Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins has called for artificial pitches to be banned from the League of Ireland amid fears for player safety.
Higgins' team play all of their home games on a plastic all-weather playing surface which had been installed at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium back in 2018.
Plastic 3G pitches have been a contentious topic in recent seasons with a number of injuries being linked to the grass alternative across Europe.
Scottish Premiership clubs voted to ban the surface from their top tier last May, giving teams two seasons to return to grass pitches.
Consequently, Kilmarnock will revert their playing surface to grass and Higgins is eager for Irish soccer to follow suit.
Sligo Rovers manager John Russell recently complained of the surface in Derry after star player Ellis Chapman became his latest player to pick up an injury at the venue.
Speaking after the draw, he said: "There’s too much of a correlation between injuries and playing on them and it’s a different game, a different bounce of a ball unless they’re real wet.
"If we’re trying to grow the game and the Premier Division I think we need to move away from artificial pitches."
22 April 2024; A general view of the pitch before the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Ruaidhri Higgins urges League of Ireland to ban artificial pitches
Higgins has since supported Russell's sentiments, also giving reference to the injury sustained by Chapman in their recent Premier Division meeting.
There's a few more injuries from the other night and, speaking to our medical staff, they're pitch-related," he said.
"You look at Ellis Chapman, who has been one of the outstanding players in the league. If that's on a grass pitch, does it happen? I'm not so sure.
"We're sick talking about it. You can see in other countries they're being banned from professional sport and I can see why."
The FAI website currently states that artifical pitches offer 'enhanced safety' - something which contradicts the complaints of current LOI managers.
"Many artificial pitches incorporate shock-absorbing padding beneath the turf, reducing the risk of injuries from falls. The consistent surface also helps prevent uneven terrain that can lead to tripping or twisting."
Just Derry and Dundalk play their Premier Division home games on a plastic pitch, however the latter have been relegated from the top tier.
