subject: Worries about the playing surface at Wembley Stadium [print this page] The old Wembley Stadium was first used in 1923 and had a standing for developing one of the highest quality pitches in the UK. Its wide open spaces would drain the power from the legs of even the fittest players. Once the Empire Stadium finally sealed its doors in 2000, the wonderful pitch was torn up along with the entire arena.
England had to wait 7 more years until eventually the new Wembley Stadium opened its doors. The new 90,000 seater stadium was classified by UEFA as a 5* Elite Stadium and is the second biggest in Europe after the Camp Nou in Barcelona. The initial full international was played against Brazil on 1st June 2007.
The building of the arena was overdue and way over budget and the troubles did not finish there. Operational troubles such as defective escalators on match days were experienced but there is an on-going issue that until now has not be adequately resolved - the pitch.
Playing surfaces at brand new stadia usually take time to settle down but at Wembley the playing surface is a difficulty and is most certainly one of the worst around. It cuts up far too easily and players lose their footing too often. In a recent FA Cup semi final, at least one of the goals was because of a player losing their footing at a critical point as the playing surface gave way. By the conclusion of the 2009/2010 season, the playing surface had been relaid 10 times at an expense of 1m and the arena hadn't even been in operation for 3 years.
All the same, relaying the playing surface every 3 months isn't the solution. The design of the stadium means that the natural conditions of light and wind can't get to the pitch to inspire the turf to develop. Some stadiums much like the one in Gelsenkirchen in Germany is on rollers so between matches, the whole pitch is transferred outside the stadium. Most other stadiums have a good amount of air flow in the stands to permit the wind to flow and itis possible to use artificial lights to aid the grass to develop.
Regrettably, there are still challenges and an answer must be worked out. In September 2010, England begin their qualification for Euro 2012 and they are definitely the best team in their group. The last thing England really don't need, is the opposition helped by a low quality Wembley playing surface. The games at Wembley are intended to give England home advantage.
Worries about the playing surface at Wembley Stadium
