This week the Conference arranged a emergency general meeting in order to have a vote as to whether 3G pitches should be allowed in the three Skril divisions. The vote took place due to Maidstone United's fine form in the Ryman Premier league where they are currently allowed to play on their 3G pitch.
However, the vote was heavily in favour of a 'no' to the artificial pitch. However with yet another wet day and another match postponed, is it time to start looking towards 3G pitches as the way forward? It is worth noting that Maidstone have managed an additional 4 extra home games this year than Lewes and I would't bet against that increasing. This will be a huge advantage to Maidstone come the end of the season when teams around them will have to be playing three games a week just to get all their fixtures finished as it is very unlikely they league will be extended.
Advantages of 3G
1) 3G Pitches Survive the Weather
This has to be the biggest advantage of a 3G pitch. Heavy rain is not an issue, as the pitches can be made to drain perfectly and any lingering water can be brushed off easily as there is no worry about damaging the grass underneath.
So many games have been postponed this year due to waterlogged pitches, whereas Maidstone have been able to carry on playing which can only be down to their 3G pitch.
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| Maidtstone's 3G pitch |
HOWEVER, while it has been claimed that the pitches are weather proof, I have experienced frozen 3G pitches before while ordinary pitches would be fine to play on. The small rubber balls on the pitch can freeze up on a cold morning meaning when the frost is melting the water is staying on top of the pitch as draining is being restricted by the frozen rubber under the pitch.
Also a wet pitch or recently frozen pitch, while it may be playable can get very slippery, when players are not able to wear metal stud, the game could be very difficult to play.
2) The Money
There are two huge money advantages to 3G pitches. Obviously money is a huge bonus for non league teams, most are cash strapped and any additional income would be an offer that can't be refused.
The first money advantage is that when games are postponed, they will be played on a weekday where attendances tend to be at least a third less than a usual gate. For example at Lewes they usually get around 500-800 people through the gate on a saturday, whereas this season on weeknights they have been getting roughly 200-400. This means that when a game is postponed there is a significant loss of revenue, not to mention loss on things such as programme sales and printing costs that have gone wasted.
The second money bonus of 3G pitches is the fact that the pitches don't suffer from any dame and so can be played on as many times in a week as required. This means that clubs would be able to rent out their pitch for others use to gain a lot of extra revenue without any worry that the pitch won't be playable on the weekend for the senior teams game. It also means that the club can train on the pitch rather than having to find somewhere else and potentially have to rent out somewhere for the team to train, which would be throwing more money away.
Maidstone have received support from Gillingham boss Peter Taylor, who says that at the level Maidstone are at, making money has to be a priority for clubs.
Disadvantages of 3G
1) Potential to Cause Injuries
One man who is certainly against artificial pitches is Rangers manager Ally McCoist as in September 2012, his then new signing David Templeton, who suffered a severe injury to his ankle which medical staff claimed was caused by the artificial surface.
This is not the only injury to happen on a 3G pitches and it is argued that the hardness of the surface causes a lot of stress when running or jumping, or even cuts the skin when going in for a slide tackle. Former Maidstone and Lewes striker Ade Olurunda who played on Maidstone's surface for a whole season claims that after playing on the surface your body aches far more than it would playing on grass. On the other hand current Lewes striker Luke Blewden has apparently said that the 3G pitch is great to play on.
I have played full hockey matches and six a side games on 3G pitches and it has to be said it is not the same as playing on grass. I have never been injured or seen anyone noticeably injured because of the pitch although former Lewes player/manager did suffer a very serious ankle injury which effectively finished his playing career, although he had already suffered numerous other injuries prior to this, while playing at Maidstone in a pre season friendly which he felt was down to the pitch.
When I have played football on a 3G pitch, especially after it has been raining the ball moves noticeably quicker and bounces up at you quicker than on a grass pitch making it far harder to control, giving an advantage to the team who plays on 3G regularly as they can train and play on it every week meaning they can get used to how the ball works on the pitch.
AFC Bournemouth are just one league team of many who do not even allow their players to train on a 3G pitch through fear of injury.
2) Cost
While a huge advantage is the extra revenue that is gained from a 3G pitch, however they are not cheap. Teams are looking to pay in the region of at least 600k just to lay down the pitch. Then there is the maintaining costs and the fact that the club would have to pay for a new pitch every 10 years or so to keep it up to the required standards. n other words, while 3G pitches bring in heavy financial rewards, they are also too expensive for non league teams especially to afford.
3) Changes the Dynamics of the Game
I have already said about how the ball runs and bounces far quicker on a wet 3G pitch. It is also argued for some that a 3G pitch suits smaller players far more than the bigger players, allowing creativity. This would be seen as a huge positive by many with some people arguing that many other countries such as Spain have far more creative players due to allowing them to be playing on 3G pitches. However, this would make a difference if it was Premier league teams training on 3G pitches, however what difference does it make in non league?
I very much doubt it would encourage teams to be more creative. Football is traditionally played on grass. Non league football prides itself and attracts many fans due to its traditionally values: you can still stand up and watch a game, you can drink a beer on the terrace, players tend to come from the area around the team they are playing for often resulting in more passion, fans can mingle with opposition supporters without being segregated away from them. If they took away the fact that teams play on grass it could lead a change in times for non league football which would take away most of the enjoyment.
Personally I am against first team games being played on 3G pitches. While I am all for them being used by clubs to train on and I believe the Premier league should fund non league clubs a 3G pitch so that they can train and rent it out to gain revenue ( the cost is nothing to most Premier league clubs and footballers, Wayne Rooney could build on with 2 weeks wages.) It just does not seem right for football to be played on anything other than grass.
However I can understand the argument for Maidstone as this patch of no games is very frustrating, it makes it difficult for teams to pick up any kind of form, if they win one week and then don't play again for another 2 or 3 weeks then it can be difficult to get back in to the swing of things and so it completely changes the context of the season. For example Wealdstone were flying high at the top of the Ryman league and then the weather hit in and because of postponed games they are now chasing other teams as Wealdstone have four games in hand.
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