Artificial, American football style. Could be a disaster, but I prefer to remain optimistic. If it's good enough for the New England Patriots it's probably good enough for us. Could be amazing for us.

Plastic Pitch, awesome, nice fast team on a great surface.

And another half a million in from Steve o'connor.

Widnes are going to be a dominant force. You lucky barstewards

Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf

Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf

Quote ="Nat (Rugby_Aholic)"Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf'" The NFL players are soft as e they wont tackle anyone unless they've got a load of padding on!

Quote ="Nat (Rugby_Aholic)"Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf'" The NFL players are soft as e they wont tackle anyone unless they've got a load of padding on!

Doesn't matter how soft or hard you are a torn ACL or broken collar bone will keep you down every time.

Quote ="Nat (Rugby_Aholic)"Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf'" The NFL is played primarily over the winter months so you're more likely than not going to get softer grass pitches than artificial ones. Is the artificial pitch in superleague going to be more forgiving than the natural ground in July or August...At the moment maybe not but typically so.

Quote ="Nat (Rugby_Aholic)"Actually a lot of NFL teams are removing their artificial surfaces due to the amount of injuries it causes. The manufacturers cant find a feasable way to make the surface softer for somebody landing on it. "Our primary concern is player safety," McCaskey said. "We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural-grass field." www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8 ... ut-no-turf'" The NFL is played primarily over the winter months so you're more likely than not going to get softer grass pitches than artificial ones. Is the artificial pitch in superleague going to be more forgiving than the natural ground in July or August...At the moment maybe not but typically so.

i believe its similiar to what they have at huddersfield. i could go into a long explanation of why American footballers are not more likely to get injured on artificial surfaces (perception of coaches is one thing, reality another) ive read a shed load of studies on this very subject and comparative studies involving rugby league injuries. their is little to back up the idea that artificial surfaces cause more injuries. american foootballers are more likely to get injured full stop, whether playing on grass or Futuristic Uber grass, but many of the reasons for this are counter intuitive and nothing to do with the surface. unless of course we are talking ankle injuries, in which case american footballers are more lilely to sustain serious injuries ON GRASS.
in every otherr regard it just doesnt hold true.

There seems to be a similar pitch at Leigh East apparently and that is getting the thumbs up from people on t'other board that have played on it.

i think we should rename the Stobart Stadium simply 'The Future'

Steve O'connor is the future.

I think that is called winning.

amazing news.

We've come a long way since AstroTurf.

Just one thing that struck me reading the article on Sky sports.com is whether in reverse we will be disadvantaged. i.e. training and playing our games on a pitch in top condition during February, March and April whilst trying to contend with quagmires on our travels.

Which pitches in SL are ' quagmires ' ?

You know fully well that from time to time, especially during the winter months, the pitches can become masses of mud or sand.

Only Leeds , most RL grounds in recent years seem very good to me , not a criticism , just asking

Just out of interest , have they stated if the pitch will have both football and RL markings on it ?

Not really had anything extra stated as yet, only just officially announced.

I fail to see how markings are any different to that of normal grass? You spray / paint them on and then more often than not have to spray them off again?

Just that the markings on the artificial pitch at Leigh East are permanent , nothing more

No worries, tbh strong(ish) reply was as seen on Widnes board thread, sometimes they blend in together

Quote ="-VIKINGMAN-"'" Quality. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQmeksP4GtY

Quote ="-VIKINGMAN-"'" Quality. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQmeksP4GtY

To me these things are cyclical, it's Leeds now but it was us at one point and no doubt nearly everyone at some point. I remember our sandy pitches coming under a lot of fire.