Somthing to think about?

[theoriginalfatcat]

" I don't believe it "







............. This has been done before but I couldn't resist !

[spen666]

To bring this back up - it appears that the FA are to make an announcement that £G pitches are acceptable at all levels of football. This will effectively force the conference to accept the same.

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/maidsto ... _1_3396188

So, the question is, should Darlington be looking towards that as a future investment?

[HarrytheQuaker]

£150,000 for a new 4g pitch it was on talk sport the other week..


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[Quakerz]

I wouldn't say no.

[poppyfield]

Whats the opinion of the players on these pitches? i can see the positives for the clubs and fans, just wondered how the players feel about 3G pitches.

[spen666]

I gather Rugby also allows 3G pitches to be used. would mean that long term there would be possible to have one pitch for both first teams with no risk of waterlogged pitches or mud baths.

Also, would enable extra revenue for both clubs by hire of the pitch.

I have watched several games this season on 3G pitches and have to say I have been impressed with how much better they are now than the artificial pitches in the 1980s

[Mr_Tibbs]

To bring this back up - it appears that the FA are to make an announcement that £G pitches are acceptable at all levels of football. This will effectively force the conference to accept the same.

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/maidsto ... _1_3396188

So, the question is, should Darlington be looking towards that as a future investment?

It's just for all FA competitions. No word yet that Maidstone will be allowed to take promotion (should they finish in a promotion spot) because 3G pitches are still banned in the Conference and Football League.

The FA themselves (or their facilities manager) has always been in favour of them - it's just been the PFA and skewed polls (as in the case of the Conference recently) which have put the block on them.

Oliver Ash was (still is, AFAIK) going to take the Conference to court over it all. I know he wrote to Greg Dyke a while back, so it looks like the FA have done as much as they can by allowing smaller clubs with 3G pitches to cash in on lucrative home ties in the FA cup proper, if they get that far.

£150k for a new 4G pitch sounds a lot cheaper than I've heard before. Must be a sale on!

[theoriginalfatcat]

I wouldn't say no.

I bloody would!!

Have you been to watch Durham City Quakerz? It's sanitised, bouncy, just not how football should be

[Quakerz]

Yes, I've been to see Durham City play, when they played Darlo funnily enough. And I enjoyed watching us smashing them 4-0 on 3G as much as I enjoyed watching us smashing any other club on grass.

[dickdarlington]

4g pitches are the way forward for Non league clubs. They are a true surface and a million times better than they used to be. We looked great against Durham last year, stroking the ball about. I pesonally prefer playing on them as it reduces the risk of injury to my glass ankles. Add to the fact that games will rarely be called off and the pitch can be utilised pretty much 24-7.

However, whilst we share a pitch at Blackwell we will not have a artificial surface as the lines will conflict each other. You can't paint over them like on grass.

[knoxy5000]

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/maidsto ... _1_3396188

Seems the FA may just be changing their stance on the use of artificial pitches, i personally think they are great

[joejaques]

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/maidsto ... _1_3396188

Seems the FA may just be changing their stance on the use of artificial pitches, i personally think they are great

Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm not keen. However, if it would be worthit to DFC I would have accepted it until I read the above article saying the FA are endorsing it.

FUCK THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
WE ARE DARLINGTON FC

Fuck them in anything they do.

[Mr_Tibbs]

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/maidsto ... _1_3396188

Seems the FA may just be changing their stance on the use of artificial pitches, i personally think they are great

Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm not keen. However, if it would be worthit to DFC I would have accepted it until I read the above article saying the FA are endorsing it.

If Maidstone can now get the Conference to accept them I think we'll see loads of clubs at steps 3 and down installing them. I'm all for it - grass is great for those who can afford to keep it in Premiership condition.

[dfcdfcdfc]

The other big factor is that if we are going to share with a rugby team we are not going to be stroking the ball about as their first game in rain will finish the surface for good football. I mean the buggers even deliberately dig the pitch up just so they can kick the ball!

[theoriginalfatcat]

I'm all for it - grass is great for those who can afford to keep it in Premiership condition.

No, no, no (gone all Thatcheresque ) I want to see wet pitches, dry pitches, medium wet/dry pitches. I want to see differing conditions, mud, sliding tackles and in short a proper game of football - played on GRASS. I don't want to see a glorified game of five- a- side, played on an artificially green coloured surface akin to an outside gym.

It's annoying when games get called off but it happens every winter, it's nothing new.

[BaronsCourtQuaker]

want to see wet pitches, dry pitches, medium wet/dry pitches. I want to see differing conditions, mud, sliding tackles and in short a proper game of football - played on GRASS. I don't want to see a glorified game of five- a- side, played on an artificially green coloured surface akin to an outside gym.

It's annoying when games get called off but it happens every winter, it's nothing new.

For all I can see an argument for the financial value in the 4G pitch I have to agree with the original fat cat.

Part of the challenge is adapting to the conditions in front of you. Be it the opposition tactics, the rain streaming down or a cut up pitch. With the increase of identikit stadiums, strips designed in the same style, endless corporate tickets plus introducing no contact tackles the game is becoming more and more sanitised and dull.

I don't want to watch a game played out between two teams who come from a stadiums that look the same on pitches the same size made in the same factory. Its the little outside factors that provide a leveler and means the best team will not always win.

Its football with the start/end of the season played in blazing sunshine, games getting called off in winter and you have to go Xmas shopping, sometimes you lose games because of a freak incident (I remember a huge puddle away to Southend one season costing us a goal) the beach ball at Sunderland (ha ha) its all part of the fun it creates a talking point for the pub afterwards. The game has become too serious and all about the money, whoever has the most dollars / yen / bhat / dirhams win's the league.

I'd rather settle for Darlo playing at the level they can on grass than talking about how we can best maximize our off field finances.

[TDS]

I think the pros of a 3G pitch far outweigh the cons and when the very real threat (two years we've had cash flow problems and definitely taken hits financially for rearranged midweek games) of finances drying up becomes our burden, anything we can do to maximise revenue must be seriously looked into.

Plus whilst we have players like Thomo who's very game relies on smooth pitches, it would benefit us there too.


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[theoriginalfatcat]

Damn Spen666 for bringing this back up again - damn him all the way to facking London and back, or wherever he is.

If a plastic pitch was laid down for our team - I don't think I'd go any more, and I'm not saying this in some petulant throw the dummy out of the pram sort of way, it's just that I wouldn't enjoy the football so what would be the point?

BaronsCourtQuaker's post just above here is brilliant. Is this the sort of football we want to "enjoy" for Darlo ?

All you plastic pitch lovers, give your heads a shake.

[tezza]

Just Damn Spen666 ...... who is clearly a latent Darlo supporter ...and best ignored

[grytters]

Meanwhile, the Conference General Manager takes Braintree Town to task for having lost fixtures due to the weather -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26438871

[Darl-Zero]

It would make financial sense - as would playing any play-off games at a ground with a bigger capacity (dont know where we would find one of those!).

But seeing as you purists have gone to all this trouble to get some atmosphere back (and I have to concede succeeded) then dont loose it with a plastic pitch.

Valid comment about sharing with a Rugby club causing the pitch to cut up mind you! Anyone remember Edgeley Park when Sale were sharing with Stockport County!

[Mr_Tibbs]

Like most people I prefer real grass pitches - it's just that in this day and age small clubs are struggling to survive and 3G/4G is just one way to help them do that.

If there was some affordable way to provide better care and protection of a grass surface then I'm sure the 3G/4G market would be under threat. I don't know how much hybrid pitches cost or how they hold up to the weather, but that's another option for clubs to look at.

However, the purists here have nothing to worry about as I can't see us playing on anything other than grass for the foreseeable future - not unless we find ourselves bobbing around at a sustainable level where artificial surfaces are allowed.

[jimmyht]

this was my post originally, and my opinion aint changed regardless of the postponements weve had - still prefer grass, but if the grants were there to install one at a reasonable cost and proof was there that demand for the facility would make us good money I would say do it

[lo36789]

this was my post originally, and my opinion aint changed regardless of the postponements weve had - still prefer grass, but if the grants were there to install one at a reasonable cost and proof was there that demand for the facility would make us good money I would say do it

Might be a really stupid comment, how do you change the line markings on an artificial pitch? Are they not built into it?

It would be good to have a 4G facility available at Blackwell that could be shared by Rugby team (training), DFC (training) and hte rest of teh community (similar to how Curzon had a pitch alongside the ground) but I would like us to stay on grass...

[TDS]

this was my post originally, and my opinion aint changed regardless of the postponements weve had - still prefer grass, but if the grants were there to install one at a reasonable cost and proof was there that demand for the facility would make us good money I would say do it

Might be a really stupid comment, how do you change the line markings on an artificial pitch? Are they not built into it?

It would be good to have a 4G facility available at Blackwell that could be shared by Rugby team (training), DFC (training) and hte rest of teh community (similar to how Curzon had a pitch alongside the ground) but I would like us to stay on grass...

Yeah you can't change the line markings, hence the issue with the rugby club. However the fact we can train there, play there AND rent it out per hour for football the benefits are obvious.

This may be too far too fast but when your business survival hangs on things like the weather it makes for uncertain times.

[spen666]

...

Yeah you can't change the line markings, ....

I may be mistaken, but is the pitch at Durham not split into 3 smaller pitches with games played across the main pitch?

I believe (from memory) there are markings of some form on those smaller pitches

[loan_star]

...

Yeah you can't change the line markings, ....

I may be mistaken, but is the pitch at Durham not split into 3 smaller pitches with games played across the main pitch?

I believe (from memory) there are markings of some form on those smaller pitches

Most of these pitches have those markings, ideal for smaller sided games.

[Darlogramps]

Damn Spen666 for bringing this back up again - damn him all the way to facking London and back, or wherever he is.

If a plastic pitch was laid down for our team - I don't think I'd go any more, and I'm not saying this in some petulant throw the dummy out of the pram sort of way, it's just that I wouldn't enjoy the football so what would be the point?

BaronsCourtQuaker's post just above here is brilliant. Is this the sort of football we want to "enjoy" for Darlo ?

All you plastic pitch lovers, give your heads a shake.

I think saying "Give your heads a shake" to people who hold valid and justifiable opinions is unncessary.

While the Conference still continue to outlaw 3G pitches, it's a moot point anyway.

My opinion - I'm not overly fussed whether we play on grass, plastic or some sort of hybrid. It certainly isn't something I would give up watching Darlo about.

However, there are clear benefits to having an artificial pitch, and the only argument raised against them appears to be "it's not the way it should be," which is a subjective and, in my view, ludicrous argument.

It would cost to lay down, but so does turf, and money would be saved anyway through not having as many postponed games.

[TDS]

Yeah you can have 3 7 aside pitches I believe. Anyway all hypothetical.


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[theoriginalfatcat]

and the only argument raised against them appears to be "it's not the way it should be,"

Darlogramps, how's it going?

"it's not the way it should be" is however quite valid in all walks of life. If you ordered a Steak in a pub and it turned out to be made of reconstituted meat - it's not the way it should be. Or if you bought a new Ford Focus and it only did 60 MPH top speed - it's not the way it should be.

So, the question really is -- how do you think football should be? I personally think it should be played on grass for reasons that BaronsCourtQuaker puts down better than me.

People have differing views about this, and on this thread it seems to be pretty equally mixed between for and against (I haven't counted B.T.W) DarloPete is against