What’s with the Wembley pitch ?
Following England’s friendly with Egypt last Wednesday, criticism of Wembley’s playing surface took front and center as prominent figures voiced their concern at the state of the “hallowed” turf. Sir Alex Ferguson said that Michael Owen’s season-ending hamstring injury had been partly due to the slippery surface and also that Wayne Rooney’s swollen knee had been caused by being on the field for too long against the African Nations Cup winners. Following Aston Villa’a League Cup Final loss to Man Utd, Villa’s James Milner stated that he felt that the surface just wasn’t good enough for the National team to be playing on.
A lot of what we heard is nothing new to England’s new home. Cast your mind back to November 2007 and the infamous Euro qualifier against Croatia. If you recall, the field that evening was in atrocious shape and certainly contributed to at least one of Croatia’s three goals that night. Even going back to the day the stadium was opened, concerns had been widespread that the turf would be plagued by problems because of the light restrictions caused by the roof structure and for the last two games certainly, the pitch has been in awful shape. Consequently the FA has decided to re-sod the entire surface in preparation for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final. This marks the tenth time that this has been done since the stadium opened.
One of the issues causing the field to break up so badly is the FA’s need to hold non-soccer events in order to gain financial revenue to help pay off the debt they incurred during construction. Rock concerts, NFL football games, and horse jumping shows are just some of the events planned for the next few months which causes untold damage to the turf. The field is unlike any other used by Premier League teams in that it is sod and not seeded turf. Most football surfaces in England are seeded and so the grass develops a strong root system which resists damage much better than a turf field. Apparently, the lack of available light does not make a seeded surface viable but something clearly has to be done to correct the problem.
What I do find strange is the comical reference to old Wembley field as lush, and like a carpet, which in perfect weather it maybe was, but as a boy I recall some shocking surfaces that used to sap players’ leg strength especially in Finals which went to extra time. The sight of socks around the ankles and players lying flat on the field with leg cramps was a common occurrence in those days. Anyone remember Arsenal Swindon in 1969 at the League Cup Final ?
Now I grant you that a horse show a few days before did a number on that field too, but this subject is old and goes way back to the glory days of the old stadium. with the money that’s been spent on building this glorious facility, the FA simple have to find an answer somewhere.















