Hindmarsh Stadium pitch another reminder of government failure

“KURZ upset at pitch but won’t start a turf war” read the headline. Well, he mightn’t but I will. The state of Coopers Stadium after the AFLX experiment is a nothing short of a disgrace.

Last minute maintenance is carried out to the pitch at Coopers Stadium.

“KURZ upset at pitch but won’t start a turf war” read the headline.

Well, he mightn’t but I will. The state of Coopers Stadium after the AFLX experiment last Thursday evening is a nothing short of a disgrace.

To expect Adelaide United, a club known not only in Australia but the whole of Asia, to play a competition match in the A-League, the country’s premier football competition that is viewed around the world, on a pitch in that condition, is scandalous.

Match officials inspect the pitch at Coopers Stadium, Hindmarsh.

It’s embarrassing for whoever is responsible. Ultimately it’s the State Government that needs to wear this one – and not just the current one but those that preceded it ... at least all the way back to when the bidding process was beginning for the 2000 Olympics.

Back then the old Soccer Federation had a long-term lease on the ground. But when the State Government wanted to jump on the Olympic bandwagon only football (soccer) could provide the means. So Hindmarsh, as it was then, fell into the government’s hands and what we see today was built. Apart from a lick of paint here and there, nothing has changed since.

Adelaide United is the major tenant and it is disrespectful to the club by whichever bunch of muppets are in control to allow this situation to occur.

The Foo Fighters were there the week preceding the club’s last home game and now, two days before an important match, they allow a game of “lollipop” footy to destroy the surface. Couldn’t it have been played at Norwood Oval like the AFLW was? Why doesn’t Adelaide have a designated concert venue that has at least the capacity of Coopers? Why isn’t Coopers under the control of football?

Governments in South Australia have invested some funds into the local game at the local level with artificial pitches at West Beach and The Parks and more recently funded an artificial pitch at Modbury. But the amounts are chicken feed compared to what’s been invested into footy and cricket.

Half a billion dollars at Adelaide Oval for Aussie rules and cricket, and the latter copped an $80m write-off of debts along the way – hardly a fair spread of funds.

But then, it is only soccer, as those outside the game still refer to it, and they have to spend something because it might be worth a few votes.

Which leads me to FFA chief executive David Gallop’s comments that the game needs to be marketed better to grassroots players to turn them into A-League fans.

Sounds nice, David, but that will take a long time. Marketing football is very difficult in this country because, as I’ve said in this forum before, the media is dominated by rival codes – maybe controlled is a better word.

Every time football bobs its head up there’s always a foot nearby to stomp it back down. That may sound a tad cynical but I’ve been around long enough to know it’s true.

I get plenty of calls from radio stations that more often than not want to talk about the doom and gloom.

Short of winning this year’s World Cup nothing is going to change for quite a while. And when you have governments of whichever persuasion that just pay lip service to the sport, that just makes it all the more difficult.