 A new era dawns at Park Avenue on Friday evening with the long awaited Official launch of Aberystwyth Town's new once in a lifetime, £660,000 UEFA-standard, full-sized, floodlit Tiger Turf 3G football pitch, funded by the UEFA and the FAW's Hat Trick fund, to coincide with Aber's first home game in this year's Dafabet Welsh Premier League, at home to Rhyl (ko 7.45pm). The Launch marks the culmination of three years work by Club Officials on a project which will transform the Club into a seven days a week business. A "Play With The Legends " match held last weekend represented a successful trial of the surface which the Club can confirm is now up and ready for business. It's fair to say that major facility projects such as the new 3G pitch at Aberystwyth Town FC don't come around that often; nor do they happen by chance. ATFC Chairman, Tony Bates, the inspiration and driving force behind the ambitious project proclaimed, 'I am thrilled that after overcoming so many hurdles, this project has finally come to fruition. There is no question that the Club and wider-community will all benefit greatly from this much-needed facility. I am genuinely excited at the prospect of welcoming as many participants as possible to take advantage of this unique, international-standard pitch and hope to see football in the area progress as a consequence.' Mr Bates added, 'the Club sees the new pitch as a catalyst in helping achieve its longer term objectives and certainly player development and recruitment are both important elements that will be enhanced by having such a high-quality surface on which to train and play.' 3G or artificial grass pitches have come a long way in design, manufacture and technology since their earlier introduction in the 1980s. Modern 3G pitches now provide players with a surface many would argue is superior to grass. Newly appointed Facility Manager, Frank Rowe observed, '3G has all the benefits of a traditional grass surface but without the drawbacks. In an area with very high rain fall, the excellent drainage 3G provides allows the playing surface to remain consistent throughout the year. Furthermore, the pitch can be played on virtually continuously due to the fact that the surface does not cut up or become warn as with grass. Such playing qualities have made 3G pitches extremely popular across Britain and given the number of times water-logged pitches have prevented games and training in the region, Aberystwyth is extremely fortunate to now have its own.' Mr Rowe commented further, "Aberystwyth Town FC are keen that the 3G surface benefits the wider community and we aim to roll out facility and programme opportunities to as many participants as possible. We want to encourage local clubs, schools, events, College and University groups to take advantage of the all-weather surface. All too often training and games in the locality are cancelled due to water-logged pitches or the lack of access to a quality surface. The 3G pitch will enable many more participants to enjoy playing on a quality surface, which will also encourage increased technical development across all age groups. It is also worth emphasising that it is not only football that can be played on the pitch. So long as participants have the correct footwear, a number of sports can train on the pitch if not play competitive games. To ascertain suitability of your activity, contact me at the email address provided below". ATFC have entered into a partnership with Leisure Leagues, a 6-a-side football, small-sided game provider and will be running an exciting league on Monday nights. To enter a team and get to play on the new surface why not visit the Leisure Leagues' website and sign up? We are hoping to extend this provision and welcome suggestions for additional time slots during the day. The Club has had a great deal of interest in hiring out the pitch. Indeed, many of the prime time slots have already been filled so to avoid disappointment, please contact the Facility Manager ASAP at [email protected] or tel. 07400500442 to make an enquiry. To learn more about the 3G Facility or to make bookings please visit the 3G site here.  Comments are closed.
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