UEFA seek guinea pigs for plastic pitch
( 2002-02-06 09:59 ) (7 )

European soccer's ruling body UEFA is hoping to reintroduce the use of artificial turf in the professional game, UEFA's chief executive Gerhard Aigner said on Tuesday.

At the end of a two-day meeting of the European game's top clubs, Aigner said that UEFA were hoping to find at least one club, in one professional league, to use as a test bed for the latest versions of the high-tech synthetic pitches currently available.

He said that UEFA were prepared to pay 50 percent of the costs of the installation and maintenance of such a pitch.

"We need to see it tested by a professional team," he said. "Then we can see it introduced by the leagues in the north, east and south of Europe where the weather conditions are@extreme."

Lars-Christer Olsson, UEFA's secretary for professional football, said that he was looking for a club playing in a professional league where the support of all the other clubs could be gained.

Aigner said that proper feedback from a professional club and league was required before any of the third generation of synthetic surfaces, introduced originally in the 1980's, could be considered for their club competitions or national football.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said: "We have a new generation of these pitches now and you have to look at the modern technology involved. You cannot stop progress."

Umberto Gandini of AC Milan said he believed that clubs in Italy's Serie B may be interested in taking up the offer from UEFA, particularly those clubs with playing surfaces in poor conditions.

Both Luton and Queens Park Rangers in England introduced plastic pitches during the 1980s but reverted to grass as the surface proved unpopular with players and fans alike.