The old Wembley Stadium was opened up in 1923 and had a track record for possessing one of the best playing surfaces in the UK. Its wide open spaces would drain the power from the legs of even the fittest players. Once the Empire Stadium eventually closed its doors in 2000, the impressive playing surface was torn up along with the entire arena.
England fans had to wait patiently 7 long years before the new Wembley Stadium opened its doors. The new 90,000 seater stadium was categorised by UEFA as a 5* Elite Stadium and is the second largest in Europe after the Nou Camp in Barcelona. The initial full international was played against Brazil on 1st June 2007.
The building of the stadium was late and significantly over budget and the issues didn’t stop there. Operational complications such as faulty escalators on match days were encountered but there is an on-going issue that so far has not be sufficiently answered – the pitch.
Playing surfaces at new stadiums generally take time to settle down but at Wembley the playing surface is a headache and is definitely one of the worst around. It cuts up far too easily and players lose their footing too often. In a recent FA Cup semi final, at least one of the goals was because of a player slipping at a vital point as the pitch gave way. By the close of the 2009/2010 season, the turf had been relaid 10 times at an expense of £1m and the stadium had not even been in operation for 3 years.
All the same, relaying the playing surface every 3 months just isn’t the answer. The layout of the stadium prevents the natural conditions of light and wind can’t get to the pitch to promote the grass to develop. A handful of stadia much like the one in Gelsenkirchen in Germany is on rollers so between games, the entire pitch is moved outside the stadium. Most other stadiums have sufficient air flow in the stands allowing the air to flow and it is possible to use artificial lights to encourage the grass to develop.
Alas, there are still challenges and a solution has to be found. In September 2010, England begin their qualification for Euro 2012 and they are without question the best team in their group. The one thing England really don’t need, is the other team served by a sub-standard Wembley playing surface. The fixtures at Wembley are supposed to give England home advantage.
Tags: euro 2012, euro 2012 poland, uefa euro 2012, Ukraine euro 2012