Plastic pitches....playing on them next year?

[down-the-slope]

Whats peoples thoughts on us potentially playing away on plastic next season?

[lugz]

No problem with it at all, with the quality of plastic pitches you can get now every team should get them. Would stop teams like motherwell having to postpone 3/4 games a season.

[Scouse Hibee]

If we ever start playing the ball on the ground using the whole width of a pitch it might be interesting.

[Onceinawhile]

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If we ever start playing the ball on the ground using the whole width of a pitch it might be interesting.

Exactly. A butcher team won't need to worry about the surface. Hopefully the teams don't have artificial air.

[brianmc]

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Whats peoples thoughts on us potentially playing away on plastic next season?

I think you're fishing..... We've not been relegated yet! Pretty sure all the pitches are out with the top league?

[Onceinawhile]

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I think you're fishing..... We've not been relegated yet! Pretty sure all the pitches are out with the top league?

Hamilton and falkirk both play on them (and possibly dundee too)

[Ronniekirk]

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Hamilton and falkirk both play on them (and possibly dundee too)

I noticed Garry Oconner was complaining about having to train on one ,claiming it's hampering him getting fully fit as it tweaks hamstrings

[SouthamptonHibs]

Won't affect the players in any negative way, if anything it will be a positive as the bounce is consistent and the surface is flat and top quality.
Hail hail

[Mon Dieu4]

Hate them, no matter what people claim for me they play nothing like grass, I've played on a few of the UEFA compliant ones and even in a couple of stadiums and the ball skites (technical term) away at a rate of knots faster than you hit it, also find it more tiring than grass to play on

[Gus]

Personally think it's the way forward for Scottish football. No games postponed unless severe snow, although high costs to implement the long term revenue streams from hiring the pitch to local clubs etc far out weigh the initial cost

[down-the-slope]

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I think you're fishing..... We've not been relegated yet! Pretty sure all the pitches are out with the top league?

you not keeping up with news... 2 clubs that could be promoted have been give SPFL permission to use these next year IF they come up.....

[SMAXXA]

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Exactly. A butcher team won't need to worry about the surface. Hopefully the teams don't have artificial air.

Made me laugh

[down-the-slope]

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Hate them, no matter what people claim for me they play nothing like grass, I've played on a few of the UEFA compliant ones and even in a couple of stadiums and the ball skites (technical term) away at a rate of knots faster than you hit it, also find it more tiring than grass to play on

I would agree and it does affect play. A bit like 5 a - side its football....but IT IS different......

[Bronson]

Artificial surfaces are quite bad for injuries I believe, gives me a sore back when I play on 3G and a few of my mates get bad backs and knees, not a fan I must admit.

[brianmc]

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you not keeping up with news... 2 clubs that could be promoted have been give SPFL permission to use these next year IF they come up.....

Hmmm evidently I've not been!
I don't have an issue with the use of artificial surfaces, only with the lack of real football I've seen from Hibs recently.

[patlowe]

I'm torn on this one. My amateur team plays on an artificial pitch and there's no doubt it's more conducive to passing football than the general standard of grass pitch you get at lower levels. However, I have concerns about back and knee injuries and there is a traditional aspect that would be sad to see gone if we move to artificial across the board in the professional game.

[DarrenSQH]

No problem with them. Think how awesome it would be if hibs had one and you could play at ER with your mates.

[The_Exile]

Hybrid synthetic/natural pitches are the best of both worlds, you're playing on grass but it has the wear and tear benefits of an artificial surface. Unfortunately, I think they cost a fortune to maintain, although no doubt the price will get cheaper at some point.

[GreenArmy1875]

Think it could be a great option. Are these pitches any worse than a solid bumpy winter pitch for injuries? I am not sure if they are. Played most of my life on them and i find them much better than grass. Consistency of the bounce, the pace of the pitch (Much better when wet), all weather and it encourages people to play the ball on the ground.

[Craig_in_Prague]

summer football on grass would get my vote.

[WHUHibs]

Artificial pitches have been tried out all over the world and FIFA are split on where they could be used. Regardless what people think at the professional level it doesn't provide an even bounce plus injuries are more prone in this environment.
The 3G pitches plus the new ones on the market still haven't hot the drainage systems right due the hard compact base they are on. This means in countries with high rainfall surface water can be a problem. There are natural products such as bamboo that can be tested to improve burn ratio and flexibility but drainage is still the problem..

Hybrid pitches are the only real option other than real grass but the problem is cost versus return,,,if it's a scottish club just using football there is not enough money in the game,,however, if a Hibs could use the stadium as a regular venue then it's profitable.

Food for thought!

[down-the-slope]

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Hmmm evidently I've not been!
I don't have an issue with the use of artificial surfaces, only with the lack of real football I've seen from Hibs recently.

Thanks for the apology

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Artificial pitches have been tried out all over the world and FIFA are split on where they could be used. Regardless what people think at the professional level it doesn't provide an even bounce plus injuries are more prone in this environment.
The 3G pitches plus the new ones on the market still haven't hot the drainage systems right due the hard compact base they are on. This means in countries with high rainfall surface water can be a problem. There are natural products such as bamboo that can be tested to improve burn ratio and flexibility but drainage is still the problem..

Hybrid pitches are the only real option other than real grass but the problem is cost versus return,,,if it's a scottish club just using football there is not enough money in the game,,however, if a Hibs could use the stadium as a regular venue then it's profitable.

Food for thought!

So knowing this as you do - do you think a hybrid pitch could sustain good quality football and perhaps Edinburgh Rugby (who are struggling for an option but still get Hibs sized crowds) as a model for extracting value out our assets?

[.Sean.]

Football should be played on grass. End of.

[Scouse Hibee]

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Football should be played on grass. End of.

Here here

[Ozyhibby]

If a Hybrid pitch allowed us to rent to Edinburgh Rugby then it may become affordable. Worth looking at. We have a very expensive asset that is only getting used 20 times a year. If we could bring in £500k a year from the SRU then it may make the investment affordable while giving us a better pitch.

[BVB Hibs]

I'll never understand footballs reluctance to move forward with the times.

I'm a hockey player. I'm playing on astroturf 6, sometimes 7 days a week. From my own experience I see less injuries on an an astroturf pitch than I see from football players playing on anything else than a perfect grass pitch. There used to be an issue with 3g pitches, and you'll still find it if you use particularly old ones, where they were conductive to knee injures. But this was because it was usually laid on concrete. Since there's a lot more padding in pitches and technology has moved on, and the majority of those problems have been eradicated.

If you've got the money to hire a full time groundsman and can have a surface like old trafford to play on every week, power to you. There's currently no benefit in having a 3G pitch over a perfect grass surface. However, anybody who's honestly going to tell me the lumpy muck we see anywhere from council pitches to even stadiums in the SPFL are better than a good 3G pitch is kidding themselves.

[patlowe]

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I'll never understand footballs reluctance to move forward with the times.

I'm a hockey player. I'm playing on astroturf 6, sometimes 7 days a week. From my own experience I see less injuries on an an astroturf pitch than I see from football players playing on anything else than a perfect grass pitch. There used to be an issue with 3g pitches, and you'll still find it if you use particularly old ones, where they were conductive to knee injures. But this was because it was usually laid on concrete. Since there's a lot more padding in pitches and technology has moved on, and the majority of those problems have been eradicated.

If you've got the money to hire a full time groundsman and can have a surface like old trafford to play on every week, power to you. There's currently no benefit in having a 3G pitch over a perfect grass surface. However, anybody who's honestly going to tell me the lumpy muck we see anywhere from council pitches to even stadiums in the SPFL are better than a good 3G pitch is kidding themselves.

Not entirely sure about the different generations of pitches but, from personal experience, playing on 3G has, much as I really like the surface, given me problems with my knees and back. However, that may not be the case across the board with these pitches. The new one at Peffermill, for example, is absolutely outstanding.

[Scouse Hibee]

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I'll never understand footballs reluctance to move forward with the times.

I'm a hockey player. I'm playing on astroturf 6, sometimes 7 days a week. From my own experience I see less injuries on an an astroturf pitch than I see from football players playing on anything else than a perfect grass pitch. There used to be an issue with 3g pitches, and you'll still find it if you use particularly old ones, where they were conductive to knee injures. But this was because it was usually laid on concrete. Since there's a lot more padding in pitches and technology has moved on, and the majority of those problems have been eradicated.

If you've got the money to hire a full time groundsman and can have a surface like old trafford to play on every week, power to you. There's currently no benefit in having a 3G pitch over a perfect grass surface. However, anybody who's honestly going to tell me the lumpy muck we see anywhere from council pitches to even stadiums in the SPFL are better than a good 3G pitch is kidding themselves.

Nothing to do with reluctance to move forward for me, football is played on grass in differing conditions weather or otherwise and part and parcel of the game is how players cope with differing conditions and quality of playing surfaces. The game has become regimented enough with some of the silly rules that have evolved without it being played on identical surfaces week in week out. Just my opinion of course.

[VivaHiberña]

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I'll never understand footballs reluctance to move forward with the times.

I'm a hockey player. I'm playing on astroturf 6, sometimes 7 days a week. From my own experience I see less injuries on an an astroturf pitch than I see from football players playing on anything else than a perfect grass pitch. There used to be an issue with 3g pitches, and you'll still find it if you use particularly old ones, where they were conductive to knee injures. But this was because it was usually laid on concrete. Since there's a lot more padding in pitches and technology has moved on, and the majority of those problems have been eradicated.

If you've got the money to hire a full time groundsman and can have a surface like old trafford to play on every week, power to you. There's currently no benefit in having a 3G pitch over a perfect grass surface. However, anybody who's honestly going to tell me the lumpy muck we see anywhere from council pitches to even stadiums in the SPFL are better than a good 3G pitch is kidding themselves.

Playing on astroturf would change the way the game works. As people have already said, the ball moves across the surface differently. I play fives on astro and absolutely hate it, I spend the whole winter waiting for the clocks to go forward so we can't play on grass without needing the floodlights (the only reason we play on astro).

You only need to look at hockey for an example of a sport that is totally unrecognisable fro what it was pre-astro. The way the game is played has changed completely, I mean even the sticks are different! Would we still get football as we know it?

FWIW, I'm not sure astro would encourage a passing game; good players will pass it on grass and bad players will punt it on astro. Probably.

[NGP]

Artificial pitches would be yet another step to complete sanitization of the game. It is fast becoming a non-contact sport, plastic pitches would make tackling a thing of the past. They have their place, but not top flight football.