| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 12:20 - Jan 4 with 1083 views | Churchman |
I know the weather is harsh for the U.K. at the moment, but shouldn’t there be some minimum standards if you want to play in the Premier or Championship Divisions?
Not being able to stage a game through flooding or a frozen pitch is pathetic for 2026. It also means they gained financial advantage in that for say £5m it costs for a modern pitch they could buy a player.
If a match is postponed, the home club should be paying all the away club’s costs and those of the supporters. And forfeit the three points. I think with that kind of jeopardy, clubs would invest a few pennies more in their facilities.
Thoughts? |  | | |  |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:27 - Jan 4 with 1032 views | John_Warks_Willy |
I think it’s nuanced, but generally agree there should be higher standards.
The bit that will irritate me will be the lack of consistency today. The whole country is frozen, lots and lots of rock hard pitches without any under pitch heating etc. Most will go ahead, a few won’t.
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:28 - Jan 4 with 1029 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
I'd agree, in the top two leagues in this day and age it really is pathetic to see any game called off for water logging or freezing.
The other way to stop it is to have bi-annual pitch inspections and if the club fails, they are put under transfer embargo until investment is made. But equally the EFL have a responsibility to ensure games are played, especially in their top league.
I'm currently watching Cheltenham v Crawley, after the EFL funded a heated tent for their pitch so that the Sky+ schedule wasn't disrupted.
If they can do that, they can certainly fund it for Championship sides that don't have heated pitches or the financial resources to upgrade. |  |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:43 - Jan 4 with 938 views | Churchman |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:28 - Jan 4 by Cheltenham_Blue |
I'd agree, in the top two leagues in this day and age it really is pathetic to see any game called off for water logging or freezing.
The other way to stop it is to have bi-annual pitch inspections and if the club fails, they are put under transfer embargo until investment is made. But equally the EFL have a responsibility to ensure games are played, especially in their top league.
I'm currently watching Cheltenham v Crawley, after the EFL funded a heated tent for their pitch so that the Sky+ schedule wasn't disrupted.
If they can do that, they can certainly fund it for Championship sides that don't have heated pitches or the financial resources to upgrade. |
Portsmouth’s net expenditure on transfer fees in the last three transfer windows has been £7.8m excluding wages. Though chose not to upgrade whatever mouldy old ex-navy tarpaulin they are using to either proper pitch protection or a modern pitch in favour of players.
Had the consequences of not staging a game hit them in the wallet or entry into the Championship, they’d have found the money. If the EFL had done a bit more than admire the badge on each others blazers, you wouldn’t have the avoidable nonsense we’ve seen at Blackburn and today.
Yes, we postponed a game 15 years ago v Watford. I thought it poor then. I certainly do now. | | | |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:45 - Jan 4 with 911 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
My thoughts?
Yes, there should be minimum requirements at different levels and a minimum standard for pitches. Each postponement should lead to a review of the full circumstances with a fine and points deductions being available for failure to prepare a suitable surface.
There will be financial costs to postponing games so saving money on infrastructure won't help teams generally. Run a club as a lower league club and it will rapidly become one. However, poorer pitches are a levelling factor against better sides. That said, lower league cup ties v higher opposition on poor pitches is part of "the magic of the cup."
It is perfectly understandable in the circumstances that Portsmouth are unlikely to have done much to get the pitch ready. If we were in their position, I think we would all be expecting and hoping for this outcome. It's one of those things and far preferable to having played them on a poor surface, lost the match and suffered a couple of key players out through injury. |  |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:45 - Jan 4 with 915 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:43 - Jan 4 by Churchman |
Portsmouth’s net expenditure on transfer fees in the last three transfer windows has been £7.8m excluding wages. Though chose not to upgrade whatever mouldy old ex-navy tarpaulin they are using to either proper pitch protection or a modern pitch in favour of players.
Had the consequences of not staging a game hit them in the wallet or entry into the Championship, they’d have found the money. If the EFL had done a bit more than admire the badge on each others blazers, you wouldn’t have the avoidable nonsense we’ve seen at Blackburn and today.
Yes, we postponed a game 15 years ago v Watford. I thought it poor then. I certainly do now. |
Its even worse than that.
According to another post, Portsmouth declined to use heaters on the pitch.
If true, there should be a sanction.
[Post edited 4 Jan 12:47]
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:52 - Jan 4 with 858 views | Churchman |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:45 - Jan 4 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Its even worse than that.
According to another post, Portsmouth declined to use heaters on the pitch.
If true, there should be a sanction.
[Post edited 4 Jan 12:47]
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If they are proved to have done that, they should forfeit the points and face a fine or worse. | | | |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:53 - Jan 4 with 850 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:45 - Jan 4 by Cheltenham_Blue |
Its even worse than that.
According to another post, Portsmouth declined to use heaters on the pitch.
If true, there should be a sanction.
[Post edited 4 Jan 12:47]
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This is the issue. There is no sanction (as far as I am aware) for failing to prepare a suitable surface. It should be for a panel to decide based on actual evidence whether the club did what they should have done to prepare one. Included in that evidence should be what they usually do in similar weather, what other clubs at the same level do and any explanation for them not doing anything they should have done. At the end of that there should be both financial and points penalties available depending on level of culpability and repeat offences.
As the rules stand, you can't blame Portsmouth for doing what they appear to have done. It is a failing of those in charge to put proper rules in place. | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:58 - Jan 4 with 822 views | bournemouthblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:28 - Jan 4 by Cheltenham_Blue |
I'd agree, in the top two leagues in this day and age it really is pathetic to see any game called off for water logging or freezing.
The other way to stop it is to have bi-annual pitch inspections and if the club fails, they are put under transfer embargo until investment is made. But equally the EFL have a responsibility to ensure games are played, especially in their top league.
I'm currently watching Cheltenham v Crawley, after the EFL funded a heated tent for their pitch so that the Sky+ schedule wasn't disrupted.
If they can do that, they can certainly fund it for Championship sides that don't have heated pitches or the financial resources to upgrade. |
I assume Pompey's pitch covers aren't the inflatable tent thing?
Pompey are a classic case of a club who spent zero pounds in the Prem in their stadium or infrastructure so they could pay more wages and it served them well at time
I appreciate it has crippled them in the long run [Post edited 4 Jan 13:03]
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:01 - Jan 4 with 799 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:58 - Jan 4 by bournemouthblue |
I assume Pompey's pitch covers aren't the inflatable tent thing?
Pompey are a classic case of a club who spent zero pounds in the Prem in their stadium or infrastructure so they could pay more wages and it served them well at time
I appreciate it has crippled them in the long run [Post edited 4 Jan 13:03]
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How well did it really serve them? They are now a League 1 club flirting with the Championship aren't they? Ultimately, if you run a club like a League 1 club, they will become one. We saw that in action for ourselves. | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:05 - Jan 4 with 774 views | ReusersTown |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:52 - Jan 4 by Churchman |
If they are proved to have done that, they should forfeit the points and face a fine or worse. |
How is anyone going to prove that! |  | | |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:05 - Jan 4 with 771 views | bournemouthblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:01 - Jan 4 by Nthsuffolkblue |
How well did it really serve them? They are now a League 1 club flirting with the Championship aren't they? Ultimately, if you run a club like a League 1 club, they will become one. We saw that in action for ourselves. |
I've added a bit more to that statement
They won an FA Cup and were competitive for most of that time there. As I said, they invested nothing regarding their stadium or infrastructure.
It's mad they don't have undersoil heating, given how long they were there [Post edited 4 Jan 13:29]
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:11 - Jan 4 with 753 views | Pinewoodblue |
Portsmouth Football Club's hybrid pitch was laid in the summer of 2019, with work starting in July of that year.
The project involved installing a new drainage system and a Mixto hybrid turf surface, which is a semi-artificial carpet pitch designed to provide a more consistent and durable playing surface than natural grass. The first game played on the new surface at Fratton Park was a 3-0 win against Birmingham City on August 6, 2019.
Not sure how many seasons such a pitch should last , nor of what work has been done on it in recent off seasons. |  |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:15 - Jan 4 with 739 views | Churchman |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:05 - Jan 4 by ReusersTown |
How is anyone going to prove that! |
They are of course never going to be able to prove anything.
As for Portsmouth themselves, I wouldn’t blame them if they did help Mother Nature, given their dire result the other day and injury list. I’d have had a few people at midnight whipping the covers off for five or six hours and sparing a bit of cold water on just to make sure!!
The EFL just need to do something to enforce minimum standards, which of course should vary depending on which division you are in. I don’t think that making a club ensure it can stage a game whatever the weather is too much to ask.
Clubs potentially going up to the Premier are told at this time of year what the requirements are to stage a game there. You could do that for every division. I don’t think a couple of seasons ago it’d have been too much to ask Portsmouth to upgrade their mown field and old tarpaulin for entry back into the Championship. | | | |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:30 - Jan 4 with 690 views | bournemouthblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:11 - Jan 4 by Pinewoodblue |
Portsmouth Football Club's hybrid pitch was laid in the summer of 2019, with work starting in July of that year.
The project involved installing a new drainage system and a Mixto hybrid turf surface, which is a semi-artificial carpet pitch designed to provide a more consistent and durable playing surface than natural grass. The first game played on the new surface at Fratton Park was a 3-0 win against Birmingham City on August 6, 2019.
Not sure how many seasons such a pitch should last , nor of what work has been done on it in recent off seasons. |
So they did that but didn't bother with the undersoil heating part | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:34 - Jan 4 with 676 views | DublinBlue84 |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:30 - Jan 4 by bournemouthblue |
So they did that but didn't bother with the undersoil heating part |
What I find astounding is how much did we have to spend on our promotion to the Prem to bring our stadium up to scratch?
Surely any club who goes up should have minimum standards in terms of pitch. In fact I thought that Undersoil heating was long since a requirement for Premier League pitches as it was talked about 20 years ago we'd need to have it installed if we went back up? | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:42 - Jan 4 with 660 views | BlueBadger |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:58 - Jan 4 by bournemouthblue |
I assume Pompey's pitch covers aren't the inflatable tent thing?
Pompey are a classic case of a club who spent zero pounds in the Prem in their stadium or infrastructure so they could pay more wages and it served them well at time
I appreciate it has crippled them in the long run [Post edited 4 Jan 13:03]
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Amazing to think that could happen to a club that based their success around fiscally responsible and honest Harry Redknapp. |  |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:57 - Jan 4 with 608 views | bournemouthblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:34 - Jan 4 by DublinBlue84 |
What I find astounding is how much did we have to spend on our promotion to the Prem to bring our stadium up to scratch?
Surely any club who goes up should have minimum standards in terms of pitch. In fact I thought that Undersoil heating was long since a requirement for Premier League pitches as it was talked about 20 years ago we'd need to have it installed if we went back up? |
I assume they went up before it was required but they certainly never spent any noney on the stadium
There was talk of a new stadium which never came | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 15:06 - Jan 4 with 491 views | Pinewoodblue |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 12:58 - Jan 4 by bournemouthblue |
I assume Pompey's pitch covers aren't the inflatable tent thing?
Pompey are a classic case of a club who spent zero pounds in the Prem in their stadium or infrastructure so they could pay more wages and it served them well at time
I appreciate it has crippled them in the long run [Post edited 4 Jan 13:03]
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The EFL stepped and loaned one of those tented covers to ensure the game between Lincoln & Peterborough go ahead.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/art | |
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| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 15:39 - Jan 4 with 440 views | stonojnr |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:34 - Jan 4 by DublinBlue84 |
What I find astounding is how much did we have to spend on our promotion to the Prem to bring our stadium up to scratch?
Surely any club who goes up should have minimum standards in terms of pitch. In fact I thought that Undersoil heating was long since a requirement for Premier League pitches as it was talked about 20 years ago we'd need to have it installed if we went back up? |
I dont know if undersoil heating is the requirement, or simply Premier league games cannot be postponed for things like frozen pitches without financial penalties on the club. Which forces you to get undersoil heating installed as whilst the warm air balloon thing works i think it costs more in the long run.
And these arent harsh winter conditions flippin eck, its just winter, a bit of snow and some ice. Try being cut off for a week in 6-10ft snowdrifts thats a harsh winter
Its ridiculous any game in the championship is being called off for this weather. | | | |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 16:08 - Jan 4 with 388 views | LegendofthePhoenix |
| Staging Football Match Standards 2026 on 13:05 - Jan 4 by ReusersTown |
How is anyone going to prove that! |
Well for a start, there must be footage from the cameras at the stadium of the covers deployed on the pitch. Second, if the covers are heated, as they have said, the electric consumption over the past 24 hours would have been enormous - so provide evidence of the power consumption to prove that the pitch heating was switched on.
The EFL have to look into these postponements seriously. They publish the fixture schedule and it is deemed to be fair. If any clubs are deliberately trying to change the timing of fixtures to gain any advantage, that should result in a points deduction.
My missus suggestion is that if a club cannot host a match due to the condition of the pitch, as judged by the match officials, then the rearranged match should be at the travelling team's ground. That would mean clubs would at least try to get the game to go ahead. But complicated in terms of tickets etc. |  |
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