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[Ballers]

Just looking ahead to next seasons bumper festive fixtures versus Stockport and Wrexham and the problems we've had this year (and last).

Clearly we struggle somewhat with the weather, pitch covers etc are not viable financially in our current predicament I presume so I was wondering is there any way we could give ourselves a better chance of these games going ahead.

It might only be a marginal difference but do the conference have any hard and fast rules on kick off times? i.e. could we look to play our home Boxing Day/New Year's Day games at 5.15pm to give the pitch a bit more of a chance to thaw out? How do you think attendances would hold up with this?

[distancetraveller]

Just looking ahead to next seasons bumper festive fixtures versus Stockport and Wrexham and the problems we've had this year (and last).

Clearly we struggle somewhat with the weather, pitch covers etc are not viable financially in our current predicament I presume so I was wondering is there any way we could give ourselves a better chance of these games going ahead.

It might only be a marginal difference but do the conference have any hard and fast rules on kick off times? i.e. could we look to play our home Boxing Day/New Year's Day games at 5.15pm to give the pitch a bit more of a chance to thaw out? How do you think attendances would hold up with this?

The only trouble with that idea is possibly that it would start to freeze again by then ..

[Darren]

This picture was taken at 12pm an hour and a half after the pitch inspection and there was no change.
Wrexham also advised the club if it was at there ground today it would also have been off.

[Timperley The Best]

Just looking ahead to next seasons bumper festive fixtures versus Stockport and Wrexham and the problems we've had this year (and last).

Clearly we struggle somewhat with the weather, pitch covers etc are not viable financially in our current predicament I presume so I was wondering is there any way we could give ourselves a better chance of these games going ahead.

It might only be a marginal difference but do the conference have any hard and fast rules on kick off times? i.e. could we look to play our home Boxing Day/New Year's Day games at 5.15pm to give the pitch a bit more of a chance to thaw out? How do you think attendances would hold up with this?

stockport will either be in league 2 or unibond

[Ballers]

Darren, i wasn't referring to today's game in particular but i just wonder how much refs err on caution side these days. With 5.15 kick offs we could leave the inspections til much later especially for local games.

[casper]

The weather has been ultimately colder than normal. However, i think the supporters could offer more to help out. Perhaps bringing this up at the next TASC meeting - with specific funding for pitch covers or other way of negating the effects of weather.

Maybe even sponsorship for 1 metre squared could cover the cost.

[Dougals Dad]

As a point of interest, how much would the correct covers cost?
Would a company be able to provide/lend/sponsor these?
Could Man U buy these?

[markecky]

Covers would not have saved a pitch from -6 though.

Its not just buying the covers, its getting them on and off as well.

[Alty Dave]

Frost covers are a minimum of around £2m2. Altys pitch is around 8000m2. Therefore £15-25k for a decent system with motors and trench storage. None say to which degree they will work. Expensive 

[Dougals Dad]

Not really a goer is it?

[radcliffe alty]

I think the only sensible option is a 1988 Luton style plastic pitch. Should improve our home form as well as no other team will be able to play on it.

[Dougals Dad]

I think the only sensible option is a 1988 Luton style plastic pitch. Should improve our home form as well as no other team will be able to play on it.

If BTH can get one.....

[casper]

Yep, covering the pitch will be expensive. But how many games would it save being postponed. What is the expected reduction of support for the re-arranged games?? times that by the life of the covers would easily be more profitable for their use.

I agree that the cost is expensive, but should be looked at in other ways. Perhaps man u could pay part of it, it may be a non-starter, but at least needs a good examination of the possibilities.

Take for example our two big home games, York for example have just played stoke in a more expensive FA cup clash, and less support is expected to travel on Tuesday. Added to over-spending at Christmas, then we are looking at 5-600 less. Add this to Wrexham, who again may bring significantly less for a midweek game. Then overall we could be looking at 9-1000 less people coming through the turnstiles. A guessitmate would put the loss of revenue approaching 9-10,000.  This is just two games in one season. Obviously some games will succumb to the pitfalls of bad weather even if precautions are taken. However in this day and age, we need to maximise all our revenues at all times. Even if this means investing in protecting our main asset, the hallowed turf of moss lane.

As for later kick offs, the problem there is that the pitch would start to freeze during the game. a 5.15 match would not finish till gone 8, with the temperature slowly freezing the pitch.

[York Alty]

you also have to think about the away fans (and Alty not living local).  normally not too far to travel over crimbo but still an issue.

earlier in this thread there was a rough quote of £15-20k fora pitch cover system, which will NOT guarantee a game is on.  Unless we can get one second hand / free! I reckon that's a dead duck for the foreseeable future.

[RedhillAlty]

If the cost is in the region of £25K I dont see why it should not be suggested to Man U that they sponsor it as that type of money is peanuts to them.
As Moss Lane is United's home ground for reserve matches this would be a justified expense.

If my memory is correct, the last time we had an extened League break for such a long period in a season due to postponements we fell from 10th position to getting relegated?
Rearranged fixtures in the conference have a bigger detremental effect on the part-time teams.