Hampton & Richmond FC are hoping to reap the benefits from a new 3G pitch after undergoing a major renovation over the summer.
This new era for the club, who play in the National League South, represents how a non-league club could survive and engage their community simultaneously.
They were previously capped at around 23 games a season due to the grass pitch, but the new one allows them to use it seven days a week.
Mark George, who has worked at the club for the past four years, explained how beneficial it has been to open the pitch to younger players who can train there, as their presence can help the first team financially.
He said: “It’s introducing local parents who haven’t been before. They’re going, ‘what a lovely place’.
“We are seeing an increase in our fan base. We would like to see that increase by another 100, 150.”
Jack Lonergan, who is the club’s digital media manager, expanded on just how many younger players this pitch has impacted.
He said: “We have, I believe, more than 300 kids in the program,. So that’s loads of different young players and loads of different coaches getting access to the facility that they never would have had prior.
“Having the consistency of always training here allows the players to do what they do best, and the manager to do what he does best. It promotes an environment of hard work.”
Another positive is that the pitch is less susceptible to bad weather.
In the winter, non-league clubs can miss fixtures due to frost, waterlogged pitches and snow, which can be a huge financial hit for that level.
“The artificial pitch should hopefully just be a leveller and allow us to play the same way whether we’re in December or April, or in three degrees or 30 degrees,” Lonergan said.
Managing Director of Football & Business Development, Joe Monks, added: “The facility redevelopment is vital for us to try and retain National League South status.
“We are competing in a very competitive league against full-time sides.
“This facility we hope will enable us to remain as competitive as possible both in terms of growing the size of the club and giving our players the best possible preparation for the games.”
However, there are costs to maintain a pitch of this quality.
George said: “Because we’re elite football, our pitch has to be FIFA Quality Pro and has to meet that criteria every single season.
“The cost of resurfacing a pitch is currently about £250,000, so each season you do need to have a sinking fund and put £25,000 into that.”
Despite keen match-going fans tending to prefer watching their players on a traditional grass pitch, many are now beginning to see the benefit of their club making use of a 3G one.
“There’s always a bit of nostalgia that comes with football,” Lonergan said.
“I think we saw some initial disgruntlement, but eventual understanding. And now, having seen it, I think the vast majority of fans are actually pretty happy with the outcome.”
Featured image credit: Jack Lonergan
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