Pitches: The future is plastic

Athletic’s goalkeeper writes every week for Chron Sport

BACK when I was nine, I played on the plastic pitch here, on trial at the old school of excellence.

There were certainly physical issues back then. As a goalkeeper, those old-style pitches were rock-hard and no fun to dive around on at all, while the run of the ball was far from true at times, particularly around the goalmouth.

But the fact I was able to train on the main pitch as a youngster back in 1990 highlights the positive aspect of an artificial surface. Financially the multi-use aspect can be useful — clubs these days simply can’t survive on gate receipts on a matchday alone. Then there’s the community aspect as well, which can be a major advantage.

Football League clubs have voted against a motion to allow artificial pitches to be used in their competitions at this stage. But as the technology improves, I believe it is inevitable that the game will be played on plastic pitches in the future.

It is already happening. The women’s World Cup in Canada next year will feature artificial pitches, Scottish clubs have them and Russian sides use them in Champions League games.

The technology has already come a long way compared to 20 years ago. Last season, on the way to a game in the south, we stopped at Birmingham City’s training round and their 4G pitch was absolutely top-class.

There are concerns over the difficulties harder surfaces would have on players’ bodies. That can happen even on contrasting natural surfaces too. I have been at clubs where the training ground is boggy yet the main pitch is firm and the difference can cause difficulties.

Winter is round the corner, so we recently started playing with a yellow ball and there is a new challenge for us tomorrow in our FA Cup tie at home to Leyton Orient. That game will feature a pink ball, lighter than the yellow one. It might not sound like a big issue, but the change can affect your passing as a team. To get used to it, we have been training with the pink ball all week so that we are ready.