No back of the net

Imagine scoring a blockbusting pile-driver and having to go and retrieve the ball after

For many this is annoying, for some strikers it takes a lot away from their goals, and for keepers its plain and simply a pain in the backside.

Most footballers before they came to University would not have experienced official matches without nets or corner flags but for some reason it is deemed feesible to let football be played in these sub-standard conditions.

They are some health and safety risks associated with goal nets, such as players getting caught in them or people putting them up falling off ladders. Do we really fear either of these happening though?

This University holds the future of this country, not the special kids from your primary school. If the brightest lads in this country can't put a goal net up, what hope does this proud nation have?

Vanburgh recently recieved a set of goal nets as a donation and used them in a few college matches. The general consensus was that they greatly improved the matches, giving them more of a 'big match' feel.

Vanburgh Chair, Matt Oliver said they "made a huge difference to the feel of the matches when we played." He also described the situation of them not being able to use them as "bizarre."

Under current Health and Safety regulations, students can not put up anything over the height of four feet.

Currently Groundstaff refuse to put up nets for college sport and therefore Vanburgh find themselves unable to have nets. There is also a fear that as Vanburgh have nets, they will use the pitches whenever they want and without permission as this has happened in the past.

A letter has been written by Matt Oliver and has been signed by the other college Chairs with regards to fencing around the perimeter of the field. Though not benefiting the ego of any player scoring a 30 yard pile-driver, this would stop many balls getting lost or popped in the treacherous bushes behind the goals.

Oliver believes that due to "the small amount of funding that we receive from YUSU dedicated to college sports we obviously want to make sure that it goes as far as possible."

With many balls getting popped by the bushes, it "ends up costing quite a lot of money over the term. Hopefully Estates will put up these fencing, allowing us to invest in higher quality balls safe in the knowledge that a wayward (or in fact, in the current situation, a scoring) shot won't result in a thorn being put into the ball."

The letter was sent to AU President Jo Carter who has now passed it onto John Moram. Carter was optimistic that the fence situation will "be resolved" and that they should be "in place by next year."

So balls shouldn't be getting popped or lost next year, though it is unsure how high the fence will be. With the potential of myself playing next year, i doubt the fence could be made high enough to stop a few of my efforts. The notion of 'head over the ball' seems to escape many at the last instance.

But are the players of college football, and in particular Vanburgh, happy to trade goal nets for a fence. I know i'm not and I really dont think its good enough that some quality football is played on a Sunday (and Wednesday) in surroundings that are far below the standard of football that is on show.

How many more goals worthy of being saved on Pro Evo can go in, largely unrewarded in peoples minds before nets go up. All players will tell you its just not the same without the net rippling, how can you hit the back of the net without a net? The whole situation is a farce in my mind.

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