Falkirk have issued a joint statement between themselves, Raith Rovers, Hamilton and Queen of the South that rebukes the SPFL's proposal to ban artificial pitches in the Scottish Premiership.
Earlier this week, Scottish Premiership clubs brought forward a resolution that aims to ban plastic pitches in the top flight of Scottish football, whereby clubs will be asked to vote on a decision to phase out artificial pitches in the Scottish Premiership.
The resolution requires nine out of 12 votes to be passed. Should that happen, a two-year grace period will be activated whereby clubs can plan accordingly.
If passed, all artificial pitches will be banned by the beginning of the 2026/27 season – a move that Falkirk and the three other clubs believe is "fundamentally flawed".
The statement, posted on Falkirk FC's official website, says banning artificial pitches would undermine sporting integrity, while suggesting leaving the decision to 12 Premiership clubs is something "poorly thought through."
The statement adds: "We believe that all clubs with the ability and ambition to reach the Premiership should be encouraged to do so, without having unnecessary barriers being created to demotivate and disincentivise them.
"Scotland is the world’s most northerly non-Arctic nation, and our climate simply isn’t always conducive to having perfect grass pitches due to high levels of rainfall, minimal sunshine, and high cloud coverage.
"The costs associated with achieving the highest possible standard of grass pitches, year-round, could be more than £750k per annum, with a large percentage of this attributed to the electricity required to fuel grass growth lamps.
"It is therefore very difficult for the majority of Scottish clubs to achieve the highest possible standard of playing surface, as it is cost prohibitive.
"There’s no question that a top-quality, UEFA-approved artificial surface is far superior, in every respect, than a substandard grass pitch, which we routinely see in the winter months of Scottish football."
The statement continues: "Should Premiership clubs choose to go ahead and vote for a blanket ban on all artificial surfaces, we call upon them to create a fund to support any club which achieves promotion to the Premiership, to cover the cost of implementing the level of grass pitch they expect, which could cost in the region of £1.2m-£1.5m."
Read the joint statement in full here, where you'll also find the clubs' consultation paper inclusive.
