No More Pitch Advantage

AFC's astroturf ban affects Jalan Besar venue, but it's not all bad for players

- David Lee

Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions Lion City Sailors and runners-up BG Tampines Rovers will lose their unique home-ground advantage of playing continental matches on the Jalan Besar Stadium astroturf from August.

This comes after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) banned the use of fully artificial pitches in its major national team and club competitions.

In a June 11 memo to AFC member associations seen by The Straits Times, Asian football's governing body said the decision is in line with efforts to improve the quality of play, following feedback that the standard of pitches, in particular artificial ones, has varied over the past few seasons.

Tampines coach Gavin Lee noted that, with the exception of a handful of clubs like Norwegian champions and Europa League semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt, most teams around the world play on natural grass.

Lee, who is also the national assistant coach, said: "I'll be lying if I said the astroturf was not an advantage for Singapore teams when we host opponents at Jalan Besar. And I can understand why there are more artificial pitches in our region because maintenance is much easier in our climate.

"But it's understandable why the AFC is heading in this direction because globally, almost all the major tournaments are played on grass."