New pitch @ MP

[Darthter 542]

New Pitch Laid At MP

WRITTEN BY ANDREW DICKSON

New Pitch Laid At MP

WORK is well underway on the installation of a new artificial pitch at Murray Park similar to some of those Rangers have been playing league games on both this season and last.

 

The original astroturf which was laid when the Auchenhowie facility opened in 2001 has been lifted over the last fortnight.

And today the first sections of its replacement are being put in place, with the project expected to be finished before the end of the month.

Gers received funding from the Scottish Football Partnership and they are supporting the costs along with Rangers Lotto and the club itself.

Having the new park will allow the first team to prepare on it ahead of competitive fixtures as more and more synthetic surfaces replace grass equivalents at grounds around the country.

Academy Operations Manager Craig Mulholland believes the pitch will be of great benefit, particularly to the club’s youth, ladies and girls sides.

He said: “Our artificial pitch gets used almost every day of the year and after being there for 12 years, it wasn’t in the best condition any more.

“As part of our SFA audit, we are required to meet FIFA’s two-star standard for a synthetic pitch and our old one might not have done that.

“The surface had become quite compact and the harder a pitch is, the more likely it is players will get injuries.

“Having a new one reduces the chances of that happening and also gives the first team the opportunity to prepare on a pitch akin to the ones they might be playing on if they wish.

“People talk about 3G and 4G pitches but there’s no such thing. The spec is determined by the length of the grass, the amount of infill and other similar factors.

“We’re getting a state-of-the-art pitch which will be at top end of the FIFA two-star ratings and we’re delighted with that.”

 

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5251-new-pitch-laid-at-mp

[calscot 0]

Should help us when playing on these types of pitches but I think the more important aspect is that we have the nearest thing you can get to grass to train on in any weather and long term it saves money on grounds-keeping costs.

[Frankie 8,562]

Good stuff - should be very useful!

[Tannochsidebear 2,405]

That actually explains a few things from last season. When we struggled away from home on some astroturf pitches, McCoist was criticised for claiming that he didn't like his players training on it at Auchenhowie as there was a much higher risk of injuries.

 

The article from the club seems to show that he was right in this regard, but only because we had allowed the original astroturf pitch to be retained instead of replaced when it's condition deteriorated.

 

Hopefully all our sides can now benefit from indoor training and playing on it for many years to come.

[craig 5,199]

The astro is definitely indoor ? There were both outdoor and indoor at Auchenhowie. I will see tomorrow for myself

[RANGERRAB 3,653]

one of the major reasons we're losing so much money IMO is MP & its running costs. Here's yet another example with this pitch. Don't forget too all the youth teams, youth coaches the expenses, the trips all over the place and you can see it's burning a massive hole in Rangers pockets.

Unless MP produces players who can be sold on perhaps if not every year but every other year then it is not viable as such is it? what it musn't become is a centre producing the likes of jordan mcmillan who joined Rangers at a young age, spent many years going thro' the youth system left Rangers for free and is now plying his trade as a journeyman with Plastic Whistle.

Many others like him who cost us a fortune with no return whatsoever

[bluebear54 0]

Can't agree more RR.

In a perfect world, players (or product if you like) should be costed, and we should certainly be looking for a return year on year.

Perhaps we should be looking at more foreign talent - also coaching wise.

Why we never took on board the bold Brian or some of the Dutch talent we had, I'll never know.

[pete 2,499]

one of the major reasons we're losing so much money IMO is MP & its running costs. Here's yet another example with this pitch. Don't forget too all the youth teams, youth coaches the expenses, the trips all over the place and you can see it's burning a massive hole in Rangers pockets.

Unless MP produces players who can be sold on perhaps if not every year but every other year then it is not viable as such is it? what it musn't become is a centre producing the likes of jordan mcmillan who joined Rangers at a young age, spent many years going thro' the youth system left Rangers for free and is now plying his trade as a journeyman with Plastic Whistle.

Many others like him who cost us a fortune with no return whatsoever

 

Rangers will receive compensation for any players we bring through so all is not lost.

[Gribz 850]

If it was in bad condition and used for 12 years Im surprised it hasn't been re-laid by now.

 

However unless there is going to be an influx of plastic pitches at high level then I wouldn't have put this down as a priority. Surely we are still good enough to get out of the leagues without needing to practice on these pitches for a handful of games.

[calscot 0]

If it was in bad condition and used for 12 years Im surprised it hasn't been re-laid by now.

 

However unless there is going to be an influx of plastic pitches at high level then I wouldn't have put this down as a priority. Surely we are still good enough to get out of the leagues without needing to practice on these pitches for a handful of games.

 

I think the greater point is to have all weather training with low maintenance costs and low risk of injury.