The 3G issue is well worth considering

SUTTON United manager Paul Doswell has been vocal in his calls for 3G pitches to be allowed in the EFL in recent times. Some will no doubt say it’s in his interests. His side lead the way in the National League, but wouldn’t be permitted, as it stands, to enter the EFL with a plastic pitch if they went on to win the title.

Instead, they would be faced with a choice of tearing up their 3G pitch and replacing it with grass – or being relegated to NonLeague’s second tier. Neither is an appealing prospect.

But as Doswell points out in the story on the back page, there are reasons why existing EFL clubs should at least consider the idea.

He makes it clear how much more of a ‘community club’ Sutton have become by having a pitch that can be made available to a host of teams and organisations. Gander Green Lane has become a hub, a place where people want to go.

Attendances have shot up and, in addition, the U’s don’t have to worry about matches being called off when the weather takes a turn for the worse, ensuring their cash-flow isn’t affected.

When you look at some of the midweek attendances in the EFL, you can understand where Doswell is coming from. Is 927 at Morecambe v Crewe, 1,119 at Accrington v Wycombe and 1,580 at Crawley v Exeter really sustainable for professional football?

Would League Two, or clubs higher up the ladder for that matter, have a better chance of making ends meet if they had a 3G surface? Surely the answer is yes if they are able to hire out their facilities all year round and can really put themselves at the heart of their community.

In an ideal world, we’d all prefer a grass pitch to a plastic one, but the latter have improved dramatically over the last ten years.

It is certainly something, at the very least, for clubs to ponder.