It's Grass Jim But Not As We Know It

"Lord make us better persons
More considerate towards others
More honest with ourselves and more faithful to you
Make us generous enough to want sincerely
To do your will whatever it may be
Help us find our true vocation in life
And grant that through it
We may find happiness ourselves and bring happiness to others
We ask this through Christ our Lord"

This is the prayer on the website for Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College.

The link with football? Well the school has recently installed a state-of-the-art artificial surface for their football academy. It is the only pitch in this country made of the same materials as the Luzhnike pitch in Moscow where England will play Russia on the 17th October.

The plan is that the England team will practise there on the 15th to get them used to the surface.

Of course, artificial football surfaces have not always been as well regarded as they are now. Indeed they remain controversial, but not to the extent they were in the 80s and 90s.

Advantages include:

• Good in places with extreme climates
• Are more robust and last longer

Disadvantages include:

• They have to be regularly disinfected because the accumulate body fluids (yuck!)
• Can result in injury for certain manoeuvres (such as sliding tackles)

The worst disadvantage, however, is the risk of Turf Toe. Nasty!

Clearly one of the joys of living in the Space Age.