Emma Hayes offered to buy every fan at Kingsmeadow a hotdog after the farcical suspension of Chelsea’s six-minute match against Liverpool on Sunday, but longer term WSL clubs are stumped on how to solve the league’s mounting problem with frozen pitches.
i understands that clubs will not be instructed to introduce undersoil heating because of the huge cost of running and maintaining the systems throughout the year, and that many sides would struggle to afford to implement it at their current stadia.
The FA reviews its handling of games affected by adverse weather on an ongoing basis, with several clubs currently using a combination of pitch covers and heaters to protect the playing surface.
Amid the fallout from a weekend of fixture chaos in the WSL, Chelsea manager Hayes told BBC Sport that it was “time for undersoil heating”, adding: “We’ve got to take our game seriously – yes, we can have our blowers and pitch tents, but it’s not enough.” Chelsea defender Millie Bright described the situation as “unacceptable”.
A pitch inspection at 9.30am confirmed the pitch was unplayable but officials agreed to another inspection later on. At kick-off, the referee decided the pitch was suitable, even with temperatures at zero degrees, but the pitch then deteriorated so badly in six minutes that it was deemed unsafe.
Tottenham’s match against Leicester and Arsenal’s trip to Brighton were also postponed due to the weather, the latter less than three hours before kick-off. Gunners forward Vivianne Miedema suggested that the “only way to fix this is to demand undersoil heating or playing our games in men’s stadiums”.
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5 Everton candidates after Frank Lampard is sacked, from Wayne Rooney to David Moyes23 January, 2023However, the majority of clubs are playing in grounds where undersoil heating is not part of the licensing requirements – and sources at one WSL side told i the issue was unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future because clubs lacked the funding to implement major changes to infrastructure. There are also a number of clubs, including Tottenham (at Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road) and Brighton (at Crawley Town’s Broadfield Stadium), who play at grounds owned by other clubs, taking the situation further out of their control.
It is not as straightforward as moving women’s matches to men’s stadiums either, as WSL matches have to be scheduled around existing commitments like Premier League games.
i has been told that while postponements are necessarily for player welfare, especially in light of the number of ACL injuries occurring within the women’s game, a packed schedule is making it even more difficult to find new dates for rearranged matches. Many WSL clubs – particularly those in European competition – are already finding it nearly impossible to squeeze in so many fixtures.
Last week, Brighton managed to play in icy conditions in the Conti Cup against West Ham but the weekend’s game against Arsenal was called off by the officials.
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“With regard to the club playing more games at the Amex it unsustainable across an entire season, until we have grown the attendances. We have to be selective, as it costs a considerable amount of money to stage a match there, and it would be totally irresponsible of the club to drain the resources in this way.
“Long-term the aim is for the team to play in the city, potentially in their own purpose-built home, but currently Crawley is one of the few viable venues in the county which meets the WSL’s criteria.”
The FA is coming under increasing pressure to stop such regular postponements of top-flight games. Tottenham-Leicester was the only one of the three postponed games that was called off the night before, with players, staff and fans having already travelled long distances by the time the other two matches were postponed.
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