I just cannot believe that this match has been cancelled. If I remember correctly, in 2007 Staines received a substantial payout of £75,000 after their televised match against Stockport County. I would have thought that some of this payout would have been put to good use and that ground protection would have been introduced. And to be fair, I'm not talking about under soil heating or even investing in covers. They could have looked at alternative measures. The following is a short list of what they could have done.
Grass substitute We all know when winter is coming, the weathermen/women tell us when the temperatures will drop. By carefully removing the grass along with a little of the top soil, spread 2 - 3 inches of grass substitute. I find that a mixture of sand and cement works best for most types of soil. Water generously and mix in, allow 24 hours to settle. And hey presto a pitch that is not affected by the weather.
Multiple hair dryers Another way of dealing with a frozen pitch is to obtain appoximately 10 large metal poles that stretch from one side of the pitch to the other. Strapped to each pole could be some dual speed hair dryers which incorporate thermostatic controls with volumiser. Each pole would be lifted by volunteers and they would step forward two places and then step back, and then repeat, thus allowing the ground to be heated up and to soften.
De Icer During the summer, a visit to Halford's would not go amiss. During July and August de-icer can be purchased quite readily and cheaply. The average 250ml container has an effective area of 3 square feet. The pitch size at Staines is 110 x 60 yards, meaning that 200 de-icer containers are required. This is a very effective way of ridding the pitch of the ice covering. The one drawback with this method however is that the grass has a tendency to react in a negative way and die a few days after.
Hot Water An effective way to get rid of the frozen pitch is to pour boiling water over the ground. This is done by using loads of kettles to boil water and to then pour it into funnels which are attached to large hoses. The hoses run down to the pitch and into sprinklers which then spread the hot water evenly across the frozen surface. The trick to success is to pour the water into the hoses at a higher level as possible. As is common knowledge, the higher up, the more pressure is gained and therefore will cover a wider area as it comes out of the sprinklers.
Fires A process that can't be beaten is that of using fire. Throughout the ages, man has used fire to assist in many ways. When it's cold we use fire to heat our homes so why can't fire be used to help us deal with a frozen pitch. Large metal bins can be placed around the ground which could be filled full of rubbish and set alight, the heat will soon melt the frozen pitch. Ok, so there maybe scorch marks on the ground but at least it would be playable.
In summary, Staines Town has no excuse to cancel a match due to a frozen pitch.
-- Edited by Trigger on Sunday 5th of February 2012 08:49:35 AM
-- Edited by Trigger on Sunday 5th of February 2012 11:32:09 AM
I contacted Warwickshire County Council regarding the point that you made and have received the following letter from Councillor Murry.
"My dear Trigger, thank you for passing on your friend's concern about setting light to rubbish on the football pitch of St Neot's Town. I can fully appreciate his worries and I applaud him for his concern of our environment. Miss Sue Yoo, head of our legal team has explained to me that it is not illegal to set fire to domestic household waste. However, we must all show due diligence with respect to recycling. Items such as damp wood or plastics should not be burnt as they produce dark smoke and fumes. Mike Kearns, the Chairman of St Neot's Town Football Club was summoned to our council chambers where he was asked to justify his actions. He gave me two points why he resorted to setting fires on the pitch. The first reason was that a fund raising event was being held that night in aid of a local charity and it was important to get the game played so there would be more attending. Secondly, the product being burnt was not household rubbish but Uranium-235 which the local dust men would not take away even when offered a tenner to do so. Mike explained that it makes bonfire night a little more exciting".
I hope this helps clarify ben281032's concern.
Yours sincerely
Councillor Murry.
-- Edited by Trigger on Sunday 5th of February 2012 09:58:23 PM
Hmmm, wonder what their local council thought about this? Dunno if they'd approve of the air polluting for the sake of a game that could be played when te weather is better!
Haha, brilliant. Thanks for doing that for me Trigger!
Personally, I ain't too bothered. I love a good bonfire, and at non-league level, the show must go on! I was just vaguely interested in what the council would think in these health and safety sensitive times.
