Of the 12 stadiums in this year’s Irish Premiership, only six have traditional grass pitches.
Linfild’s Windsor Park, Glentoran’s the Oval, Glenavon’s Mourneview Park, Carrick Rangers’ home at Taylors Avenue, Portadown’s Shamrock Park and the Warden Street Showgrounds in Ballymena all still have a grass surface.
Meanwhile, Crusaders and Cliftonville both use artificial surfaces in north Belfast, as do Inver Park in Larne and Bangor’s Clandeboye Park, while Dungannon Swifts’ Stangmore Park and the Coleraine Showgrounds have both recently made the switch from grass.
It is hard to argue against the increased revenue artificial pitches can bring clubs, along with proving to be a place to train and the reliability when it comes to rain.
However, McClure says that while he understands those benefits, he feels it is a “quick fix but a long-term problem”.
In the League of Ireland, Derry City announced they will put in a hybrid pitch of 90% grass to replace the synthetic surface that was installed six years ago.
In Scotland, artificial pitches will be banned from the Premiership from the 2026-27 season, and they have been banned in professional football in England since 1998.
There are also concerns over injuries on plastic pitches and environmental concerns.
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