Interview from sport927.com.au
http://www.sport927.com.au/gateway/Daily_Audio/Sound%20Grabs/GM_100603.asx
http://www.sport927.com.au/gateway/Daily_Audio/Sound%20Grabs/GM_100603.asx
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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Greg Miller interview about Melb's house of pain
- Thread starter Rosy
- Start date
Dome chief has US turf in sights
By Caroline Wilson, Karen Lyon
June 11 2003
(realfooty)
Telstra Dome chief executive Ian Collins has looked to an American football stadium in a bid to fix the playing surface problem at Docklands.
Collins has held talks with the AFL suggesting a joint expedition to the US to examine the turf at Georgia Tech, home of one of the most powerful college football teams, in Atlanta. The grass profile at the stadium boasts a significant synthetic component.
While Collins refused to comment yesterday, it is understood the stadium chief has been investigating various methods of improving the stadium's surface.
Yesterday, both Brisbane and Richmond took their concerns to the AFL Players Association, with the Lions also complaining to AFL football operations manager Andrew Demetriou.
After their five-point defeat at the hands of St Kilda on Saturday night, four senior Lions players blasted the ground as unfit and even "dangerous in some parts".
Yesterday, Luke Power - the Lions' AFLPA representative- wrote to the association on behalf of his teammates, while Richmond's Joel Bowden also raised the issue with AFLPA operations manger Peter Mann.
In a statement, Brisbane said: "Three Lions players sustained ankle injuries in last Saturday night's game against St Kilda, and another voiced concerns about the footing after a near-miss during the on-ground warm-up."
The club's chief executive, Michael Bowers, said it was in the interests of all footballers that the problems were addressed. "I think now's the time for the AFL and Telstra Dome to take some serious action," he said. "It's an issue in relation to the uneveness of the surface. There were bits of grass moving, there were gaps and crevices in the surface and areas that just weren't up to AFL standard in our opinion."
He said said the AFL needed to ensure that the ground was a "safe workplace for the players".
"We certainly don't want to be in a situation where the club could be brought into legal action in circumstances where the ground wasn't safe," he said.
After almost four years of criticism, yesterday's complaints were the first lodged with the players' association.
AFLPA chief executive Rob Kerr, who spoke briefly with Collins yesterday, said: "We will have a meeting with the AFL and Ian and the groundsmen, to raise the specific concerns of the players and see what can be done to alleviate their concerns."
After the complaints from Brisbane and discussions with Richmond, the AFLPA has contacted other footballers.
"The most common (complaint) is the hardness," Kerr said. "There are also some concerns about the consistency."
Collins has proposed laying new turf between the boundary line and the fence at the ground later this year to test its durability in all weather.
Demetriou yesterday defended the ground. "Is it the hardest surface in the AFL? Probably," he said. "Does it look bad? Yes. Is it dangerous to play on? Definitely not." The AFL was also unimpressed so many Brisbane players criticised the ground when the club's football boss Graeme Allan did not attend Friday's mandatory ground inspection.
Collins replaced the stadium's original turf provider, StrathAyr, nine months into that company's contract due to the initial grass problems. HG Turf took over at the end of 2000.
After their unhappy experience at Docklands, StrathAyr was employed by Reliant Stadium in Houston Texas, which also has a retractable roof and will host the Super Bowl early next year.
The new technology employed by StrathAyr has allowed a modular turf laid at the stadium to be removed and placed in sunlight when non-football events are held. A matching artificial surface is laid around the boundary line at Houston.
By Caroline Wilson, Karen Lyon
June 11 2003
(realfooty)
Telstra Dome chief executive Ian Collins has looked to an American football stadium in a bid to fix the playing surface problem at Docklands.
Collins has held talks with the AFL suggesting a joint expedition to the US to examine the turf at Georgia Tech, home of one of the most powerful college football teams, in Atlanta. The grass profile at the stadium boasts a significant synthetic component.
While Collins refused to comment yesterday, it is understood the stadium chief has been investigating various methods of improving the stadium's surface.
Yesterday, both Brisbane and Richmond took their concerns to the AFL Players Association, with the Lions also complaining to AFL football operations manager Andrew Demetriou.
After their five-point defeat at the hands of St Kilda on Saturday night, four senior Lions players blasted the ground as unfit and even "dangerous in some parts".
Yesterday, Luke Power - the Lions' AFLPA representative- wrote to the association on behalf of his teammates, while Richmond's Joel Bowden also raised the issue with AFLPA operations manger Peter Mann.
In a statement, Brisbane said: "Three Lions players sustained ankle injuries in last Saturday night's game against St Kilda, and another voiced concerns about the footing after a near-miss during the on-ground warm-up."
The club's chief executive, Michael Bowers, said it was in the interests of all footballers that the problems were addressed. "I think now's the time for the AFL and Telstra Dome to take some serious action," he said. "It's an issue in relation to the uneveness of the surface. There were bits of grass moving, there were gaps and crevices in the surface and areas that just weren't up to AFL standard in our opinion."
He said said the AFL needed to ensure that the ground was a "safe workplace for the players".
"We certainly don't want to be in a situation where the club could be brought into legal action in circumstances where the ground wasn't safe," he said.
After almost four years of criticism, yesterday's complaints were the first lodged with the players' association.
AFLPA chief executive Rob Kerr, who spoke briefly with Collins yesterday, said: "We will have a meeting with the AFL and Ian and the groundsmen, to raise the specific concerns of the players and see what can be done to alleviate their concerns."
After the complaints from Brisbane and discussions with Richmond, the AFLPA has contacted other footballers.
"The most common (complaint) is the hardness," Kerr said. "There are also some concerns about the consistency."
Collins has proposed laying new turf between the boundary line and the fence at the ground later this year to test its durability in all weather.
Demetriou yesterday defended the ground. "Is it the hardest surface in the AFL? Probably," he said. "Does it look bad? Yes. Is it dangerous to play on? Definitely not." The AFL was also unimpressed so many Brisbane players criticised the ground when the club's football boss Graeme Allan did not attend Friday's mandatory ground inspection.
Collins replaced the stadium's original turf provider, StrathAyr, nine months into that company's contract due to the initial grass problems. HG Turf took over at the end of 2000.
After their unhappy experience at Docklands, StrathAyr was employed by Reliant Stadium in Houston Texas, which also has a retractable roof and will host the Super Bowl early next year.
The new technology employed by StrathAyr has allowed a modular turf laid at the stadium to be removed and placed in sunlight when non-football events are held. A matching artificial surface is laid around the boundary line at Houston.
Synthetic turf is ok for gridiron as they are padded up to the tilt so there's no bare skin contact with the ground but I don't see how it could work in our game with sleeveless guernseys and shorts. Not fun getting carpet burns every minute :-\.
