The Pitch

[Legion]

Isn't our pitch a combination of grass and synthetic fibres?

[The Edge]

It's what happens when we let our best people be poached by the big clubs..

Spot on.

[West Derby Villan]

Yeah noticed that yesterday, for the first time in years it looks patchy, can only assume it's down to the number of matches played at various levels combined with the poor weather we've had over the last six weeks.

[The Edge]

Isn't our pitch a combination of grass and synthetic fibres?

Yep. I think we were one of the first clubs to use something called a 4g playing surface. It's looked pristine ever since no matter what the weather has thrown at it so it's strange that it seems to have deteriorated so quickly. The club has won all the accolades going for some years now so hopefully it will be sorted out pdq.

[WarszaVillan]

I blame Billy Graham

[dave.woodhall]

Isn't our pitch a combination of grass and synthetic fibres?

Yep. I think we were one of the first clubs to use something called a 4g playing surface. It's looked pristine ever since no matter what the weather has thrown at it so it's strange that it seems to have deteriorated so quickly. The club has won all the accolades going for some years now so hopefully it will be sorted out pdq.

4g is the latest artificial pitches. The last time I was told anything about the subject was last summer and then the top pitches were a combination of four blades grass to one artificial.

[PeterWithe]

Can you play FA matches on 4g?

[Villa Lew]

Can't believe no one's blamed Bono. Cue CD

[The Edge]

Can't believe no one's blamed Bono. Cue CD

Leave Bono out of it. 😉

[The Edge]

Can you play FA matches on 4g?

VP has been 4g for years now.

[dave.woodhall]

Can you play FA matches on 4g?

VP has been 4g for years now.

No it hasn't. See above.

This tells what the pitch was a couple of years ago. http://www.dessosports.com/sports/football/football-projects/aston-villa-uk

We also won the Football League pitch of the year for 2016-17 so God knows what's happened lately.

[TopDeck113]

Can't believe no one's blamed Bono. Cue CD

Leave Bono out of it. 😉

What does Bono know about turf maintenance?  He even managed to miss out the final syllable of that well known hover mower in The Fly.

[The Edge]

Can you play FA matches on 4g?

VP has been 4g for years now.

No it hasn't. See above.

This tells what the pitch was a couple of years ago. http://www.dessosports.com/sports/football/football-projects/aston-villa-uk

We also won the Football League pitch of the year for 2016-17 so God knows what's happened lately.

OK. Just looked it up. It's a Desso Grassmaster pitch which contains over 20 million artificial strands and it was installed in the 90's. In all that time it's never looked so cut up as it currently does. The club is rightly proud of our playing surface. Maybe it's time for a new one.

[dicedlam]

Yeah noticed that yesterday, for the first time in years it looks patchy, can only assume it's down to the number of matches played at various levels combined with the poor weather we've had over the last six weeks.

I'm pretty sure we used the Bescot Stadium and Hinckley's ground in days gone by for reserve games. Again, probably a financial decision we no longer play there.
If that being the case, should we not be using Bodymoor Heath for games played outside of the first team?

[dave.woodhall]

Yeah noticed that yesterday, for the first time in years it looks patchy, can only assume it's down to the number of matches played at various levels combined with the poor weather we've had over the last six weeks.

I'm pretty sure we used the Bescot Stadium and Hinckley's ground in days gone by for reserve games. Again, probably a financial decision we no longer play there.
If that being the case, should we not be using Bodymoor Heath for games played outside of the first team?

I could be wrong (larry duff or another other Villa teams watcher might be able to confirm) but I think you have to play a certain number of 'proper' home games in the u-23s. I would also guess that it's cheaper for us to hire somewhere else than to open Villa Park up for games that only get a couple of hundred watching, and spectators aren't officially allowed at Bodymoor.