Youths sidestep pitch ban

Lothians youth football is bracing itself for a comeback this weekend after neatly sidestepping the obstacle of Edinburgh City Council's decision to ban action on more than 30 pitches in the Capital.

The council's Parks Department, which maintains pitches, has reportedly explained in correspondence to governors of sports associations in the Capital that playing fields, many of which are finally playable after a frustrating six-week lay-off, require to be "remeasured and lined", but that work will not be complete at any of the 12 council-run venues in the city by the end of the week.

Allan Archibald, Secretary of the South East Region Youth FA, admitted he was "surprised" at the council's logic but confirmed that some last-minute rejigging of the fixture lists from under-13 to under-19 level will see a "full programme" scheduled for this weekend.

All games are now due to take place at locations not maintained by the council, with pitches under the care of club officials and schools poised to host games, and many more local authority-run parks in Midlothian and East Lothian to be used.

Youth football's stop-start season has provoked much debate about the prospect of a summer season to replace the current winter-orientated setup, and Archibald says his association would be open to the idea of a season centred around milder months, but that "pitch availability holds the key to everything".

In accordance with the strong support of a summer campaign within the local football fraternity, Edinburgh Leisure, an independent trust partly funded by the city council and which operates sports and leisure facilities on behalf of the council, says it would work with sports clubs and ruling bodies to "make it happen".

When informed that a recent survey of club officials in and around Edinburgh found that all were in favour of a March-November season, Edinburgh Leisure accepted willingness to entertain such a proposal but identified significant practicalities to keep in mind, particularly concerning park usage.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Leisure said: "It would be a big change given the numbers of players, referees and officials involved. Edinburgh Leisure would, as we have already done, work with those involved to make it happen if this was the correct decision for all parties. The decisions must involve agreement from all stakeholders such as the local authorities, grounds maintenance and parks staff, professional/semi-professional and amateur leagues, sports governing bodies and the Scottish FA.

"It should also be noted that there would be impact on other sports traditionally played in summer, such as cricket, shinty, baseball, rugby league and touch rugby leagues. There is also some debate whether a winter break, a 'shut down' in December and January should be considered rather than a complete change of season. There are a lot of very practical considerations and impacts to consider and at present it is the Scottish FA who would lead in these discussions."

Women's football in Scotland last year implemented a March to November season for the first time - a move, says Edinburgh Leisure, that enhances skills and enjoyment of the game and helped to "avoid 'mud bath' situations." The not-for-profit organisation says this change was simple to facilitate because of the relatively small 'player population' in women's football, as well as the fact many teams play on artificial surfaces rather than grass.

The point of pitch conditions is an overwhelming factor in discussions of a switch to summer sport, and the key issue at local level is the time allowed for the recovery of pitch surfaces and grass seed germination. At present, Edinburgh Leisure closes all but two of its pitches from June to mid-August to allow for 'reinstatement' of pitches. Often, the 'Keep off the grass' signs will appear following a frantic end to the youth football season in which each team may play up to three games per week and where some pitches are in demand most nights of the week. This situation is created, more often than not, by a backlog of fixtures stemming from a combination of a team's success in cup competitions and, crucially, fixtures scheduled for the winter months that have been postponed due to unplayable pitches and rescheduled for spring.

"Pitch use in winter is closely managed," says the Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson. "Pitches are inspected weekly by council parks managers and decisions are made as to whether they are playable or not. Pitches deemed unplayable are not played on in order to preserve the playing surface for as long a period as possible."

Perhaps what is required to determine the viability of summer youth and amateur football is a study to be based around the pitch use and conditions when used for in Women's football, which would conclude once and for all, without speculation, whether or not pitch conditions could be saved from deterioration in winter and used to "enhance skills and enjoyment" from March to November.