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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 12:54:23 GMT
Post by john james on Feb 15, 2010 12:54:23 GMT
Whilst I agree with Garethl's comment that getting rid of the Reserves and Youths isn't an option at this stage, allowing them to play on the pitch at this time of year clearly is. The GGL pich can not sustain 3 (4?) teams playing on it at this time of year.
Look at the pitch schedule for the next 15 days:-
Tues 16/02 First Team v. Harrow Weds 17/02 Youths Sat 20/02 Reserves Mon 22/02 Reserves Weds 24/02 Morden & District League - What's that about?? Sat 27/02 Reserves Mon 1/03 Youth Wed 3/03 Youth
That's 8 games in 15 days!!!!!
The problems with drainage etc are well documented but to have this amount of football on the pitch when the priority must be to get promotion this season is madness.
So while the first team are flogging themselves to death with four away games on the trot they return to GGL safe in the knowledge that the rest of the club's 'teams' are ruining what's left of the pitch.
If it were me - and obviuosly it isn't - I would cancel all these games (apart from the Harrow game) to give the pitch a chance to recover in time for the Maidstone game on 6/03. Our future depends upon it!
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 12:55:23 GMT
Post by Amber Aleman on Feb 15, 2010 12:55:23 GMT
Interesting ideas, but for the future. There's not a lot that the club can do about the pich at present. With the worst of the winter weather now behind us, we will see the pitch gradually dry out over the next few weeks. We can then look forward to all that mud turning to dust during March, creating bumpy bald patches before the spring growth takes hold.
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 13:07:17 GMT
Post by SpiderBee on Feb 15, 2010 13:07:17 GMT
Just to give you an idea re the cost of covers. A decent flatsheet to cover 2 cricket wickets is about £800. Three roll on covers (with side and end sheets) to cover one wicket cost Sutton CC £4k last year with a 20% discount.
Colliers Wood Utd FC have serious pitch issues as well (clay based like GGL) and we have been quoted £12k to sort out 2 penalty areas and two small midfield areas.
I would recommend anyone looking at relaying the GGL pitch to take a look at Cobham FC and what they have done there. Rarely a game off and they use it 3 evenings a week and Sat & Sun.
The ground is overused at GGL but to play reserve and youth games at a suitable alternative venue would cost a fair bit of cash and, of course, season ticket holders would miss out at GGL.
I do not agree with this adage that any pitch is the same for both teams either. Good teams need good surfaces to play on.
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DaveF
1st team Player
Posts: 1,726
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 13:11:04 GMT
Post by DaveF on Feb 15, 2010 13:11:04 GMT
The club cannot simply cancel games, although there is very careful attention paid to whether reserve and youth games can be played. Whilst the number of matches is an issue, our groundsman will tell you that the biggest damage to the pitch this year was caused by the recent game v Aveley. There might be 8 games scheduled, but I doubt that 8 games will be played.
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 15:44:20 GMT
Post by os on Feb 15, 2010 15:44:20 GMT
I do think its about time we pursued a fix to the pitch problem, I know nothing can be done about it now but the sooner we start a plan the sooner it will be sorted
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 17:40:45 GMT
Post by Chalmers on Feb 15, 2010 17:40:45 GMT
The club has tried to looked after the pitch, the youth team for example played their first games on the pitch recently since October 22.
They're now having to play 2 games a week maybe 3-4 times before the end of the season to get all fixtures in, yet only have to include 7 home league games all season
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frakey
1st team Player
Posts: 1,757
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 19:10:56 GMT
Post by frakey on Feb 15, 2010 19:10:56 GMT
Pault has knicked my idea from the Hastings match thread. The CR end is far worse than the GGL end, probably because of the slight slope on the pitch. U's should warm up using the CR end & do it behind the goal. The bit infront of the stand towards the CR end was buggered before we started. Presumably, that is where Hastings warmed up & is where our friends from Tonbridge did theirs too.
Could we not purchase covers to cover the real crap bits as not all the pitch is bad, particularly the GGL end?
Whatever, the solution, short or long term, something needs doing & while the weather has been extremely bad this winter, it realy is not acceptable at this level of football and could mess up our p/o chances. "Going long" is not the best option for U's 'cos Steve Watts loks to be the only forward capable of consistently winning the aerial battles that would result if we did.
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dof
1st team skipper
Posts: 2,099
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 19:21:11 GMT
Post by dof on Feb 15, 2010 19:21:11 GMT
As matter of interest, who maintains the pitch now, is it the council or SUFC? Unfortuneately I am olde enough to remember a certain Clary Bridge who maintained the pitch in the 60'/70', it was his pride and joy...he does feature in the latest book A tale of Two Uniteds... when Jack Charlton remarked that the grass looks better than Wembley!!! Back to 2010 I am sure the pitch cost us two points on Saturday for in the second half Matt Hann began to run rings around their defence...but time and time again got bogged down and unable to deliver that final ball. Sutton in the main are a footballing side who like to play the ball on the deck.....but with the pitch as it is, becomes very difficult, and no doubt affects the attitude of the players. With more rain forecast over the next few days and if the game is played tomorrow I dread to think how the pitch will react. Money has been spent on the pitch extra drainage etc but it does appear to last many seasons. In the end a long term solution will have to be found.
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Beaney
1st team Player
Posts: 1,068
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 20:45:15 GMT
Post by Beaney on Feb 15, 2010 20:45:15 GMT
Quite comical how the pitch would be consider good forty years ago. One of the quotes in that book was that it was pleasing to see a pitch with grass on it 'at this time of year'!
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Pitch
Feb 15, 2010 20:53:12 GMT
Post by os on Feb 15, 2010 20:53:12 GMT
Maybe its age and the memory going but I always remember the pitch being crap in the middle and goal mouths but reasonable on the wings, it now seems to be totally the opposite?
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Beaney
1st team Player
Posts: 1,068
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Pitch
Feb 28, 2010 17:28:06 GMT
Post by Beaney on Feb 28, 2010 17:28:06 GMT
Off the official site. Good to see.
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Pitch
Feb 28, 2010 20:22:27 GMT
Post by Chalmers on Feb 28, 2010 20:22:27 GMT
I''m surprised to see just looking at our league fixtures that we actually have more away games to play than home, 8 away and 7 at home, though the youth also have 6 home games and resserves a good few left also!
I know full well Starnsy is a busy man!!!
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Pitch
Feb 28, 2010 20:52:16 GMT
Post by Del on Feb 28, 2010 20:52:16 GMT
Just as an approximation does anyone know what it would cost to completely relay the pitch including new drainage?
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Pitch
Mar 1, 2010 6:09:37 GMT
Post by Match Sec on Mar 1, 2010 6:09:37 GMT
You would start at £100k and go upwards, depending on what sort of pitch and drainage we had
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Pitch
Mar 1, 2010 7:21:49 GMT
Post by Del on Mar 1, 2010 7:21:49 GMT
Thanks.
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