Wembley hope plastic proves fantastic

Wembley officials hope a new ‘plastic’ pitch will put an end to all the criticism of the turf at England’s national stadium.

The pitch has been a source of constant controversy since the rebuilt Wembley opened in 2007 and was relaid last month for the 11th time in three years in April.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and Chelsea captain John Terry were just two of the high-profile figures to slam the state of the Wembley pitch during the course of last season.

But now Wembley officials have adopted the Desso system, which uses artificial fibres mixed with real grass.

Such pitches have been used at leading Premier League clubs including Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal

Desso pitches were also in place at two stadiums during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and will be used for the first time at Wembley during The FA Community Shield match between Chelsea and Manchester United next month.

The idea is that the plastic fibres entwine with the grass, providing a more resilient surface and one that does not cut up so easily under the pressure of tackles and slides.

A Desso pitch will be in place throughout the 2010-11 football season which concludes with the Football League Championship play-off final at Wembley.

This will be followed by a schedule of concerts in the summer of 2011.

But if England’s Football Association is successful in its bid to host the 2018 World Cup, the pitch will be used entirely for football in that calendar year until the end of the tournament.