Sydney’s Mark Bridge (left) and Perth’s Jamie Harnwell in action during Round 16 of the Hyundai A-League between Sydney FC and Perth Glory in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. AAP Image/Jenny Evans
It’s an image that lives long in the memory. In May 2005, more than two months before the pre-season competition for the inaugural A-League season, the FFA gave us a sneak-peak into its new world with a double-header at Gosford’s Bluetongue Stadium, part of its process of deciding Australia’s participant at the Oceania club championship.
Most will remember it as the day Nik Mrdja snapped Andrew Durante’s leg during the second match between the Mariners and the Jets. That memory was sickening.
But it was another image, that day, which warmed the heart.
It came at half-time in the first game between Sydney FC and Queensland Roar, and it didn’t involve any player or a football.
It was the sight of the Bluetongue groundsmen, armed with a spading fork, out prodding and patting down the lush green surface. It happened again ahead of the second game, and then at half-time once more.
It was ‘new football’ and a new professional attitude towards to the quality of the canvass, or so it seemed.
Little wonder the back-of-the-net.com reporter that day rated the pitch a nine out of ten.
As I watched the groundsman prod-around, gob-smacked, my mind went back to days of watching NSL matches at places like Leichhardt and Belmore Oval, and Parramatta Stadium, which at times resembled Bondi beach, such was the amount of sand dumped on them.
While there were some very goods ones, especially at football-only places like Marconi and Hindmarsh, overall, the pitches and stadiums weren’t great.
One of my pet hates growing up was the sub-standard treatment (or non-treatment) afforded the game by ground-staff across the country.
How many big games – grand finals and Socceroos internationals – do you remember being played on fields where line-markings and sponsorship logos were everywhere? What chance did the game have at club level?
Naturally, my hope ahead of the A-League launch was that the carpet would be rolled out, across the board, a point I made in an early email to John O’Neill and Matt Carroll.
Surfaces in the inaugural season, I thought, were pretty good, especially in the context of where the game had been.
But things have steadily declined, and last season even Bluetongue resembled a patchwork quilt.
Elsewhere, across the multi-purpose facilities like Suncorp, Docklands, Westpac and SFS, the game continues to have to work alongside the likes of Andre Rieu, the two rugby codes and AFL.
It’s a fine balancing act. On the one hand the FFA wants to enhance its package by playing in the best all-seater stadiums, with excellent spectator and hospitality facilities.
Yet the bumpy surfaces often sell the players, managers, and fans short, as the quality of games suffers.
It’s one thing to be able to get into a modern stadium and find a comfortable seat, but most fans want to see good football on good pitches, and there’s no better way to build a brand than by enhancing the on-field product.
And to do that, players must be given the best surfaces, at training and on match-day.
As the governing body tries to encourage more and more ball-playing through its introduction of small sided games and the national curriculum, it would do well to take in the words of the respected Roy Hodgson, who takes a calculated stab at the inferior state of our pitches just over three minutes into this grab, even if he bundles Docklands and Robina into the same ‘AFL’ basket.
Naturally, things should improve over time and with the introduction of stadia like the rectangular one in Melbourne, but the technical heads at FFA and out in club-land would do well to stay in the ear of ground administrators.
And fans, paying a decent dollar to attend, should also maintain the rage.
Last night, for example, I was back at Belmore Oval for the first time in a while. The game between Sydney FC and Sydney Olympic was an eye-sore.
You won’t be surprised to learn the surface was a shocker.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Art, in 2010 we'll take it. By 2022, let's hope our solution is a little more intricate.
Art Sapphire
Guest
I can just see it now - World 2010 - Australia late in the game needs a goal to get out of the group stage. Mark Milligan does a Delap aiming for Josh Kennedy's head in the penalty box. From the resultant scramble, Timmy scores the goal that sends us through.
Tony Tannous
Expert
I'm using the 'reply' for the first time as well... Gee Vincentin, Kenny Murphy...that's going back a bit. I can't remember him much as a player, but from memory he might have coached the Knights (Melbourne Croatia) in the NSL.
Vicentin
Guest
the "reply" function did nothing and now it has disappeared altogether and Tony's comments are now longer in a pink box....have I broken something?
Vicentin
Guest
Ok, just checking out this "reply" function .... Tony, I am of a vintage when I remember every time Australia got a throw-in anywhere near the penalty area the commentators would trot out " and here come's Australia's long throw specialist, Kenny Murphy". I still cringe when I hear the words "long throw". Yes, Rory is very effective etc etc but it just brings back horrible memories.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Pippinu, while I'm not a big fan of the Rory Delap strategy, I can also see how it can be effective, and the stats support it.. Like you, it is interesting that his throws only really came to light last season given that he's been knocking-about in the epl with Southampton and Sunderland for much of the decade. With an Oz context in mind, I often cringe when I see Mark Milligan lining up for a 'Delap' - very ineffective in my mind.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
AndyRoo - I think you're right about opening up possibilities - but the Delap throw ins were something else again last season, it's amazing to think that absolutely no one in the EPL knew about them!! (or that's the impression I get) I reckon it's great that every now and then, someone or a team can pull a rabbit out of the hat and do something that we've never seen before (I honestly can't remember any player coming remotely close to doing what Delap could do). Also, I'm all for taking defenders out of their comfort zone!!
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
Even if their easier to defend than corners...your defending a throw in, where as previously a throw in wasn't a threatening event. Players work on their free kicks, but you only want about two free kick takers. Some young uns should be working on their throws too. It doesn't have to be ugly football either, by having the ability to throw to the otherside of the field you open up more space and are more likley to be able to get the balll too the feet of a team mate in space.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Tony - my team West Ham was one of the 4 teams that won away at Stoke last season. We did not have too much trouble handling Delap's throw in. Actually, his throw-ins should be easiers to defend than corners. But I guess some teams were caught out with the Stoke's physicality in the box early in the season. The other impressive thing about playing Stoke is the home support. They are by far the noisiest lot in the EPL. It will be interesting to see how things go for them this season.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Art, on a more serious note, some really interesting stats re Stoke. I remember Arsene Wenger being pretty livid after losing away to two Rory Delap missiles early in the season (Arsenal really struggled to defend them and lost 2-1), but of course, when Stoke visited the Emirates on the last day of the season they copped a 4-1 hiding. From memory the tactic was very effective in the first half of the season, but teams might have worked out how to more effectively defend the tactic later in the season.
Tony Tannous
Expert
Perhaps we shouldnt even bother about uplifting the standard of ground surfaces - just narrow the pitches and develop some Rory Delaps.
cab711
Roar Rookie
1st time Ive been to that stadium. Its seen a few years thats for sure. Did any1 notice the Winfield Cup logo ontop of the Grandstand? Looks like ground staff had dropped 100L's of Roundup on the edge of the field, very poor condition. If I had to guess I would say its a money issue.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
AndyRoo that reminds me that, was it the Storm? who had a shortish in-goal area? Clearly, if that's the case, the opposition will always struggle with their kicks if their used to the full 10m (as opposed to 6, or whatever it was). What are the rules for ground dimensions in League? I thought the length would be fairly standard? In aussie rules, the size and shape of grounds is of a bewildering variablity. Obviously they are all oval, but some are more oval than others!! For instance, the MCG is something like 175 long and 160 metres wide at the widest point, i.e. very close to a circle (not surprsing since it was a cricket oval first and foremost). Some grounds are far narrower, and thus have a truer oval shape. Some grounds have deep pockets and flanks, such that a shot from the boundary can be very acute, others are not. The old Waverly ground was an abslutely massive ground, from fence to fence the ground was something like 230 metres long, the playing surface itself was something like 201 metres long. But then you go the SCG, and the playing surface is something like 151 metres (and even that might be an exaggeration!!) The SCG is so small that it has inspired a number of innovations: flooding; the combined full forward/centrehalf forward position, and variations of Pagan's paddock incorporating both of the former elements.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
In rugby league certain teams depending on the quality of their halfback would go with the min or max in goal length. I'm not sure if that has now been regulated.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Towser it's a fascinating subject. As Art has said, I sort of like the fact that Stoke have stuck it up the big clubs (it's nothing short of a miracle that they finished where they did first season back). I'm pretty sure that the dimensions are decided at the start of the season and the clubs stick with it for the rest of the season (but I'm not sure if that's a strict rule, or just more convenient). But who could ever have imagined that a player like Delap would come along, and have seriously competent, experienced, professional and highly paid defenders (and we're talking the likes of Rio and Vidic), absolutely bamboozled by the length of his throws. Once again, for me, it's a breath of fresh air - the last thing a game needs is defenders so much in control of a game that you know a team is unlikely to score. As for Stoke pursuing a more technical game, well, to be honest - it looks a long way off!!!
Towser
Guest
This pitch thing has suddenly taken over my mind. I must admit I've never given it much thought a pitch is a pitch is a pitch. But no not at Stoke. Never really considered that clubs adjusted pitch width to the players at their disposal. What if though Rory Delap gets injured or they change the coach to one whom prefers a more technical approach & buys a new squad of players. Do Stoke change the pitch dimensions to suit? Is there an opening for an Elastic pitch company? Adjust the pitch to whatever size you want within the rules.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Art spot on!
Art Sapphire
Guest
The problem is Pip - it is easier to narrow a pitch than to widen it. If you widened a pitch to 75m, throw in and corners will then be taken from the first row in the stand at most grounds :) What I found interesting in the piece was how the chairmen of the big clubs wanted uniform pitch dimensions but they could not get the two thirds votes required to make the proposal stick. A victory for the little clubs over the big clubs.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Art terrific article!! Of course, I hadn't thought of the Delap speciality in the above discussion - good on Stoke for sticking it up 'em!! This also gets me thinking of a corrollary, and that's your corner specialists - get the width to suit the range of your corner specialist, and that means goals!! I'm not an expert on the subject, and I've never really given it any thought to be honest, but you might have a bloke who can swing them in, inch perfect, right on 40 metres - so clearly, you want to be able to use the full width of 75m in that situation - and have have 'em queuing up at the back post!!
Art Sapphire
Guest
Pip and everybody else who is interested - "Stoke win war over pitch dimensions" from Teamtalk.com Rory Delap's throw-ins will still be causing problems next season after the Premier League rejected appeals to make Stoke widen their pitch. Stoke claimed 10 home wins in their debut Premier League season as visitors struggled to cope with their physical, high-tempo style and the not-so-secret weapon of long-throw specialist Delap. The Potters narrowed and shortened their pitch to the minimum size, 100m x 64m, allowed by the Premier League after winning promotion and went on to score eight goals from Delap missiles. This upset some of their rivals with some claiming all 20 pitches should be the same size, 105m x 68m, as required in the Champions League, but the proposal was rejected at the Premier League chairmen's conference as it failed to get the two-thirds majority required. Stoke chairman Peter Coates said: "We were determined to fight our corner on this. We argued that the rules have been in place for many years and, for many years, clubs have decided on their own pitch size to best suit their playing methods. "It wasn't just one club in favour of this proposal, but we put our case very strongly and spoke to a number of clubs beforehand." Chief executive Tony Scholes added in the Stoke Sentinel: "Tony Pulis hasn't decided yet on what size the pitch will be next season, but we wanted to make sure he had the flexibility to choose. Every club has to play to its own strengths and it is perfectly reasonable to decide the size of your own pitch, within the rules of the game." Delap's long-throws set up Stoke goals at the Britannia Stadium against Aston Villa, Everton (twice), Arsenal (twice), Sunderland, Bolton and Middlesbrough. I checked Stokes stats from last year and they make quite remarkable reading. Home record - 10 wins 5 draws 4 losses - 22 goals scored, only 15 conceded (4th best defence for home games in EPL) Away record - 2 wins 4 draws 13 losses - 16 goals scored, 40 goals conceded (most goals conceded away from home by any team in the EPL) By narrowing the pitch to 64m and playing a very physical style they have made it very difficult for superior opponents to score goals at their home ground. Ofcourse, it also helps Delap with his throw-ins. However, put them on a normal pitch away from home and they struggle. You have to hand it to Tony Pulis at Stoke as he found a way guarantee EPL surival for his team on a limited budget.