their credit, but someone like Dobbie must despair when he compares it to some of the surfaces he played on in England.

[TxRover]

4 hours ago, Michael W said:

I'm pretty sure we were told that 7-10 years was the lifespan of our pitch depending on level of usage, so Queens' pitch is probably about where I'd expect it to be in terms of condition. 

IDK, the pictures seem to show a badly worn carpet, and the player comments and some of the bounces make that seem likely. The biggest determinants of carpet lifespan are maintaining it correctly, ensuring people use the correct footwear, and protecting it during intemperate weather stretches by either immediately clearing it or allowing it to clear and dry naturally. The biggest problems come when corners are cut on keeping up the surface and monitoring use, that’ll turn a 10 lifespan into 5 years quickly.

The correct underlayment adds resilience and cushioning to the surface, improves drainage and eases replacement...it’s also quite expensive when combined with laying a new carpet at the same time, and often skimped on.

[Raith_Raver]

11 minutes ago, TxRover said:

The biggest problems come when corners are cut on keeping up the surface and monitoring use, that’ll turn a 10 lifespan into 5 years quickly.

 

Five quick years!

[Monkey Tennis]

6 hours ago, Fae_the_'briggs said:

Yes, we would all prefer if it went back to grass but sadly I don't think that will happen. 

I'm sure you're right - it probably won't happen.

I'd assumed that the economic case for the plastic was overwhelming, because so much money is derived from letting others have use of it.

I was surprised to see SD say recently on here, though, that it doesn't actually generate that much income, with the Arena doing better in this regard.  He seemed to think the pitch's main virtue was in enabling games to go ahead in bad weather conditions.

If that's really the case, I'd sooner that we reverted to grass too.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Monkey Tennis

[Fae_the_'briggs]

14 hours ago, Monkey Tennis said:

I'm sure you're right - it probably won't happen.

I'd assumed that the economic case for the plastic was overwhelming, because so much money is derived from letting others have use of it.

I was surprised to see SD say recently on here, though, that it doesn't actually generate that much income, with the Arena doing better in this regard.  He seemed to think the pitch's main virtue was in enabling games to go ahead in bad weather conditions.

If that's really the case, I'd sooner that we reverted to grass too.

Yes,  I'm sure the money that the artificial pitch would generate was trumpeted as a positive for going down that path,  it would appear that this is not really the case. 

[TxRover]

1 hour ago, Fae_the_'briggs said:

Yes,  I'm sure the money that the artificial pitch would generate was trumpeted as a positive for going down that path,  it would appear that this is not really the case. 

Interesting, as the carpet at Stark’s Park has already shown tidy income.

[Fae_the_'briggs]

51 minutes ago, TxRover said:

Interesting, as the carpet at Stark’s Park has already shown tidy income.

I'm sure our "man in the know", SD,  said a couple of months or so back,  not sure on what thread,  that the main pitch isn't a great money spinner,  maybe not in those words mind.  Southern Counties side Heston Rovers,  hire or lease it off Queens for their home games and training, amount unspecified, that's basically it afaik. 

We also have the Arena building which has two indoor  5-a-side pitches,  a café and other businesses occupying it and paying rent,  so that will probably be the main money earner. Obviously Covid has hit the income from that though. We also have the King George V complex which has a full size artificial surface and gym and Queens also run the Lochmaben Community Centre, so there are  a few income sources but I can't say if they're great money spinners. Again closing during Covid will have hit those hard.  Do Raith have any outside facilities for public hire or is it just the pitch?

[Guest Flash]

46 minutes ago, Fae_the_'briggs said:

I'm sure our "man in the know", SD,  said a couple of months or so back,  not sure on what thread,  that the main pitch isn't a great money spinner,  maybe not in those words mind.  Southern Counties side Heston Rovers,  hire or lease it off Queens for their home games and training, amount unspecified, that's basically it afaik. 

We also have the Arena building which has two indoor  5-a-side pitches,  a café and other businesses occupying it and paying rent,  so that will probably be the main money earner. Obviously Covid has hit the income from that though. We also have the King George V complex which has a full size artificial surface and gym and Queens also run the Lochmaben Community Centre, so there are  a few income sources but I can't say if they're great money spinners. Again closing during Covid will have hit those hard.  Do Raith have any outside facilities for public hire or is it just the pitch?

Think these are the two posts you’re referring to.

On 26/02/2021 at 14:28, Skyline Drifter said:

I'm not sure why you would assume it generates a fair amount of money. Other than Heston Rovers as tenants, it's barely rented. Far bigger advantage in normal (non Covid) conditions is the relative certainty games are on and the fact that our reserves and youths can play / train on it with much reduced pitch hire costs elsewhere. It also provided us with a Covid secure training base for almost three months at the start of the season before Hamilton re-opened without the knock on effect of turning our pitch into a quagmire like Morton's is as a result.

What would be the alternative to "sticking with it" as a matter of interest?

 

 

On 26/02/2021 at 15:47, Skyline Drifter said:

It would cost far more to put it back to grass than simply renew the playing carpet. Probably twice as much or more. I wouldn't put it back in a month of sundays honestly. I'm unsure where this "one of the best pitches in the country" myth comes from either. Maybe before the turn of the century. It was distinctly ropy for years before we switched away from the grass and regularly criticised. I doubt many clubs make an awful lot of external income out of 3G pitches. Clubs like Stenny certainly did when they first got it but there were half a dozen of them in Scotland back then. There's about half a dozen in Dumfries alone now. Anyway, there isn't an awful lot of opportunity for 3rd party hire when a professional football club with a South of Scotland League tenant are occupying it. By the time three age groups of youths, girls teams and midweek fixtures for both clubs are dealt with. The Arena , indoors, is a far better facility for external hires. Away from semi pro / organised league football, most guys like me want to play indoors, 7 a side or less, out of any serious bad weather and with a wall to bounce errant shots off, not have to climb up 20 rows of a stand to pick up a ball somebody fired 40 feet over the bar!

The existing 3G is showing its age now. It went down in 2014 and is reaching end of life. I expect we'll get another year out of it, maybe two at a push, but I'd replace it with a new carpet for sure.