Pitch perfect.. well, almost
St Mirren Park voted second best in Championship
Craig Ritchie
St Mirren Park has been voted the second best pitch in the Ladbrokes Championship – behind Dundee United – in a season-long study.
Throughout the 2017/ 18 season, players at all 42 clubs were asked to rate the pitch they played on every time they were away from home via a specially commissioned PitchRater App.
The vote was a joint venture between the players union PFA Scotland, the Scottish FA and Sports Labs, the leading international experts in sports surface development and testing.
More than 43,000 answers were received, and Stirling Albion’s Forthbank pitch was voted the best in Scotland.
Hamilton’s pitch at the SuperSeal Stadium was been branded the worst.
Dundee United’s Tannadice surface was voted the finest in the Ladbrokes Championship with a 4.12 rating (five is very good and one is very poor) and was the only Championship stadium to secure over four in the study.
Saints’ Paisley 2021 Stadium (3.88) and East End Park (3.86) were the Tayside outfit’s closest challengers.
PFA chairman Fraser Wishart said: “Too often players’ views are overlooked within football.
“In this case alterations are made to pitches and different surfaces laid without any thought of, or consultation with, our members.
“It is often forgotten that the pitch is our members’ place of work and for that reason we are delighted to partner in this groundbreaking research with Sports Labs and the Scottish FA.
“Players are the ones with the intimate knowledge of how a pitch plays, how it feels underfoot and what type of football has to be played therefore it makes perfect sense to ask them for their views. Former St Mirren players Lewis McLear and Ryan Watters have both been snapped up by League Two side Albion Rovers.
McLear caught the eye of new Rovers gaffer John Brogan at the annual SPFL Player Showcase, leading him to be the first player to be signed following the exit trials.
The trials are designed to help players without a club the opportunity to show
“Our feedback also shows players also care about the product on show for fans paying at the gate and the image poor surfaces portray for Scottish football in the wider media.
“The results of our survey must be considered carefully by decision- makers and used to help improve the quality of managers from across the divisions their talent and ability in a bid to help them back off of the football scraphead.
McLear, 21, made his way through the ranks for the Buddies and would feature in both the top flight and the Championship for the Paisley outfit.
However, he struggled to nail down a spot in the Buddies side and was eventually released by Jack Ross following a loan spell at Stirling Albion. surfaces in Scotland.”
Off the back of the PitchRater study, PFA Scotland, Sports Labs and the Scottish FA will sit down with relevant parties, including groundsmen, to go over the results in more depth and come up with a list of recommendations going forward to improve, and maintain, the condition of pitches across all SPFL clubs.
The third edition of the Scottish Artificial and TurfGrass Seminar has also been organised for September this year which will see groundsmen from all 42 SPFL clubs, along with their financial directors, invited along to hear from a panel of experts on subjects including practical advice on pitch improvement programmes and techniques.
It is often forgotten that the pitch is our members’ place of work
Watters’ stint at Saints was a somewhat shorter one having only signed from Motherwell last January.
He would be on the bench as Saints were defeated by Dundee United in the final of the Irn-Bru Cup final but found his opportunities limited.