Lewis | February 25, 2015 | 0 Comments
Some of you may recall a blog post from only last week concerning artificial grass; it touched on the possibility of artificial pitches being reintroduced into English football. But a more recent article from Sky Sports informs us that this won’t be happening. As a result, it has dawned on this author that there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding the bad press artificial lawns are getting gin the press, purely from a sporting perspective. The aforementioned article, which you can read by clicking here, mentions the fears of artificial pitches in football, such as irregular ball bounce, but it fails to mention that the pitches under scrutiny in English football at this current time are 3G artificial pitches, which are a vast improvement on the pitches that got banned in English football in the mid-1990s.
This ambiguity is, naturally, putting doubts in your head over artificial lawns. But, as I said in the last article relating to this subject, please do not be convinced by journalistic spin. All of the concerns relating to artificial pitches are all sports-based. It is vastly different to having artificial grass laid in your back garden. For you, it is economically and environmentally viable, and it holds numerous other benefits, such as less maintenance.
I think we can all agree that, sometimes, it seems like sportspeople live on a different planet to the rest of us! In my opinion, it is no different here, as there was an uproar amongst the players at the upcoming 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, despite the fact that they are approved by world football governing bodies. Not only this, South American football teams practice on artificial pitches all the time, with a transition to play competitive matches on them a real possibility in the near future. What this author finds interesting is that these types of articles are published, no doubt with the view that it will be a ‘hit’, but other news such as the English Conference U-turn on their ban on artificial pitches aren’t broadcast to the same effect.
The key thing to remember is that your needs are different to those of footballers; that’s fundamental to make sure the bad press artificial lawns are getting is left out of context. A key reasoning behind the skepticism towards artificial turf is simply tradition: it is something that the purists will frown upon, despite their obvious advantages. The big advantage for this author is the durability the surface provides. It would last much longer during the winter, where normal grass would deteriorate much quicker. See, this is how fickle those involved in football are; during the winter, I constantly hear complaints from fans and players alike about the state of there pitches. This is problem that would be solved with artificial lawns. And that completes the vicious cycle!
Again, please make your own judgement on artificial lawns. Don’t let bad press in the sporting world affect your opinion or decision. The advantages they provide are numerous, yet once more, it is all down to perception. We here at Oakleigh Manor you agree that artificial lawns are an advantageous resource. If you would like to find out more about them, please visit the dedicated page on them our the Oakleigh Manor website, by clicking here: https://oakleighmanor.com/home/artificial-grass/. Each of our lawns we offer each carry their own individual advantages, including one that is designed for play areas! Maybe the FA should come to us, too!