VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX

Craig Biddlestone

EMMA HAYES , MANAGER OF CHELSEA

WOMEN , MADE A CALL THIS WEEK FOR

WOMEN ’S SUPER LEAGUE PITCHES TO HAVE UNDERSOIL HEATING IN PLACE AS STANDARD AT ALL WSL GROUNDS AFTER THEIR GAME AGAINST LIVERPOOL WAS ABANDONED AFTER JUST 6 MINUTES DUE TO A FROZEN PITCH , DESPITE A NUMBER OF PRE -MATCH PITCH INSPECTIONS .

NOW I’M NOT OVERLY SURE HOW FINANCIALLY VIABLE THIS WOULD BE AT PRESENT IN WOMEN ’S FOOTBALL, A QUICK LOOK AT THE GROUNDS IN USE SHOW THAT MANY ARE STILL SHARED WITH NON -LEAGUE OR LOWER LEAGUE CLUBS , AND THE COST OF INSTALLING UNDERSOIL HEATING APPEARS TO BE BETWEEN £1M AND £1.3M .

FOR CLUBS SUCH AS BOREHAM WOOD ,

BARNET AND WALSALL WHO CURRENTLY ACT AS LANDLORDS FOR SOME OF THE WSL

CLUBS , YOU WOULD IMAGINE THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THAT SORT OF MONEY, EVEN IF GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE , AND YES , THE ARGUMENT COULD BE THAT THE WSL CLUBS SHOULD BE PUTTING THE MONEY IN FOR THE PITCH IMPROVEMENTS BUT IS WOMEN ’S FOOTBALL THAT WELL OFF AT THE MOMENT ? THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE COULD BE FOR THE PARENT CLUBS IN THE MEN ’S GAME TO PUT THE MONEY FORWARD , BUT THEN THAT BRINGS OUT THE ARGUMENT THAT THE WOMEN ’S GAME IS TRYING TO BECOME FINANCIALLY SELF SUSTAINABLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE MEN ’S GAME .

HERE AT OSSETT UNITED THE PITCH AT INGFIELD HAS IMPROVED MASSIVELY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS , BACK IN THE OSSETT TOWN DAYS THE PITCH WAS BEING USED FOR FIRST TEAM , RESERVES , AND JUNIOR GAMES ON A REGULAR BASIS , AND AS THE SEASON WENT ON THE PITCH NATURALLY DETERIORATED , RE -SEEDING ISN ’T POSSIBLE UNTIL THE SEASON HAS FINISHED AND THERE ARE CERTAIN PARTS OF THE PITCH THAT GET LITTLE OR NO SUNLIGHT DURING THE SEASON , AND EVEN THOUGH THE PITCH NOW DOESN ’T GET USED