Seems like a good idea to me.

They will be able to use it 7 days a week and they will be able to play academy/youth games on it without the fear of ruining the pitch.

Also won't need moving or too much hard work once it's up and running.

Won't there a problem for Widnes in that the super duper "dry weather" teams (we know who they are) will have a field day against the Vikings when other teams will, as happens, bring them down to there level on the wet boggy pitches of the early season?

Will it mean the Stobart is no longer used for football , as the markings on these pitches are permanent , are they not ?

I'm sure one of the things the council guy they interviewed said was that you could change the sport that was played from week to week so it meant it could be used far more extensively by the community.

I might be wrong , but I did think they were permanent markings

It depends on which paint they use. (crown or dulex)

In theory it just means Widnes will have to play that brand of rugby... what a shame

Did you see Boots 'N' All? Wondering if were the training was shot was at the Leigh East facility?

I've played Rugby and football on 4G, whilst not being 'real grass' it is very similar and great to play on if a bit weird at first.

South London Storm play on an artificial pitch like this. It's great. Always firm underfoot, never frozen or baked. You get no more friction burns than you would on a normal grass pitch, and because you don't get small stones, you're less likely to come away with cuts. No complaints at all from us after our first season on it.

But how does it slide? If you do a full length Klinsman celebration dive on it when it's dry, what happens to you? Do you just judder quickly to a halt?

If they have, it will look good, but will actually be made from old technology that the other pitch manufacturers didn't want but still costs twice as much.

is this the same kind of stuff that they have at the indoor Soccerdome type places?

Its a carpet type mat on a sand base filled in with tiny black rubber balls , its good , no doubt about that and probably cheaper than undersoil and maintenance on a split grass/synthetic like the one at the LSV