STFC Sport
SWINDON TOWN: Town to consider undersoil heating
6:00am Monday 6th February 2012
SWINDON Town plan to give ‘serious consideration’ to installing undersoil heating at the County Ground at some point in the future, chief executive Nick Watkins has confirmed.
The Robins’ League Two clash with Burton fell victim to the cold weather on Saturday, even after the club had invested in heating equipment to try and ensure it went ahead.
And Watkins admitted that if Swindon are to have aspirations of competing at the best level possible, then exploring installing undersoil heating is something the club have to consider.
“It is mandatory in the Premier League to have undersoil heating and it can be seen by the fact that all theie games were on and quite a lot in the Championship also went ahead,” he told the Advertiser.
“The investment is significant and we would have to give it serious consideration.”
Another option is the installation of an artificial pitch, something that has already been attracting interest from some Football League sides.
Artificial pitches were banned in 1988 after complaints that they caused injuries and the quality of football played on them was deemed poor.
But the technology has advanced considerably since then and the low maintenance cost, coupled with their ability to cope with low temperatures, now makes them an attractive proposition.
“There is quite a move in the Football League to 3G pitches and so I think before going down the road of investing in undersoil heating, it would be prudent to wait and see what happens with regards to 3G pitches,” added Watkins.
“If those are used then there is no need for undersoil heating.”