Looks like we can look forward to the joys of 3G in the Ryman South next season. Just wait now for Lee Carey to announce in the Worthing herald that he is too good to play on this surface and is now signing for Langley Sports
WORTHING Football Club are anticipating receiving the go-ahead to install a 3G surface at Woodside Road this week.
The consultation period to get planning permission ended earlier this week and Rebels believe there were no new objections and hope to begin installing the artificial surface later this month.
Worthing business develop- ment director Julian Church said: “It looks like we have got it and we’re hoping to get it in place for next season.
“We’ve got a board meeting on Thursday (tonight) when we will talk about the finance, which we’ve got two or three options for.
“We’ve got to run the club as a business and it’s important that this is a business and a commercial decision.”
Rebels will look to begin work on installing the 3G surface after the supporters’ six-a-side tournament on May 17. The pitch might not be ready for the start of the Ryman League South Division season in August, so Worthing may ask the league to play the first couple of games away from home.
I hope they can sustain the cost of having a 3G pitch, you need to ring fence around £25k a year in order to have it replaces at the end of its 10 year life span.
Whyteleafe who will get promoted to Ryman South on Thursday are having a 3G pitch laid in time for next season. They obviously think that there is a financial advantage.
Personally I prefer grass but would not be surprised to see more 3G pitches.
Regarding Philg's comment above; I presume the financial advantages are lower maintenance costs and greater potential pitch usage so avoiding hire costs of training pitches. I have not seen a modern artificial pitch; I would be interested to read the pros and cons of 3G from those who have had experience. Not that I think, particularly given Simon's expertise, that we should entertain any such idea ourselves.
Geoff a 3G pitch costs around £375000 to put down and has a life span of approximately 10 years, to replace it currently costs around £250000 which means any club/organisation would need to put aside £25000 a year to ensure it can be replaced when the time comes. Once you lay a 3G pitch the land it sits on then becomes toxic due to the recycled shredded tyres they use on it which of course then would cost an extreme fortune and an age before you could think about returning back to a grass facility if that's what you'd chose to do.
Obviously there is a lot less maintenance in a 3G pitch but it's does need some maintenance to keep it in prestige condition. I know chatting with Zac Attwood a few weeks ago he blamed Maidstone's dip in form in the fact that they struggled to play football on the poor pitches that blight The Ryman league, I suppose you could say that could of been the reason for some of our poor performances last season? It does have the added bonus of additional income through constant usage but does that not take away the added boost players get match days from playing on such a quality surface such as ours? It could almost feel like turning up to play at the local municipal sports centre, maybe I'm wrong on that I don't know? my playing days are long gone but I think that is how I'd look at it.
Don't forget too that as it currently stands if you do install such a surface then promotion to the conference level isn't possible although I understand that this is up for discussion, it'll be interesting to see what the outcome there is, after all you can play World Cup qualifiers on them but not conference football.
