Livingston boss David Martindale says he’d love to have a grass park - but hit out at suggestions the club’s artificial surface causes more than its fair share of injuries.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou claimed the surface was a factor in defender Cameron Carter-Vickers picking up an injury when the two sides met last weekend.
But Martindale, who said he would choose to have a hybrid park ‘all day long’ believes the SPFL Premiership won’t follow their Dutch counterparts in banning artificial surfaces.
The top-flight side in the Netherlands are expected to vote that all clubs must have grass surfaces in time for the 2025/26 season.
Martindale commented: “My understanding is that it has nothing to do with injuries why the Dutch are taking them out, I’m sure if it was it would be all over the media.
“Can I see it coming out of Scottish football? Probably not if I’m being honest because then you are taking away that pathway.
“How many teams outwith the Scottish Premiership have a plastic park? It is then becoming sporting elite as opposed to sporting integrity. I don’t see that changing short term in Scotland.”
“It would then be financials dictating who gets into the Premiership and not sporting integrity.”
He added: “I don’t get where the injury side comes from it when you look at that comparison. What is it about a plastic park that supposedly leads to more injuries?
“It’s got to be because the park is either too hard or too soft. Look at the Desso hybrid parks - let’s use Hearts as an example - there are a lot of injuries happening on Desso parks because I think they’re very hard and there’s not a lot of give on them.
“I don’t know where that assumption comes from, surely you cannot just say because it’s plastic you pick up more injuries. It’s different, but what is the difference? Is the surface too hard or too soft - it would be good to get a study and there should be something done on that.
“I get Ange’s frustration because they are elite level and we’re not at that level.
“If I could have Motherwell’s surface and a training facility I would take it all day long over the plastic park but do I think it leads to recurring injuries? I’m not so sure.
“Sometimes it can be an easy rationale as to why someone is injured. Where do Celtic B play their games? On a plastic park, so it can’t be that bad.
“Where are all my injuries from playing on a plastic park? Is it maybe the change of surface in going from grass to plastic? But again if that was the case why am I not picking injuries up when I go to a grass park?”
Martindale went on to admit the club don’t make any money from having the current playing surface in place at the Tony Macaroni Arena - but that the cost savings are significant.
He commented: “We don’t actually make money from the park but we do probably save around £100,000 to £150,000 per year on training facilities.
“Where would my academy train, where would the first-team train? If I need new training facilities, where is the gym, the canteen, the injury pre-hab? There is a lot more than just your training surface. Do we have to jump on a bus and travel 15-20 minutes everyday?
“If that’s the case, how do we do extra with the boys after training if we need to jump back on a minibus down to the stadium? It’s not as simplistic as saying change the park. With the academy we must save around £50-£60,000 a year.
“I would take a hybrid pitch all day long, do I want a surface like Motherwell - in comparison - of course I do. Would the players prefer it? Of course they would but we don’t have one.
“But then I’d rather play on my surface than some of the other grass surfaces in the Premiership when there’s been heavy rainfall.”
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
