A&H

I don't like to brag, but...

The Referee Store
Honestly, it was genuinely such a novelty.

I was running in the first 5 minutes and actually concentrating fully on the game, without needing to constantly try and stay upright.

I could run and everything!
 
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I also had one last night, however by F/T, temperature wasn't much above freezing and that's in the soft south!
 
According to quite a few studies, artificial turf is no more damaging than grass. I've just googled it and read a different websites regarding studies around that question "Does artificial turf cause more injuries than grass". In short, no it doesn't. Take a read, the studies are quite interesting.

Players moan about it if home teams play on Astro week in - week out because they think they have an advantage. Well yeah, kinda. These footballers aren't going to be affected bobbles, uneven surface etc so they are going to be better technically at reading the ball and the surface.
 
I went into a Turf Accountant the other day to buy some grass, and all he talked about was bloody horses..... not happy
 
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SM said:
Why is artificial so damaging?
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I have no idea, but based on the totally unscientific survey I've carried out, it is 100% more dangerous than grass. :rolleyes: Only ever had two muscle injuries in my nine years in the middle, both of which occurred during matches on artificial turf....I also tend to feel it a lot more the day after a game!
 
That's age creeping up on you :p They're certainly not as bad for you as a hard pitch on a hot day (what the hell is that?).

What footwear do you guys wear?
 
SM said:
Why is artificial so damaging?
Click to expand...
In my personal experience there is inconsistency in the give in the surface. In parts where the pellets have compacted it offers more resistance. In parts where the pellets have moved from, you are running almost on base material. Also the top layer, even when dry offers less grip and more slip.

Either way, it offers more resistance with less grip and as a result appears to generate more wear and tear in muscles and joints
 
They let you wear mouldies which have a depth of about 1-1.5cm but not astro turf trainers that are about 7mm? My gosh!

The only rules I've seen down here on multiple 3/4G (artificial turf) are no blades and/or metal studs. The astro turf pitches (grit and sand) which are now becoming rather old-fashioned, they say we can wear mouldies but recommend astro turf boots.

It's interesting because you don't need to be a scientist or carry out 100hr studies to know that your footwear should be suitable for the surface you run on. For example, I'd like to think you wouldn't wear studs on a hot summers day on a dry pitch. It's the same with astro turf. For anyone that does get injured, I'm no doctor but I'd certainly suggest looking at (and maybe changing) the footwear you use. Certain 3G's down here, I can wear mouldies on but others I opt for astro trainers. I've been playing on astro's for years (obviously playing on them is alot more vigorous than refereeing on them). The only injuries I've ever sustained are friction burns. I always carry mouldies, astro boots and normal studded boots in my bag,

Brian brings up a good point about the surface though which I didn't really think of. If it is quite old and not very well maintained, then there is of course the chance you could be running on the base surface as opposed to the rubber/sand. If that is the case, I'd recommend brining it up with the complex management team. If you are playing or reffing games in an FA competition on a 3/4G pitch, it must hold the relevant FIFA safety checks (£1800 every three years). If it doesn't meet this criteria and you find yourself getting injured quite often, it's well worth a mention. If it's not registered on the list, you shouldn't be playing/reffing competition football on it anyway :)
 
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You're not supposed to play on any old 3G pitch. AFAIK, it must be registered and approved (FA/FIFA) for use during that season. See http://3g.thefa.me.uk/ for details. It's my understanding that a referee shouldn't play a game on a 3G pitch which isn't on this list.
Assume our Welsh/Scottish and Irish colleagues have similar registers?
 
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