Pioneers Tunbridge Wells ponder synthetic pitch at Culverden Stadium

A common feature of the proposals for the future of Kent League club Tunbridge Wells is a FIFA standard synthetic pitch to be laid at Culverden Stadium, writes Simon Harris.

How the club had it in place already as Saturday’s game against Deal Town becoming the latest game to fall four of the weather and another waterlogged pitch.

In recent years Tunbridge Wells Football Club has been fortunate to get its home matches played with minimum disruption to the schedule.

This has been down to some exceptionally dry winters which have also meant restrictions on the use of hose pipes in the summer.

Much work has gone into improving the Culverden Stadium surface during this time and visiting teams were amazed at the excellent quality of it during the first few months of this season.

However, there is only so much water that the soggy old clay can take and it is now thoroughly doused.

The main problem continues to be the centre of the pitch which still needs new drainage.

If the middle of the pitch had been draining like the flanks we would not have had the postponements that we have.

So what of this idea to install a synthetic pitch? What do the authorities have to say about such matters and how realistic would it be?

Readers will probably think of the experiments in the 1980s at QPR, Luton and, Preston North End and might be ready to dismiss the surfaces but I would urge you to think again.

Technology advances pretty rapidly and this is no less true with sports turf. The latest generation of synthetic pitches perform by all accounts as well as natural turf surfaces and will also take a stud.

The high bounce has been eliminated and the ball no longer races away. The FA has introduced guidelines and FIFA has sanctioned the use of these new generation surfaces for international tournaments.

The overwhelming mass of scientific opinion suggests that we are going to endure spells of seriously wet weather in the future. There will be long dry spells but when it rains it will come down in buckets.

To put it another way we will be forced to endure long periods of time where it will not be possible to water our increasingly yellow and arid pitches during the longer dry months.

Then when the rains come, many pitches will rapidly become saturated and even if games are played they will cut up badly and detract from the quality of football for the rest of the season.

Would you rather watch football on a quagmire or on an uneven and bumpy surface, or would you prefer to watch the beautiful game played as it should be on an even pitch, free from divets, puddles or undulations, with the ball being passed about as if on a billiards table?

This writer would contend that if it is good enough for FIFA then it is certainly good enough for step five football and the Kent League. Current guidance from the FA (interpreting FIFA rules) states that synthetic pitches of FIFA standard can be introduced with the permission of the club's league.

Furthermore such pitches are currently permitted in the FA Vase and are about to be permitted in the FA Cup and FA Trophy too and Dartford play their Kent Youth League games on their community pitch.

The cost of installing a high quality synthetic pitch is not to be sneezed at. But the potential revenue from having one is also considerable.

Gates would increase for starters because supporters would know that games will go ahead as scheduled and when all other matches around are off, Culverden would be hosting football.

It would be possible to host numerous games on one day too. Reserves, youth teams, ladies teams etc.

During pre-season, tournaments could be held with other clubs bringing significant support.

How about an exhibition match between two professional clubs at a revitalised Culverden, playing on a superb surface.

'Super Sunday's' as local teams fulfill their fixtures through the worst of the winter weather might also become a popular feature.

These are a small sample of the opportunities but there are plenty of others from within and without the world of football.

We will certainly not be seeing the introduction of such a pitch next season at Tunbridge Wells.

We do not yet know who will be running the club next season and whoever emerges in control will need time to put their plans in order.

We also know that in common with any number of other Kent League club's we must make sure that we satisfy the FA's grade E requirements for our ground in general.

Tunbridge Wells Football Club is not far from satisfying these standards and indeed already has the 150 seats under cover that will be necessary for the preservation of our status at our current level of football.

But the work goes on around the ground to ensure that the other critera are met. The hard standing around the ground needs to be replaced as it has fallen into dis-repair in places.

The PA system will no doubt be given a complete overhaul in the summer so that it can be heard around the whole ground.

Both bids for the club go way beyond these kinds of improvement and will ensure that no relegation will be suffered as a result of neglect.

Here are some interesting links to clarify the official position regarding synthetic pitches and Kent League (and other step five league) ground gradings:

Synthetic Pitches: www.thefa.com/GrassrootsNew/Facilities/GroundsAndPitches/Postings/2004/05/ArtificalGrassPitches_Guidelines

Grade E Ground Grading:
www.thefa.com/NR/rdonlyres/85E0D795-FBBD-4C75-A89A-4A23D032D44E/90798/GradeEJune06.pdf

Tunbridge Wells’ Kent League game against VCD Athletic on Wednesday night has been switched to Vickers’ Oakwood ground, at Old Road, Crayford, kicking off at 7:45pm.

Visit Tunbridge Wells' website:  www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk