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Worst pitch in league football and the National league


Tinheadman

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Lower league clubs need to be allowed 3g pitches.they 're good enough for world cups,champions league and top divisions across the globe.We would benefit massively from one.The club can use it all year round thus income is all year round.I would have been against them but having seen numerous games on them they are as good as a quality grass pitch.

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I know its the same for both sides and thats how it used to be in the old days, but its not great when players have to take a touch because they're unsure if the ball will bobble up or not, or that they struggle to keep their feet or that we will hardly go back to the keeper in case it gives him too many problems. We should be playing on a better surface than that.

 

Lower league clubs need to be allowed 3g pitches.they 're good enough for world cups,champions league and top divisions across the globe.We would benefit massively from one.The club can use it all year round thus income is all year round.I would have been against them but having seen numerous games on them they are as good as a quality grass pitch.

We sometimes use dimensions to train on and players who have had bad knee injuries within the club are not allowed to even train on that surface because of how hard and unforgiving the surface is. So with that in mind I don't think we'll have one of those pitches. Have you ever played on one? There are not the same as playing on grass.

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Vale Park used to be a marl hole didn’t it? There can’t be many football league pitches built on an old quarry.

 

It just got filled in at the end of the 1940s. There was a materials shortage that prevented the ground from being finished properly and no doubt it was a similar story when they filled in the hole. Probably with any old rubble, slag, whatever they could find.

 

AFAIK there’s no proper soil structure under the ground to drain properly. The only way it will get fixed properly will be to dig down several metres and start again from scratch.

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In speeds defence and as a self employed gardener. We've had a particularly wet and cold winter. To be fair the autumn wasn't much better and although the pitch has been reseeded over the years it's well known the soil texture is a clay base. So long as this is the case, it will always cut up given the weather. And it has been wet.

Another thought I don't recall any cancelled games this season so it's never had a moment's rest. Plus arnt we the highest ground in the football league? If so this doesn't help with the growing season.

Long over due being ripped up with new soil and drainage system.

It does look pretty bad from the lawn street doesn't it.

 

Sent from my [device_name] using the http://onevalefan mobile app

 

Just love the unintended pun there mate......lawn street.:laugh:

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I’m not for one moment blaming the pitch for poor performances! It’s the **** players and tactics that do that for us

 

I’m simply saying the pitch is absolute awful and needs sorting. It’s gettibg worse season after season. It’s like a sponge, it isn’t firm anywhere. Must be a drain on the legs playing on that every other week in the winter months

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Vale Park used to be a marl hole didn’t it? There can’t be many football league pitches built on an old quarry.

 

It just got filled in at the end of the 1940s. There was a materials shortage that prevented the ground from being finished properly and no doubt it was a similar story when they filled in the hole. Probably with any old rubble, slag, whatever they could find.

 

AFAIK there’s no proper soil structure under the ground to drain properly. The only way it will get fixed properly will be to dig down several metres and start again from scratch.

 

You're right about the site of Vale Park being an old marl hole, although I'm not old enough to remember it as one, I was just told that by people of an older generation who knew the area before the ground was built. Also, you are correct that years ago it was common practice to landfill with anything and everything so the filled area beneath the pitch could contain absolutely any old waste you can think of from the obvious pottery waste like a shardruck to sulphur rich slag from the pits and steel works to household waste, demolition waste, asbestos waste, etc., etc.

 

The pitch has always been a problem in the depths of winter and was much worse than it is now up until the 1990's when, during the Billy Bell era, there was some limited remedial work done on it. As mentioned by 'pensioner' the pitch had a raised position with drainage into the terraces until the stands were redeveloped and following that there were some attempts at putting some sort of drainage back in, some fans may remember there being 'stripes' across the pitch in early season one year.

 

Personally, I suspect you are correct in saying the only real answer to bring the surface up to modern standards is to dig out for several metres, re-lay the substructure and put in proper drainage. It won't happen under the current ownership though because it would be expensive. Pity really because if I had to pick my number one improvement I've seen during my years of watching football it would be the vast improvement in playing surfaces which has allowed much better passing football to be played. I'd even choose that over not having to watch the game from facilities straight out of a Victorian slum, even though Vale Park isn't much better than that in many areas!

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Wasn't it supposed to have been done a few years ago but we were then told that we had missed the deadline for booking the contractors in time for the work to be completed before the following season started.
I remember that, something like a 18 month lead time, and cost above 1/2 £M. So cut/slice and sand infill was used as an expedient. Drainage a problem from day one, even had to play Bristol Rovers at the Vic, when with the drains up the pitch froze. Swansea have pumped drains to cope with the rain down there, especially with Rugby played on the pitch as well. Pitch based on a metre of sand with a plastic mesh key for the grass, not cheap.
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It was much worse wan't it, in the sixties and seventies? And I think from memory we did a bit of work on it 10-15 years ago - or am I wrong? It used to cut up a lot more and had little grass in parts by the New Year. But it does seem to be in a very bad state at present - very heavy and uneven. Can't see us doing much about it if it's going to cost more than half a million quid to put right, unless there are football-related grants available to help us out which I very much doubt. The only 'positive' is that it's the same for both teams and we should be used to it.

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