Millers keeping tabs on artificial pitch development

Last updated : 24 February 2012 By Bigrich.....

Chairman Tony Stewart has already hinted he would favour a blend of synthetic surface with some natural grass at the NY stadium, and the club's chief operating officer Paul Douglas told the Advertiser that the club are keeping an eye on the idea.

He said: “For smaller clubs, artificial pitches present commercial opportunities, a better chance of getting games on and less maintenance costs and wear and tear.

“Technology has moved on. Barnet, for instance, have a state-of-the-art training facility with an artificial pitch used by many international visiting sides because they prefer playing on it to grass. We would certainly be interested in that type of surface at our new training ground.

“The purpose of the consultation is to ask, can artificial pitches be a serious alternative to grass? We have an open mind but we certainly don't want to see a return to the nonsense that the plastic pitches in the 1980s brought. There is still a long way to go on the issue.”