Sfa Want Level Playing Field

[weeyin]

From today's Scotland on Sunday. If the latest harebrained scheme from the SFA is enforced, Fir Park would need to be made level.

 

Dundee United chairman furious over SFA's request to level the playing field

 

 

Published Date: 12 September 2010

By Ewing Grahame

 

The Scottish Football Association faces a revolt from member clubs over plans to force them to ensure that their grounds have, quite literally, a level playing field. Letters have been sent informing clubs of the SFA's intentions and it's understood that the ruling body has already lined up a firm of quantity surveyors to carry out inspections around the country.

 

The intention is that clubs whose pitches havea slope should carry out work to ensure that it will be perfectly flat.

 

However, Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson branded the scheme "ludicrous" and unnecessary and warns that the SFA are in danger of sending clubs to the wall if they pursue the matter.

 

It's understood that Motherwell, who have already spent £600,000 attempting to improve the SPL's poorest playing surface, would need to spend over £1m to comply with the SFA's demands - assuming it was even possible to carry them out at Fir Park, where the stands are very close to the pitch.

 

The Lanarkshire club are believed to have taken legal advice on the matter and Thompson insists that the initiative should be dropped.

 

"You're not just talking about working on pitches," he said. "It would also involve the foundations of your stands, undersoil heating and drainage. The expense of this would put clubs out of business, which is ludicrous."

 

An SFA spokesman confirmed that the bizarre scheme, which would also affect Hibernian's Easter Road, is under way. "This is in keeping with UEFA's club licensing standards and we continue to work together with clubs to make sure that these standards are met," he said, although a Hampden insider revealed that the SFA had not received any request from UEFA to carry out the inspections.

 

However, when informed that the inspections were being carried out in order to comply with UEFA's guidelines, Thompson, whose United side faced horrendous problems when they travelled to Greece to face AEK Athens last month, was furious.

 

United were forced to spend £50,000 to replace wooden seats with bucket seats and also had to provide a back-up generator before Tannadice was granted a UEFA licence to hold the first leg.

 

But the second leg in the Greek capital was played at a stadium without a certificate after AEK's pitch was deemed unplayable.

 

"They should just tell UEFA to stick by their own bloody standards when our clubs go abroad," he said. "This is a sham and a farce as far as I'm concerned. I'm a bit disillusioned by the whole UEFA licensing thing. Why should Scottish clubs be forced to do this unless every other country is doing it as well? These rules aren't applied consistently.

[CoF]

Fuckin mental. It's the stands that slope at Fir Park, not the pitch.

[Rickoza]

No problem. Long as the SFA stump the cash up then fine. They waste enough money on shite as it is, so why not pay for this?

[Yir Elder]

The fitba authorities in this country seem hell-bent on imposing stupid, pointless and expensive rules on its member clubs. This latest one is completely unworkable and probably illegal too, should clubs challenge this ruling if/when it goes ahead.

 

I assume neither of the bigots have this problem, otherwise it wouldn't even be up for discussion?!!!

[that hat]

Is this the same UEFA & SFA combination that expects Fir Park to be at a far higher standard than comparable grounds elsewhere in Europe as Decorator and co can testify?

[Mad Dog]

Why don't the sfa put as much time and energy into improving the pitches, facilities and coaching that are available to the future generations of Scottish footballers? We might even end up with a national team that's worth our support one day.

[SuperSteelman]

I'm sure sorting the slope on the pitch was discussed on here before and the cost would be in excess of £2million. No way can they force clubs to pay that sort of money.

 

Clubs have been playing on sloped pitches since football began so what is the reason for this sudden, drastic action.

[thewhitepele]

Looks like another case of the SFA being too far up UEFAs arse,any rule that UEFA think up the SFA seem to want to follow to the letter while the rest of europe pick and choose which rules to adhere too.Could be another reason.....given that we have just competed in europe for the 3rd year in a row and the SFA know which clubs this rule would hit worst,might be their way of making sure Fir Park wont qualify for a licence to host euro games next season,when we make 4 in a row.

[john_M_F_C]

if we all have a "level" playing field then what is the point. Takes away the quirks that suit the home teams etc. stupid rule if it comes in.

[daver]

If the guy writing this had done any research he would realise that a firm of quantity surveyors would have nothing to do with checking out the pitches. Considering we change ends at half-time I really don't see what UEFA's issue is unless the pitch is ludicrous. They have to apply common sense and perhaps set a maximum allowable gradient that takes into account the fact that many grounds are a century or more old.

[Shaka]

a joke but then when have footballs governing bodies not been prone to such pish? Would never be made to stick in court if a club challenged it,the only way is if UEFA or SFA paid for rennovations themselves

[fatcalf]

a joke but then when have footballs governing bodies not been prone to such pish? Would never be made to stick in court if a club challenged it,the only way is if UEFA or SFA paid for rennovations themselves

 

That'll do, and while they're at it, as the Utd fella says, foundations of stands etc might be affected so they can build us a new grun while they're there, in the interests of safety you understand, seeing as how they're that interested in safety they wouldn't alow us to use the bucket seats in the wings of the Main Stand.

Arseholes!!!!!

[Steve Diggle]

I'm getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that the time for direct action against these UEFA arse licking fuckers is just around the corner. Hopefully before the game in Scotland dies though

[ONeils40yarder]

We, as in Scotland, seem to bendover rather quickly and we also seem to be a bit of an easy target for 'governing bodies' had United acted in the way that AEK had done with regards to where the game would be played, I reckon United would have been in soapy bubble.

[star sail]

I'm getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that the time for direct action against these UEFA arse licking fuckers is just around the corner. Hopefully before the game in Scotland dies though

 

 

+1

 

Let's distract the paying public with a pile of pish about level playing fields so that they wont notice that the game in Scotland is fading to oblivion.

 

The irony in this story is incredible. A level playing field is exactly what the SFA should be looking at but in the metaphorical sense not the literal sense. Coming just a week after another dismal display by the Scotland National Team this kind of thing shows that we are well and truely f$*?ed.

[johnstone]

Is anything actually level? I mean seriously what are the chances of getting a perfectly level pitch?

 

Totally insane.

[radgenaldo]

Anyone else think that theres a fair few old farts in the SFA struggling to justify their existence?

 

"Haw, Macdougal, Ah've heard them young yins ootside takin' aboot 'slimmin doon' the numbers oan the board"

 

"Aw, f**k Gregory, we'll huv tae make up some new pishtake job for us dae so we keep oor HUGE wages for another few year. Ah, ken, we'll huv a go at them Motherwell wans again, they tak hunners o' oor pish, they're used tae it by noo. Thur pitch, thats always a good wan fur us tae moan aboot for a while".

 

"Aye, thats a grand idea, mone we'll go drink hunners o' expensive whisky oan the SFA's budget tae celebrate. Beltin."

[DunnyMFC]

Anyone else think that theres a fair few old farts in the SFA struggling to justify their existence?

 

"Haw, Macdougal, Ah've heard them young yins ootside takin' aboot 'slimmin doon' the numbers oan the board"

 

"Aw, f**k Gregory, we'll huv tae make up some new pishtake job for us dae so we keep oor HUGE wages for another few year. Ah, ken, we'll huv a go at them Motherwell wans again, they tak hunners o' oor pish, they're used tae it by noo. Thur pitch, thats always a good wan fur us tae moan aboot for a while".

 

"Aye, thats a grand idea, mone we'll go drink hunners o' expensive whisky oan the SFA's budget tae celebrate. Beltin."

 

 

I can actually imagine this happening right now.

Why can't the SFA concentrate on improving Scottish football and the clubs go and make sure their pitches are fine. I don't think the slope makes that much of a difference and both teams are used to it due to playing each other like 5 times a year.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Is anything actually level? I mean seriously what are the chances of getting a perfectly level pitch?

 

Totally insane.

 

Yeah, I thought the Earth was a globe!

 

Maybe they are Flat Earthers over at UEFA, wouldn't surprise me.

[makaveli]

might be yet another reason why we should move to Ravenscraig and sell land with all the land thats being developed behind the club.. I'm sure we that all in could be a cheaper alternative to levelling pitch at Firpark

[SuperCC]

Load of Pish - can just see the refs out there with a spirit level before kick off!!

 

This probably affects many hundreds of grounds around Europe and no one else will give a toss - just the SFA and their little men with rules!!

[Kmcalpin]

Is anything actually level? I mean seriously what are the chances of getting a perfectly level pitch?

 

I would think very few grounds are level as such. Even New Douglas Park has quite a slope.