Debate on Investment in Artificial Turfs
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Regional Football - powered by Park Life
Debate on Investment in Artificial Turfs
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Ok, with the Council elections around the corner, lots of candidates making pledges to build more artificials faster, and fresh from another season in the mud, we are opening a new thread dedicated this topic.
Marius Lacatus2010-08-18 21:56:26
We will invite Council candidates to tell us their policy on artificials and we will post the answers here on the website. In the meantime, candidates and anyone else welcome to tell us what they think here.
My view, hurry up and build them. Every season we are missing stacks of football and half of what we do play is in a swamp. Artificials are an asset that thousands of Wellingtonians would get value from throughout the year.
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Fever article here
If in Western - Andy Foster is your boy
Founder
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Will we lose some of the character from football when teams don't play at "home" and matches are essentially played at Central shared venue?
Artificials are a great idea but should they be allocated to clubs as home grounds or replace existing grass pitches?
Discuss.
Normo's coming home
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I'm not sure that too many Wellington grounds have 'character' in a good way.
To answer your question would take me far too long sorry JD
Founder
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Winston Reid was seen kicking a ball around Wainuiomata Mall with Piri Weepu, believe it or not
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Will we lose some of the character from football when teams don't play at "home" and matches are essentially played at Central shared venue?
I imagine they would want to hub the turfs to some extent. it might detract from atmosphere at clubs a wee bit but if you take karori as an example, nobody is playing KP half the season and when we do its such a bog that atmosphere is hardly a sufficiently redeeming factor. and you wouldnt have to play all games on the turf. you would use them to take pressure of grass fields in first part of season and as your only option in weekends like weve had recently. plus they could be used over summer too. Marius Lacatus2010-08-18 23:06:04Artificials are a great idea but should they be allocated to clubs as home grounds or replace existing grass pitches?
Discuss.
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Do you think that if you played one game a week at Karori no.1 over the season it would hold up? Or is it far worse than even that?
I'm certainly in favour of artificals, especially for training which I think would make a huge difference to football in the region. Just would be a shame to see soccer go like hockey where everygame is at the same place and the idea of home advantage is lost.
Obviously though something has to be done, from the sounds of things the last 5 years have just been shocking with regard to pitches
Normo's coming home
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I think the best solution to our pitch problems is cancel Cricket.
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always anoyed me the way wellington grounds are set out. why are there cricket pitches in the middle of the playing field. In hawkesbay i've never seen a cricket pitch on a field. The drainage is so bad in wellington to.
Artifical pitches are the way foward but the cost and issue on where to put them will be a problem.
Hopefully each club will have acess to them for training in the near future.
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Intensive use on fewer full sized football turfs must be more cost effective than many grassy feilds. A no brainer in this sort of sh***t weather. AngusBeef2010-08-19 03:10:48
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I think the best solution to our pitch problems is cancel Cricket.
you got my vote for that one!
sorry cricket fans
VUW AFC - Victoria University Football for life
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Morrison on the front of Wellingtonian talking about hatching a plan to get artificials using combo of corporate sponsors, grant money, money frmo clubs on user pays basis, + council top up. My email must have got to him.
John Doe is doing some poking round for him on this. I'm not sure how successful this will be. Basically he is saying that he still isn't going to invest council money, and look elsewhere, however I think he will get diddly squat from sponsors/trusts. Without the commitment of big wcc $ it aint gonna fly.
Founder
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Do you think that if you played one game a week at Karori no.1 over the season it would hold up? Or is it far worse than even that?
In short just about every possible locations has issues (pavillion, parking, summer sport, resource consent). Not too many easy options.
I'm certainly in favour of artificals, especially for training which I think would make a huge difference to football in the region. Just would be a shame to see soccer go like hockey where everygame is at the same place and the idea of home advantage is lost.
Obviously though something has to be done, from the sounds of things the last 5 years have just been shocking with regard to pitches
KP for example is getting a lot of money spent on (3/4 of) it at the end of the season (therefore why put a turf on new drainage)and the whole park is used by cricket in summer (the no1 is next to the wicket they are getting first class status for). However it does have the facilities. Facilities/parking would be the main thing not present at possible sites.
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Raroa has potential. Only used for American Football in the summer and has decent parking. Small upgrade to the changing rooms, put in an artificial pitch and some lighting. Alex Moore 1 is also has potential, may need to move the softball diamond back but then you have the rest of that tier that can be artificial, would massively increase practice areas.
Basically any field that is mainly used for football and doesnt cater for cricket in the summer should eventually be an artificial pitch.
Basically any field that is mainly used for football and doesnt cater for cricket in the summer should eventually be an artificial pitch.
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I'd imagine American Football wouldn't mind artificial either.
DUal use has to be a selling point.
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Another media release from a guy in the SOuthern Ward, mainly about redevelopment of Wakefield ...
Wednesday 18 August 2010
Strong Southern ward support for artificial sportsfields
Paul Eagle, Labour's candidate for the Southern ward, welcomed news today that fellow Labour Lambton ward candidate Marcus Ganley is pushing for council to prioritise artificial sports fields.
"I've been out in the ward doorknocking for the past 6 months and the feedback I have from families, sports clubs officials and the various ethnic communities is that these are a key priority for the Southern ward."
Wakefield Park in Berhampore is a preferred site for one artificial sportsfield with $1.5 million allocated in the council's long term council community plan for the 2014/15 financial year.
However, Paul Eagle says waiting another 5 years for something to happen is just too long. "Hundreds of families all over Wellington city are affected by ground closures every weekend - tomorrow's All Whites are being held back." Additionally, the planning and proposed funding is for just the one artificial sportsfield which Mr. Eagle says doesn't make sense, "Two are needed. We can�t control the weather and we know it�s going to be bad. I was told recently that the artificial sportsfield located near the Te Whaea performing arts centre was already being used over 60 hours a week � and there's other codes lining up every day.�
Island Bay United, the local football club based on Wakefield Park, has been working with council for many years to progress solutions for the park�s future. The club�s committee undertook to invest in the 'sports hub development' proposal for the park that would benefit all players and residents in the Wellington region.
Paul Eagle says Wakefield Park has struggled for many years to get any improvements actioned and as an interim measure, better drainage would improve the winter football pitch quality and minimise the effect of the summer cricket blocks.
"Bottomline, artificial sportsfields are a priority for the community - but not for this council. I'm calling for the funds to be released now so work can begin on two artificial sportsfields", says Mr. Eagle.
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Just a thought (and it may be stupid) but if there were more artifical turfs you could use them to take the load from the lower grades, leaving some of the grass pitches for the higher grades.
I think that it would lead to the fields being in better condition for longer, ensure that the lower grades dont get shafted by cancellations as often, and keep the higher teams at their home grounds. I dont know what the affect would be on bar takings but at Uni the teams down the grades still come back to the bar, and they play at KP once a season if that
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yes steelo, I think that is definitely a role artificials could play
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I think the best solution to our pitch problems is cancel Cricket.
No.
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Article portraying John Morrison as the champion of artificial turfs in the latest Wellingtonian. Fails to mention that he voted against.
Robb2010-08-19 18:06:47
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Would be nice to see a pitch built in Lower Hutt.
McEwen park would be fun with the views.
McEwen park would be fun with the views.
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Not likely. It's freezing there in a nice cold southerly.
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They'd have to build one at the Hutt Park
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Would be nice to see a pitch built in Lower Hutt.
McEwen park would be fun with the views.
Thought the HCC had agreed to build one at Petone Memorial.McEwen park would be fun with the views.
A dog with a bone :)
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Article portraying John Morrison as the champion of artificial turfs in the latest Wellingtonian. Fails to mention that he voted against.
Excellent, excellent observation. Morrison is a 100% blowhard who cannot be trusted one inch. Has never supported artificials, has tried to bury any idoor football in the central city for as long as I have known, as was the key supporter of the exceptional idea to replace central city (pick a shed) indoor football venues, with an new sports area in Kilbirnie. Catch a bus at lunchtime people, it's not him wanting to play......
Football is working class ballet - Alf Garnet
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You could have turfed about every pitch in Wellington for what the indoor sports centre is going to cost
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Thought the HCC had agreed to build one at Petone Memorial.
The HCC spening money on building something, That'd be a first.
They've pissed around for years with Walter Nash stadium. Can't see an artifical turf @ Memorial anytime soon.
Ard Choille2010-08-20 08:51:50
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I thought Petone had been decided on? FIFA money
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porirua city council has no plans in the 2009-19 ltccp for an artifical sports field.
our sports grounds have mostly become wellingtons teams home away from home.
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I thought Petone had been decided on? FIFA money
I've heard they are having trouble with resource consent - neighbours have objected because there isn't enough parking 
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At Petone ?
Sure it's tricky on a Saturday afternoon but it won't be any worse than it is now. The rest of the week there is a huge amount. Tell them to GGF.
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Hutt City's latest annual plan has $512k for Petone Memorial Park synthetic turf in 2011/2012 (this was brought forward after a submission by Capital Football last year) and $448k for Sportsground artificial training areas in 2015/2016.
The $512k is a healthy contribution towards a turf if the resource consent issues can be sorted in time.
The $512k is a healthy contribution towards a turf if the resource consent issues can be sorted in time.
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At Petone ?
I dont get why parking is such a huge issue with these things. Its not like suddenly 10 games are going to be happening at once. You will still only have the same amount of traffic as you do now happening at any one time. Its just going to be continuous through a Saturday/Sunday I guess.Sure it's tricky on a Saturday afternoon but it won't be any worse than it is now. The rest of the week there is a huge amount. Tell them to GGF.
www.kiwifromthecouch.blogspot.com
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I've heard they are having trouble with resource consent - neighbours have objected because there isn't enough parking
I don't really understand that. A turf at Petone Memorial will just replace an existing grass surface. There will be around the same number of people there at any one time as there is now. Sure, there is likely to be a more consistent flow of people coming and going though...
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Are they complaining about traffic or parking is the question.
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At Petone ?
I dont get why parking is such a huge issue with these things. Its not like suddenly 10 games are going to be happening at once. You will still only have the same amount of traffic as you do now happening at any one time. Its just going to be continuous through a Saturday/Sunday I guess.
Sure it's tricky on a Saturday afternoon but it won't be any worse than it is now. The rest of the week there is a huge amount. Tell them to GGF.
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More than a Saturday at 12:30 with kids games finishing and 3 or 4 senior games starting (if you include Sladden).
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I imagine that better results due to recent coaching changes at Petone could draw bigger crowds...
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Just a thought (and it may be stupid) but if there were more artifical turfs you could use them to take the load from the lower grades, leaving some of the grass�pitches for the higher grades.
�
I think that it would lead to the fields being in better condition for longer, ensure that the lower grades dont get shafted by cancellations as often, and keep the higher teams at their home grounds. I dont know what the affect would be on bar takings but at Uni the teams down the grades still come back to the bar, and they play at KP once a season if that
The other option is to use the artificials during the week (6/8pm kickoffs) for the more social grades that don't have training, etc. You could probably knock off a couple of rounds of games in this way and ease the pressure on grass grounds and the artificials on the weekend.
Evidence from this season alone has shown that teams are willing to play at night during the week - sure most people would rather actually play on a nice surface at a somewhat inconvenient time, rather than be stuck in mud on a weekend or not play at all.el grapadura2010-08-20 11:14:31
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