Haven't you just photoshopped a picture of Headingley or the JJB pitch onto the Stobart Stadium there?

Maybe I've missed the boat on this discussion, but what's the point of the iPitch? What's wrong with grass?

Grass is soooo last year!

What's wrong with grass? Nothing much, but you can't train on it if you want to keep it pristine. You can't hold other sports on it. You can't use it all year round. And it still has the tendency to become a mud bath in periods of heavy rain.

I've no idea how this ipitch will turn out for us, but that's the reason for it.

This may be a daft question but what footwear do you need for the iPitch?
does it take a stud? Blade studs? Trainers or those dimple soles like they used on the artificial pitches in the 80s?
Perhaps anyone who has follows Russian footy will know or maybe someone has played on this sort of surface somewhere else.

Can you play on this pitch with studs?
[i'Rubber studs and blades are the appropriate footwear for use on the i-pitch. This is the preferred modern-day footwear for the majority of professional athletes.'[/i

rlhttps://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/vikings/vikingsnews/9190263.Widnes_Vikings_i_pitch_questions_answered/rl

Seems this idea came about because Widnes do not have an adequate facility to train on. Would it not have been a better idea to spend £600,000 on improving the training facilities rather than the pitch?

I'm sure I read about Widnes getting a brand new facility around the time Saints got one.

No, it came about because they want to increase revenue at the stadium. We are also in talks about developing training facilities on an old recreation ground off Liverpool Rd.

Your both right.

Saddened has covered one angle in that we dont own any training facilities of our own at present and we can't realistically expect full time pro's to do ball work in the winter months in a disused Stobart warehouse or beg, stealing and borrowing suitable indoor facilities to train inside as we had been doing as a part time side. The pitch wouldnt take being trained on each day in it's original form so we have solved an immediate and pressing problem thanks to SOC.

I was under the impression that the Leigh Rec site was going to be more of an academy centre and to be used to give other amateur junior sides a decent base of facilities to run from. In any case as far as a training venue was concerned it is still a fair way away and something was needed for this year and in all likelihood next.

Who? Halton Council? Regardless of who, makes perfect sense to try and get maximum cash out of the stadium. We tried it with Liverpool reserves and it ruined the pitch - if we had something more durable, they'd probably still be playing at the HJ.

If widnes' experiment works I'd expect to see most teams decide to switch.

Thats my understanding of it to. I was also led to believe that us not having ironed out the training facility was one factor in one or more players choosing to go elsewhere.

My understanding was that the academies would be based there and the first team at the stadium. But a training facility is a training facility and it would be utilized by all. It would be partly financed by allowing amateur sides to train there (For a fee) so they don’t have to use Morrison’s car park or, like once did, the car park near the Prince of Wales.

I think it is a case of killing two birds with one stone here, as it does cover the period between now and when the Liverpool Rd site is ready. Even so, i suspect that the main reason is to bring in income from the stadium and start to turn a profit on it, for a change. That would be good news all-round, both as a local tax payer and a Widnes fan.

Quote: Ian 77 Redux "Who? Halton Council? Regardless of who, makes perfect sense to try and get maximum cash out of the stadium. We tried it with Liverpool reserves and it ruined the pitch - if we had something more durable, they'd probably still be playing at the HJ. If widnes' experiment works I'd expect to see most teams decide to switch.'" Steve O’Connor [i“This will generate income for the club and the stadium.”[/i www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article.php?id=5601 If it works, it would be a great income boost for many clubs and could make a massive difference. But I reckon as soon as the first injured player limps off the pitch, Eddie Hemmings will be going on and on about it possibly being the pitch and then Oooooooooh there’s another! “It must be the pitch” and then he’ll be whinging about it again on B&A , every chance he gets, regardless of whether it has anything to do with the pitch or not. And that will be that – Back to grass everyone.

Quote: Ian 77 Redux "Who? Halton Council? Regardless of who, makes perfect sense to try and get maximum cash out of the stadium. We tried it with Liverpool reserves and it ruined the pitch - if we had something more durable, they'd probably still be playing at the HJ. If widnes' experiment works I'd expect to see most teams decide to switch.'" Steve O’Connor [i“This will generate income for the club and the stadium.”[/i www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article.php?id=5601 If it works, it would be a great income boost for many clubs and could make a massive difference. But I reckon as soon as the first injured player limps off the pitch, Eddie Hemmings will be going on and on about it possibly being the pitch and then Oooooooooh there’s another! “It must be the pitch” and then he’ll be whinging about it again on B&A , every chance he gets, regardless of whether it has anything to do with the pitch or not. And that will be that – Back to grass everyone.