Ok. Let’s put this into a perspective so that everyone understands where the club is coming from. As Vice Presidents of Carshalton Athletic, most have read the report in the Sutton Guardian and seen the picture of the three supporters who some of us know.

Let’s look at the facts that they have laid out.

1. They said “It’s wrong from a football point of view as it’s not a surface that football is supposed to be played on”.

Answer: Over the last 15 years many independent 5-a- side clubs have been set up, Goals, etc and what do they play on. Its not grass. It would be impossible to run a business based on grass. What do most players at our level train on during the evening. 3G Pitches.

The value of a 3G pitch to a club is monumental. Example. How much did carshalton athletic earn from pitch hire from May 1st 2013 to July 31st 2013. £0.

How much did Maidstone earn from 1st May 2013 to July 31st 2013. Thousands as they were able to provide for hire as well as charity games. How much do carshalton Athletic as a club pay out each week in pitch hire for our 1st team and all the other teams to train on, etc. £thousands. How much would we save if it was all in house £thousands.

Over the  years we have come to club, supporters have moaned about the pitch, the water logging in the corner, how dry it is, how bumpy it is, how worn it gets with all those games.

Therefore just imagine this. A pitch that was flat week in and week out. That could be played on all day Saturday and all day Tuesday and we could still hold a first team game on it and come the end of the season when we play Margate at our last home game on the 19th April, its as green as when we kicked off. Does such a pitch exist?

2. They said: “it’s wrong from an ecological point of view because this will mean a loss of a big patch of grass”

Answer: How much does the club spend on pitch maintenance through the season £10'sthousands. How much does the club spend on its water bill during the summer to keep the pitch watered £thousands. However the 3g pitch requires the following amount of water in the summer. Zero.

So we would say that’s an ecological good reason to have it. Let us go one step further with regard to carbon emissions. When they cut the grass what does he use. A set of shears, a scythe, a pony like they had back in 1920. No we use a ride on mower.

And what does a ride on mower use and pump into the atmosphere? We leave it all to you to work out.

3. They said: ‘It could even be wrong from a moral point of view as the ground was opened as a war memorial'.

Answer: All incorrect. The ground is not a war memorial. The farm land was purchased by the council in 1920 from Helm royal chocolate. The council was approached by supporters of the club who wanted a new home that would also be IN MEMORY of the 13 players that were killed in the First World War.

The 13 trees that were planted were THE MEMORIAL to the players that died. Unfortunately the horse they employed to keep the grass short ate all the seedlings. It’s never been established whether the 13 trees by coincidence that run along the edge of the terrace and the Rec were the same trees. In fairness we are sure that enough people have let there dogs, etc p*** up those trees without ever knowing what they stand for if they are the same trees. However in the eyes of all the VP’S that’s disrespectful.

Quiet honestly this club has craved for some form of large investment to come along and move the club into the next 100 years.

As a group we are sure that people form there own opinions on it and whatever they feel about the 3G pitches they are here to stay and they will only become more common over the next 10- 20 years.

The technology that is involved in the pitches has just moved to the highest level with Maidstone receiving recognition from UEFA for its pitch and with continued rising costs at all levels of football, where costs can be greatly reduced any club would be foolish to turn it away.

Vice Presidents
Carshalton Athletic

 


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