Football markings on our beloved soccer fields: Oh, make the bad man stop
by Steve Davis on Sep 12, 2009 9:00 PM EDT
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You know how a really bad relationship can damage you in ways that can't be fully known for years to come? That's how I feel about the exercise in frustration attached to watching soccer games from Giants Stadium.
Or Gillette Stadium in New England or any other sinister excuse for a soccer stadium that, through the years, has forced me and others to watch the beautiful game against a backdrop of those dizzying, horrible football markings.
Essential disclaimer: I have absolutely nothing against American football. I just don't want to see the distinctive and dstracting yard lines, hash marks, logos and end zone designs during a soccer game. It sends me to my bad place and makes me want to hurt kittens and puppy dogs. Nor do I care for the omnipresent reminder that soccer and MLS are mere lowly "renters," not "owners," and therefore powerless and deemed unworthy in the class system of sports.
As I settled in for my weekly breakneck-paced marathon of MLS match monitoring -- eight matches in Round 26, seven of them between tonight and tomorrow -- it dawned on me that my time of watching contests at Giants Stadium is, mercifully, almost done. Just two more matches at that football-lined pit, and it will be taken out behind the barn and shot in the head as an MLS venue.
I don't know what soccer fans did to deserve 14 years of watching contests there -- but believe us oh dear, sweet, compassionate and merciful God, we’re sorry.
Red Bull Arenawill be on-line and all that next year, as the
On the surface, it's just a kick in the head to watch soccer matches on top of football lines. It utterly corrupts the aesthetics of the game. It's like seeing a beautiful woman marginalize her own fantastic looks with splotchy, caked on makeup and cloggy shoes, or a handsome man wearing ill-fitting pants and a mustard-stained Dokken t-shirt.
Not only are the aesthetics all FUBAR, but football lines in soccer matches are nearly always linked with artificial turf, another scourge of the game. When artificial turf is done right, as it can be these days, its negative effects are diminished, at least. So games at BMO in
(And none of this is even mentioning all the well-documented financial issues and the attendance implications attached to playing in such unsuitable venues.)
But take heart, ye fellow supporters, the situation is slowly improving. We get Red Bull Arena next year, plus the new grounds being riveted as we speak in Philly.
And today comes the absolutely brilliant news out of
In sum, 2010 will dawn with one major, lingering problem in terms of MLS viewership (Gillette Stadium) and a couple of problem children of a lesser degree.
Both teams are moving forward with stadium plans, although ground breaking is hardly imminent in either case.
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Ever been to Pizza Hut Park?
I’m sure you have, either for US soccer, MLS, or Dallas Cup purposes. I’m wondering how you think Red Bull Arena will stack up. By the photos, it looks like a phenomenal step towards legitimacy for US soccer.
Your uncle molests collies.
yep, been to PHP many times
Red Bull Arena will be bigger (by 5,000 seats) and include that swell roof, which adds so much to the looks in addition to serving a very functional purpose. how many games through the years in NY have we seen in a driving rain? the fans will appreciate staying dry. in general, every new MLS stadium is an improvement, as officials around the league figure out what works and what doesn’t.
Roofs also help contain noise
At least if they are designed with that intent.
IIRC Qwest had an opera sound architect help with the containment and focus of the noise. It means that the sound rather than drifting up and away can be reflected down onto the field.
And it is why every MLS team should want a roof over their seats.
And just so I don’t have to double enter – one distinct advantage of modern synthetic turfs is that there is no need to have lines for other sports on the pitch. NONE. They also on average play truer, have better drainage, and you don’t get those fun dirt patches inside the 18.
Did you see the last game at Pizza Hut?
What was with the football lines? I mean I know we don’t sell out games so we have to do something to get rev but why?
by hoopsforlife on Sep 13, 2009 9:16 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Re PHP
The stadium was built in part with money from a local school district. part of the agreement is that the school district gets X number of dates for HS football per year. hence, the lines
Jesuit vs BL
Jesuit Dallas (my old high school, go rangers) played Bishop Lynch there a couple Saturdays ago. Jesuit has been outsourcing their home games to various venues including Pizza Hut Park and at SMU, mostly because their home field in Haggar Stadium near 635 and the Tollway doesn’t have adequate parking or seating capacity. I’m surprised they didn’t remove the football lines before an FC Dallas match though.
by deepsouthsoccer on Sep 13, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
RB Arena
RB Arena will be gorgeous. It will be the east-coast equivalent to the Home Depot Center and will hopefully be packed just as often.
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No lines, but still in need of a pitch.
Being in D.C., that is the biggest thing on my mind. Though it seems a stretch, it is not out of the realm of possibilities The United move due to a lack of a suitable field. RFK is nice for site lines, and stays quite loud during a match. But, when compared to soccer-specific stadia, it is far too obsolete. With the teams that have built themselves stadiums, and the MLS refusing to allow a new franchise without plans for a soccer only field, I feel that all teams need to be in a house for themselves. They are prettier, more unique, and prove to be very successful thus far.
It, in my mind, is also a key part to growing the sport in North-America.
