Are Artificial Pitches The Future Of Football?

The football pitch is one of the most iconic sports playing surfaces in all of sports and it is also one of the most vital. A well-maintained football pitch can completely change the game and make it go at an even quicker pace. Over the last few years, the use of artificial pitches has started to take over and this has its positives and negatives. I think over the next few years, most of the football pitches that are planted around will use artificial grass but the professional ones will, hopefully, stay the same.

Grass Pitches

As I am writing this, I know I prefer the use of grass pitches. I think football is such an iconic sport and changing something this major like the pitch would be silly. A good turf can bring players' potential out and save the player from a career-ending injury. The safety of the players is something that has been getting priority and changing this would cause damage.

Traction

One of the main reasons why I would keep the grass pitches is the traction, the balance between the player's boots and the solid grass is perfect so when the pitch is soft enough to where the studs can help the players get a better grip but is firm enough so the players can reach their top speeds is something that an artificial pitch cant offer. Another major positive for traction is the way the ball moves, the amount of speed it gets, and the way it bounces and spins are all affected by the pitch and an artificial pitch will affect the traction differently. If the upcoming Euros tournament was located in a place that doesn't look after its pitches properly it would massively impact the best odds for Euro 2024 as the best team would be used to playing on the best pitches. 

Maintenance 

Most of the biggest teams have a groundsman who makes the pitch exactly to the liking of the team and the way they play. It is a known fact that worse teams will sometimes not water the pitch when they play the best teams who dominate possession which is obviously something you lose when you use artificial pitches. Another major positive is the self-maintenance that grass does, grass repairs and tends to itself which is completely different to artificial pitches that need to be maintained and replaced when areas get worn, whereas grass will regrow and save you money. 

Safety

Football is a dangerous sport and using a tougher ground like the artificial kind can mean a slide tackle gives a player friction burns and grazing. But, this is separate from grass which has a perfect balance between firmness and softness as I mentioned before. If a player goes up for a header and lands with his head hitting the ground, playing on a harder pitch like an artificial one, it could cause serious damage, however, using a softer pitch could save a player's career.

Artificial Pitches

Obviously, the use of artificial pitches has benefits otherwise people would not want to use it. When I think of the benefits there are a few that stand out with one of them being the reliability. A team could install an artificial pitch and have it set up and ready to go for every game instantly. Another thing that helps its reliability is the weather conditions that a pitch can and can't play under. If a football pitch has been showered down with rain or snow, sometimes the pitch can be waterlogged and the game can be called off. The counter to this is the artificial pitch being available for any weather condition no matter if it is raining or if there's blistering heat.