Wishart urges changes over artificial surfaces

PFA Scotland chief Fraser Wishart says it is time clubs started listening to top-flight players when they say they hate playing on plastic pitches.

Hamilton and Kilmarnock’s astroturf surfaces have been branded two of the three worst pitches in Scotland following a survey of the nation’s professionals.

Players from the 42 SPFL clubs were asked to rate the pitches at away grounds as part of a study organised jointly by PFA Scotland, Sports Labs and the Scottish Football Association.

And it was Accies that got the biggest thumbs down, with players scoring it on average just 1.18 out of 5. The artificial surface at Rugby Park scored just 1.70.

Newly-promoted Livingston’s decision to install their own 4G pitch next season means a quarter of Ladbrokes Premiership grounds will stage games on plastic next term.

The good news for Wishart’s members is that Hamilton have already started work on installing a upgraded astroturf surface ahead of the new season but the union boss insists clubs should be made to replace deteriorating surfaces sooner – if not told to rip them up for good.

He said: “We want to have a proper debate about the level that artificial surfaces should be used.

“The results of this survey say the players in the Premiership don’t want to play on it.

“Of course, as you go down the leagues there is perhaps a place for them but we need to have regulation in place that means clubs are putting aside a sinking fund, money which means they can be replaced sooner because they do deteriorate.

“When they are being used day in, day out for community use, that’s fantastic but that means the surface on a Saturday isn’t as good as they do deteriorate quicker.

“So we need to open up a proper debate and club owners and decisionmakers have to listen to what the players are saying.

“They have voted in numbers to say they don’t like artificial surfaces and that is something that should be looked at.”