ISPS Handa Premiership

Blarely trust you with a candle.

Noticed a bunch of Suburbs players were wearing those heart/rate GPS monitor bibs during the game today.

They have fairly significant battery packs on the back of them. Surely that's not legal?

Also they cost a fair wack each... must be out of the NZF closet?

man, vinnie jones would have had a field day with that!

Are Suburbs the only team in the Handy with an artificial turf? It's pretty poor that a first team in the top league in NZ isn't even playing on grass.

Canterbury - plus direct me to a quality grass surface in Summer with all the required facilities in Auckland without going to a major stadium.

Auckland City ground at Kiwatea..?

Eh, I'm not a big fan of it in the top league, but fields most of the fields in Auckland with the proper facilities get used sooo often it's not worth making one grass (and screwing over a bunch of people trying to actually play football) just to keep the national league a little more pure.

BMK for example is used basically every evening and all weekend. Just wouldn't happen with grass.

not sure if your serious - surely you are not advocating for a ground share?  I think you understood i meant a field that isn't already being used for NL.

I keep looking at Colin Maiden #10 (the University Rugby Clubs main ground) and think it has potential.   Main appeal being the grass banks on 3 sides.

Big club there with Cricket taking most of Colin Maiden park over the summer - and with Ngahue Reserve just over the bank I don't see Rugby giving up their fields.

The field I am referring to does not have any cricket played on it. You can spot it easily enough on this map http://www.aucc.co.nz/UFresource/Colin_Maiden_Park-Cricket_wickets.pdf. I am sure the rugby guys would like a 500 seat covered stand for use in the winter to go with the existing grass banks at the compromise of approx 10 soccer games there in the summer.

While I’m here - there are quite a few pro clubs in Europe that play on artificial pitches (I don’t like it btw) but if it’s good enough for the Eredivisie then it’s hard for anyone to say it’s not good enough for ISPSHP

pretty sure rugby are year round on those fields with touch in summer - regardless egg ball is not going to give up anything to football.

It's not a bad idea though as it's in the Suburbs catchment area - the clubrooms from memory are quite nice - not sure about changing rooms and if it would be fit for TV games from a SKY point of view (although they could just take those games to Bill McKinlay)

I remember when they first started coming out, these GPS units, I thought Sergio Van Dijk had developed a bit of hunchback in the off-season...those were the days!

I was of the understanding the artificial you speak of is much different to the 4g at Bill Mac.

Also very interesting about the GPS trackers. If I were a player I'd tell the coach to sod off on this one.

I'm sure Top Left can add a technical viewpoint to this, but Billy Mac has two things not in it's favour.

1) it's used SOO much that wear and tear is pretty high - it's also probably pretty close to it's 10 year period - i would say easily over halfway.  Uni Mt Wellington have to come up with a fairly sizable chunk of the replacement costs so they hire it out a lot to make enough money to replace it (sort of a chicken and egg problem there).

2) For some reason the maintenance on the turf always seems to happen just before a game - we had the same problem at Michaels Ave when they would do the groom and sweep on a Friday but managed to get them to move to a Monday.  The maintenance is essential to maintain the life of the plastic fibres - but the side effect is the pitch looks very black and looks like there is more rubber added but it's just the rubber being brought to the top and it settles in a couple of days.

Obviously if you can get a premium grass field that's everyones preference - but with it being a summer league and the council not being all that great at pitch maintenance sometimes a turf is the best quality surface you can get.

what happened to their plans to use Ngahue park?

Dosn't meet the criteria currently as there is no infrastructure onsite other than 2 changing rooms and some toilets.

Also OFC have been quite tough to deal with and finally it's windy as balls up there and not a nice place to play currently.

Well.  Windy for Auckland...

so just a light breeze then?

This

Ngahue was an almighty cock up. Have practised up there by myself a few times, stupidly annoying, this coming from a Wellingtonian.

Haven't the Billy Mac board already decided to extend the life of the current turf beyond its 10 years? Or was it only supposed to be 7 and they're extending to 10?

You asked for an example and I provided one?  You didn't ask me to supply an alternative. The Trust's stadium is another that isn't a major. 

My inital point is that it's poor their not playing on a grass pitch. I'm not sure if you've played on it before, but artificial turf changes the dynamic of the game. The ball slides along the surface and bounces differently. Players are also less likely to go of their feet as the surface cuts your legs up.

You are aware Canterbury play all their games on turf and have for years right?

I wasn't sure if there were any others (answered question is quoted above). That still doesn't make turf any less shark.

ok mate - clearly picking and choosing your answers.

Re your question on my experience with Turf, yes I have a lot of experience with turf and a nasty turf graze at the moment to show for it.  I would prefer good quality grass but i understand the surrounding issues of why turf is picked and used so much particularly in summer.

Any chance of the Handy getting a website of its own this year? the NRFL have really shown how supporter interest can be built through a good online presence.

Won't happen, NZ Football will keep it on their website that is terribly managed. 

Is it?

Managed?. It's like all of NZF and the Federations all over staffed and run poorly. Still it's someone else money.