Friday 11 July 2014 11:45, UK
Newcastle Falcons have confirmed they will play on a plastic pitch this coming Aviva Premiership season.
The club have been seeking to end the days of heavy and muddy Kingston Park pitches, with a new state-of-the-art 3G surface being installed before the start of the 2014-15 campaign, with planning permission granted by Newcastle City Council in late May.
Building work has been ongoing for weeks, with the pitch being installed by the same company who laid down the artificial surface at Saracen’s new Allianz Park stadium.
Speaking to the Falcons’ official website, director of rugby Dean Richards said : “Everyone associated with the club is extremely excited at the prospect of having a 3G pitch at Kingston Park.
“The new surface will undoubtedly produce a more free-flowing entertaining style of rugby at Kingston Park. There is also the potential for community use of the pitch on and around match days which will benefit the sport in our region.”
Phil Winstanley, the rugby director at Premiership Rugby, said: “Once again Aviva Premiership Rugby is showing itself to be an innovative league with the Falcons our second club - following Saracens - installing a new artificial surface.
“At the March board meeting its installation at Kingston Park was given unanimous support. Everyone has seen what a huge difference the pitch has made at Allianz Park, making it a wonderful community resource and ensuring that the surface is always playable, irrespective of the weather.
“I would expect the artificial surface to have the same effect at Newcastle Falcons, making the club become an even bigger part of the community.”
