Plastic pitches to be ditched in Premiership?

[arab777]

(from The Record)

SPFL Premiership could BAN plastic pitches next season as Neil Doncaster talks could lead to 'grass only' vote
Kilmarnock are set to return to grass ahead of the 2024/25 season but Livingston boss says ditching plastic is too expensive.

Plastic pitches could be banned in the Premiership before next season starts.

Record Sport understands SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has headed talks around outlawing all synthetic surfaces from the top flight, with further discussions scheduled with clubs in the New Year. And that could lead to a vote to go ‘grass only’ before the end of the campaign, with clubs granted a period of grace to get necessary renovation work done.

Kilmarnock chairman Billy Bowie has already announced plans to rip up the astro turf at Rugby Park in 2026 – and it’s expected all clubs currently using 3G surfaces will be given a similar timescale to switch. Livingston are the only other top 12 side to play on an all-weather pitch but had to postpone a home clash with Ross County on Saturday when sections of it were frozen solid

Boss David Martindale insists the club would be willing to follow Killie’s lead – as long as the SPFL are prepared to bankroll them with a hefty cheque. He said: “I’d rather have a grass park and if the authorities want to give us a couple of million then we’ll have one with undersoil heating and a separate training ground.

“Realistically, it’d cost us between £2m-£3m.We’re paying for VAR and energy costs have increased. Overall, we’re handing out £300,000-400,000 extra and our incoming revenue doesn’t match that. It’ll be five or 10 years before we can be where Kilmarnock are now.

“We’re the only team in the Premiership that doesn’t own their stadium – the only licence we own is the one from the SFA – and since returning to the Premiership in 2018 we’ve spent £600,000 upgrading the ground.”

Livi also splashed out to in a bid to have Saturday’s game played, using covers the SPFL compelled them to buy and spreading 200 kilos of salt.




Good. They dont belong in the top league. This might have implications for Raith Rovers. Livingston I find it difficult to have sympathy for. They installed their plastic pitch after they won promotion to Premiership.

[GUNBOAT]

Davie does get one thing wrong in his statement,he claims his side are the only one in the Premiership who do not own their stadium which is clearly incorrect.

[TerryTheTerror]

If they can't afford to be in the top flight it's hard to see why everyone else should pay for them to have that privilege. 🤔

[tHeArAb]

Livi can f*ck off. Demote them. With any luck they'll go down this season anyway.

[JUSTaway]

I wonder what the reason for Killie getting rid of their plastic pitch is? Maybe they see the change coming and are just trying to get ahead of the curve and buy themself some goodwill/extra time. As bad as we were with Beregetti, that plastic pitch kept them up (also shows how bad we were they beat us at Tannadice twice). I wonder what a plastic only league in Scotland would be - Killie, Livi, Raith, Hamilton, Queen of South? Falkirk. Quite a joke it's been allowed to go on this long.

[Stoke_Arab]

You can only assume the ugly sisters have a hand in this because you can't see the SPFL coming up with serious radical thinking on their own.

Get it done.

[TerryTheTerror]

I wonder what the reason for Killie getting rid of their plastic pitch is? Maybe they see the change coming and are just trying to get ahead of the curve and buy themself some goodwill/extra time. As bad as we were with Beregetti, that plastic pitch kept them up (also shows how bad we were they beat us at Tannadice twice). I wonder what a plastic only league in Scotland would be - Killie, Livi, Raith, Hamilton, Queen of South? Falkirk. Quite a joke it's been allowed to go on this long.

I'd guess their pitch is nearing it's end of life and one way or another a lot of money needs spent.

[Stoke_Arab]

Is it just me or is the article a bit confusing, talks at the start about 24/25 then quotes Bowie saying 2026?

[JUSTaway]

The worst plastic pitch I ever remember was Dunfermline's, I'm sure they were trialing it for Uefa so it got paid for, you could actually see bits of it moving/coming lose during matches, it was as though they'd just patched together a pitch using left over wigs from the old Aberdeen chairman.

[ARAbCHNID]

I'd guess their pitch is nearing it's end of life and one way or another a lot of money needs spent.

Good point Terry. Synthetic surfaces are not forever. Might be cheaper to grass it rather than renew it.