Concerns with the pitch at the new Wembley

The old Wembley Stadium was first used in 1923 and had a reputable name for offering one of the most admired pitches in England. Its wide open spaces would drain the energy from the legs of even the fittest players. When the Empire Stadium finally closed its doors in 2000, the outstanding pitch was torn up along with the entire stadium.

The nation had to wait patiently 7 more years until the new Wembley Stadium opened its doors. The new 90,000 seater stadium was classed by UEFA as a 5* Elite Stadium and is the second biggest in Europe after the Nou Camp in Barcelona. The initial full international took place versus Brazil on 1st June 2007.
The development of the stadium was delayed and well over budget yet the concerns failed to stop there. Operational issues like the faulty escalators on match days were experienced but there is a continuing issue that until now has not be adequately addressed - the playing surface.

Playing surfaces at brand new stadia in general require adequate time to bed down but at Wembley the pitch is a problem and is absolutely one of the worst around. It cuts up far too easily and players slip over too often. In a recent FA Cup semi final, at least one of the goals was due to a defender slipping at a crucial point as the playing surface gave way. By the end of the 2009/2010 season, the turf had been relaid 10 times at an expense of one million pounds and the stadium had not even been in operation for 3 years.

The truth is, relaying the playing surface every 3 months is not actually the answer. The plan of the arena is the reason why the natural conditions of light and wind can't get to the pitch to promote the turf to develop. A few stadiums including the one in Gelsenkirchen in Germany is on rollers so in between matches, the entire playing surface is transferred outside the arena. Most other stadia have lots of air flow in the stands permitting the wind to flow and it is possible to use artificial lights to encourage the pitch to develop.

Regrettably, there are still complications and a fix must be worked out. In September 2010, England kick off their qualification for Euro 2012 and they are certainly the best team in their group. The last thing England really don't need, is the opposition assisted by a low quality Wembley pitch. The games at Wembley are intended to give England home advantage.