Hamilton Accies among four clubs protesting proposed blanket ban on plastic pitches

Four clubs have united in response to a proposal to ban artificial surfaces in the Scottish Premiership, saying it’s “fundamentally flawed” and could cause long-term damage.

Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Hamilton Accies and Queen of the South – who all currently have synthetic surfaces – have issued a joint statement, saying proposals to ban the pitches from the top flight, if approved, “will cause significant long-term damage to Scottish football by undermining sporting integrity, impacting the wider game and creating huge financial entry barriers to the top league”.

They argue that the cost of maintaining a grass pitch to the highest possible standards will cost £750,000 a year, which would be difficult for “the majority of Scottish clubs to achieve”.

It appears likely that Premiership clubs will vote against the pitches being used from season 2026-27.

But the four clubs have likened this plan to an “ill-fated” decision years ago to force all clubs to have a 10,000 all-seater stadium.

And they have called for Premiership clubs to create a fund to support any club which achieves promotion to the top flight, to cover the cost of implementing a top standard grass pitch.

The four clubs have expressed disappointment that their points won’t be taken on board, having “sought constructive dialogue with both the SPFL Competitions Working Group and directly with Scottish Premiership clubs”.

A joint statement that was published online by Falkirk continues: “We are... disappointed to learn that the Premiership clubs intend to proceed to a vote on a blanket ban of artificial surfaces from season 2026/27, and that none of the elements of our alternative proposal have been adopted or incorporated into their final proposal.

“We are