nolando Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=txmlsconfidential&prov=st&type=lgns From his home in London, Tottenham Hotspur defender Paul Stalteri probably doesn't spend much time following the fortunes of Toronto FC, but he had to spend only a few minutes at the club's BMO Field home to decide why Mo Johnston's team has struggled with so many injuries this season. Stalteri, in town to play for Canada against Costa Rica, launched a scathing attack on the artificial surface used in the stadium. "Just running on it on an everyday basis, just cutting and turning when you are sprinting, it's just a completely different feel than any natural surface," Stalteri said in the Toronto Sun. "If you look at the injury record of Toronto right now, I've got no doubt in my mind that it has something to do with the pitch." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffymac1971 Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Only if Stalteri knew that most of Toronto FC's injuries happened away from BMO Field during the 6 game road swing in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Just because injuries don't happen on FT doesn't mean that the strain from everyday use doesn't play a role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 well...at least he may start getting some playing time on real grass soon. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2727074,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 Many of the MNT players' disdain for FT combined with the poor turnout against Costa Rica has me thinking that the players won't mind playing games away from TO again next round. Personally I think Toronto needs and deserves at least two proper WCQ games against a decent draw (NOT Belize, for example) to really see what we can expect for attendance at BMO. After that, I say keep it rotating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Paul, did real grass cause all the injuries for 'Spurs? It's pure horse crap. Injuries happen on both surfaces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 quote:Originally posted by nolando Many of the MNT players' disdain for FT combined with the poor turnout against Costa Rica has me thinking that the players won't mind playing games away from TO again next round. Personally I think Toronto needs and deserves at least two proper WCQ games against a decent draw (NOT Belize, for example) to really see what we can expect for attendance at BMO. After that, I say keep it rotating. toronto should have all the games (for travel/jet lag reasons) and grass should be laid over the field for the games. happy players = winners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I have a figure of $250k in my mind to as a basic cost to put down a grass surface. I'm sure maintenance is more expensive, but if BMO is used for 20 odd TFC matches, 5-10 for the MNT, and 5 or so for the women, can MLSE not afford the expense? I'd be interested to know what Celtic, Newcastle, Hamburg, or Copenhagen spend on their pitch. Clearly Toronto doesn't have the revenue to match these clubs, but $250k doesn't seem like a lot to protect your players. What am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massive Attack Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 The problem isn't the cost of grass. The problem is that it cuts out the hours of public use dramatically. Grass needs to be rested, the fake stuff doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I read somewhere that the average premiership squad forks out $750K-$1million per year for resodding and maintenance. At the end of the day, the issue is the winter. The facility needs to be usable in winter. How feasible is it to lay sod for the season and roll out the field turf before putting up the bubble. i am not sure if that is a workable option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 quote:Originally posted by VPjr At the end of the day, the issue is the winter. The facility needs to be usable in winter. How feasible is it to lay sod for the season and roll out the field turf before putting up the bubble. i am not sure if that is a workable option. Does a stadium housing professional soccer game need to be available in the winter? No. Did someone insist that public money would only come if the stadium could be used by Joe Shmoe and his indoor team during the winter? Yes. A separate artificial field would have cost less than $1m to add to the price tage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Daniel A separate artificial field would have cost less than $1m to add to the price tage... Very true....very true...of course, property values being what they are in Toronto, the cost for a publicly accessible pitch would be more than $1 million...still a worthy idea though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youllneverwalkalone Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 So does the pitch need to be a permanent thing? Can't they put it down in the spring and then rip it out in the summer? Even at $1m per season, -which sounds like the high end of pitch maintenance- isn't it worth it in the long run? Wouldn't the season ticket holders each pay $50-100 more for natural grass? I would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtlfan Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 I guess Saputo Stadium will be the players first choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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