In a move set to delight Celtic fans and beyond, the SPFL has cast the final vote to banish plastic pitches from the Premiership. This historic decision sees clubs across the league rallying behind the cause, marking the beginning of the end for artificial surfaces in the top tier of Scottish football.

The transition won’t happen overnight, though. Clubs have been handed a two-year grace period to rip up their synthetic turfs and lay down the real stuff. Kilmarnock stands as the lone Premiership club still clinging to an artificial pitch as we head into the 2024-25 season. However, the Rugby Park outfit has already signalled their intent to install a grass surface before the 2025-26 campaign kicks off.

An SPFL spokesperson announced, “The SPFL can confirm that the resolution has now passed. The SPFL Board has granted a two-year period to allow clubs with an artificial pitch to plan for the phasing out of artificial pitches in the top tier of Scottish football. This period of grace is in line with recommendations of the SPFL Competitions Working Group, which represents member clubs across the SPFL. The SPFL Board recently approved plans for a Premiership-wide project to work with a leading pitch consultancy firm, regularly used by UEFA, to improve the standards of grass pitches in the cinch Premiership. The SPFL will be engaging with Premiership clubs on this project ahead of the new season.”

The pitches have put players at risk over the years with Celtic managers altering their starting XI depending on the surface. It looks terrible for the league and it’s not good for the players.

While this is a step in the right direction, as we saw with Dundee last season, there has to be more input and upkeep on our top flight pitches so we do not have postponed games over the winter period or a bad spell of rain.