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BMO is no field of dreams for players
Aug 16, 2007 04:30 AM
Cathal Kelly
Staring out over the sun-bleached plain that is my front lawn, FieldTurf doesn't look like a bad option. But I don't have to run around on it for 90 minutes at a time. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Toronto FC's players have to play and practise on the stuff most every day. BMO Field's artificial surface has come under some criticism lately from visiting players, not the least of whom is David Beckham.
Beckham was forced to temper his comments when it was pointed out that three of his youth academies use similar stuff.
"At that level, I think it's a great surface," Beckham said, drawing an invisible line between boys and men.
FIFA, UEFA, MLS and other soccer leagues have signed on to FieldTurf and other similar products. FIFA has established guidelines for testing and maintaining artificial surfaces.
The highest ranking FIFA hands out is a "Two-Star" rating. BMO Field's state-of-the-art pitch has one of those.
But the muttering continues.
"It's difficult to comment on an individual player's perception," Bob Hunter, the man in charge of MLSE's venues, said the other day. "Statistically, it has been shown that (injuries) are minimal (on FieldTurf). ... The fact that I've heard very little (from players) means they seem to be satisfied."
Approached on the sidelines yesterday, where he's been forced to sit and watch his teammates go through their paces because of a serious knee injury suffered at BMO Field, Ronnie O'Brien is cheerfully cagey when asked about the surface.
"I don't think I can talk about it," the Irishman winks. He's made no secret of the fact that he'd prefer a grass field.
O'Brien's practised on the artificial stuff before, played on it as a youngster. But he'd never been on it day in and day out until he came to Canada.
"My problem with it is that it doesn't give way," O'Brien said.
Would his teammates prefer grass, or at least the chance to practise on grass?
"Of course they would."
O'Brien is a veteran. He knows artificial surfaces are a reality in MLS. He's not complaining, just stating a professional's opinion.
Will fellow pros, perhaps the designated player that Toronto FC will seek in the off-season, be put off by the BMO Field surface?
"It is what it is. It comes down to preferences. If a guy has a choice, he may prefer to play on a grass pitch," O'Brien said. "People are going to talk about (the FieldTurf) because of all the injuries we've had ..."
A few feet away, team stars Danny Dichio (hip flexor, back) and Marvell Wynne (hamstring) are going through a light workout, racing to achieve full fitness before Saturday's game against USA Chivas.
O'Brien looks over at them, looks back at me, smiles and shrugs his shoulders. Message received.
As a condition of the $45 million stadium funding MLSE received from the federal and provincial governments, the field has to be fit for use year-round. That means an artificial turf that can be roofed over in the winter.
Would the team consider laying down grass each spring and then replacing it with FieldTurf each winter (approx. cost: $900,000)?
"Conceptually, it's an interesting idea," Hunter said. "But ... it would be very, very difficult."
Which is to say, very, very expensive. And so, unlikely to happen.
Whatever FIFA or its studies say about artificial turf, the men whose livelihoods are made on it definitely prefer the natural stuff. You can chalk it up to foreign prejudice, but like O'Brien says, "It is what it is."
Already at a recruiting disadvantage because of national quotas and a young, struggling team, Toronto's field makes it harder for Mo Johnston to attract the most talented players to BMO Field.
The true cost of that is not so easily tallied. But it will be paid by fans, not the team's owners.
