3G pitch

[ryooon1999]

According to Doswell’s twitter, there isn’t a 3G vote in June anymore, seems like if we go up, it’s grass or the NLS!

[mca]

Mar 16, 2018 15:44:31 GMT ryooon1999 said:

According to Doswell’s twitter, there isn’t a 3G vote in June anymore, seems like if we go up, it’s grass or the NLS!

And he says it'll have to be plan B. £600K a new pitch and ground improvements. I guess the ground improvements would have to happen anyway IF promotion happens.

[ryooon1999]

Apparently a ground needs to have the ability to go up to 1,000 seats by the end of the first season if we stay up and ability to go up to 2,000 by the end of the second season.

Could see a new seated stand out in GGL if we are successful in promotion and survival in the FL...


This was from 2013, dunno if the same rules apply: www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/advice/conference-club-guidance/ground-capacity-and-seating

[Andy K]

We should invite Kingstonian to come and groundshare with us next season. With the payoff they are getting from AFC Wimbledon for leaving the ground (not being evicted, as I understand they were offered to stay but refused), that will easily cover the cost of laying a grass pitch, and then laying a 3G again.

[Del]

Grass pitch can be laid over the 3G at a reasonable cost in case we were only in the FL for one season.

We need to get into the FL and force change from within.

[kpinwp]

Hm, EFL not engaging with flexibility, then. Or even the future.

[SG]

Mar 16, 2018 17:29:23 GMT kpinwp said:

Hm, EFL not engaging with flexibility, then. Or even the future.

There are two schools of thought here:

Firstly, turkeys don't tend to vote for Christmas, if they allow 3G in, clubs who already have it have a theoretical competitive advantage because they've already bought and paid for (or made provisions to pay for) the installation, whereas the rest of them would have to find half a million quid to do it themselves if they so desired.

Secondly, the league and clubs themselves are run by blinkered idiots who can't even be bothered to do any proper research into it and just throw out lazy cliches about "untrue" bounces, injuries and other such bollocks. Those things were true of the old sand-based astroturf that was rightly banned 20+ years ago - they certainly aren't now.

[Big Al]

So the weight of opinion is that the artificial surface is not a competitive advantage, is a real revenue generator, supports community activity, has no injury implications and provides a true bounce. The current rules are ridiculous and the EFL instransigent.

I actually agree with all that but, here’s the thing, I just prefer watching football on grass...sorry. Be great to be promoted and see us playing on it again. Maybe even a hybrid surface which, as is widely commented, is already in use and approved for league and cup competitions. Wouldn’t that give us the beat of all worlds?

[baboonfish]

If grass was reinstalled, how about hypothetically, moving the 3G to collingwood rec and having the community/training facility there? Might be something the council would support. Fingers crossed we could get an FA grant for ground improvements/modifications as well, but I cant help feeling that, as much as I want to see Sutton in the Football League, promotion at this stage would be a poisoned chalice. Either way, a trip to wembley would be my ideal scenario, the payday would help pay for the ground improvements should we win, and it would be nice to go into such a game feeling that we cannot lose whatever the outcome (bit like Arsenal). That said I have a weird feeling we're going to go on an epic run like two years ago, but Im usually wrong about such things. Que Sera sera as they say!

[Millsy]

My own spurious and unqualified thought but I can't help but wonder if rather than risk a 'No' vote, the EFL have opted for no vote at all so that they can see how things play out and perhaps feel that if push comes to shove the FA, government or some other higher power will force the issue anyway.

Not sure if I have properly thought that through or if it's me trying to rationalise some hopeful wild optimism!

[kpinwp]

I only post this as it's out there in the national press and therefore of relevance to the discussion. Not because I agree with the individual's conclusions. Whether or not this kind of individual campaign will make any difference to the whole situation is doubtful, I would guess. Obviously a very sad story.

www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/03/19/3g-pitches-gave-son-cancer-stop-building-says-father-lewis-maguire/

[timall]

Indeed a sad story, and maybe there are justifications in calling for research into the ill health possibilities from such pitches. After all that is normal progress and may perhaps lead to even better pitches with less harmful components. In coming to any general conclusions, however, about the risks and benefits of artificial surfaces I would think the fact that the availability of such pitches is leading to increasing sports participation, and exercise generally, and the reduced health costs to the population in terms of obesity and lack of physical fitness, comfortably exceed the thankfully rare instances where individuals suffer negatively from using such facilities.

[sallycat]

It is very sad indeed, but:

"the tragic death of his son whose cancer he fears was caused by playing on them" (italics mine)

"something he and his father – an ex-nurse who quit as chief executive of NHS Cumbria after Lewis was diagnosed – feared caused his cancer"

"Sports minister Tracey Crouch responded by stating studies had found no evidence such surfaces were unsafe"

"we need to have more research"

"Numerous studies have found no evidence of a link"

Without further research and evidence, this is just scaremongering. I feel terribly for the father who's lost his son but sadly in any large sample of people, a certain number will get cancer and some of those people will have played on 3G. Some of them will also have gone skiing, eaten apples, touched the Greyfriars Bobby statue or put cut lilies in their living room, doesn't mean those caused cancer either.

I do think that research is needed since it is a plausible hypothesis, but we don't have it yet and there is no significantly higher prevalence of cancers in 3G players that we know of.

[trev]

A highly implausible story in the Daily Telegraph, who'd have thought it!

www.pressgazette.co.uk/telegraph-tops-ipso-naughty-list-with-nine-upheld-complaints-followed-by-the-times-and-daily-express/

[localboy86]

There we go..