Co-owner Oliver Ash has called on the Skrill Conference to allow Maidstone United to use their 3G pitch if they get promoted this season.

As it stands, the Stones could well be promoted from the Ryman Premier League and then not be granted promotion to the Skrill South because they currently don’t allow 3G Football Turf to be used for any of their games.

The Conference are set to hold a meeting in January to discuss the issue, with Maidstone United having written to them to clarify the issue and want to be able to be in a position as of February to know that they’ll be able to play on their current surface at the Gallagher Stadium as of next season, irrespective of what league they’ll be in.

The Stones have also been asked by the Ryman League to clarify what they’d do if they fail to be granted promotion and it has left co-owner Oliver Ash of the belief that they are legally right to push for the use of 3G pitches:

“The case for 3G Football Turf would be very compelling even without the strong legal case. It is now used in top professional leagues in many countries including France, Holland, Scotland and Spain.”

“The Champions League allow it as does the World Cup. However, in England it is currently forbidden in The Conference, Football League and Premier League, which is absurd.”

“3G Football Turf allows a stadium to be used virtually round the clock and can help clubs significantly improve their financial stability, something the Conference claim to be keen to achieve.”

Maidstone United have also written to the Football Association to request that 3G pitches be permitted in all FA competitions.

The Ryman Premier Division club were the first club in the country to have a purpose-built stadium with a 3G pitch. They have been championing the 3G cause for the past two years, since setting up a national 3G information group for football clubs, 3G4US, which now boasts 50 members and which enables clubs to ask each other for advice and to share information and practical experience of 3G pitch installation.

Ash told the club’s official website: “Every week we hear from clubs asking us for information about 3G and how it can work for them. Many people simply don’t realise how good these pitches are and how much benefit they can bring to a football club.”

“The 3G business model has been a great success for Maidstone in our first season at the Gallagher Stadium. The club is buzzing and the positive impact can be felt throughout the town. 3G ticks all the boxes and can be a financial life-saver for other clubs as it was for us.

“We found it very difficult to take informed decisions on 3G when we developed our stadium, because there were few sources of impartial advice. So we decided to set up 3G4US to help other clubs in taking decisions on 3G projects as this would be useful for them and for football as a whole.”

“So far all the clubs like Merthyr, Sutton Coldfield and Harlow, who have gone down the 3G road seem to be very satisfied. It is simply incomprehensible that the Conference should so far show so little leadership and vision in refusing to allow it.”

With so much resting on the Conference decision, Maidstone United could well be forced into a corner over the issue, but hopefully common sense prevails and they’ll be allowed to be promoted should they succeed this season.

As the winter weather draws ever closer and games will no doubt fall to frozen pitches or even snow, it may well be time for the powers that be look at the benefits a 3G pitch could have for the non league game.