Friday 6 May 2016 19:08, UK
Arsenal Ladies defender Casey Stoney wants top-flight women's football to be played only on grass pitches after reigniting the debate about safety concerns surrounding artificial turf.
The build-up to last year's Women's World Cup in Canada was overshadowed by complaints by several players who were unhappy at the decision to stage matches on artificial turf.
Stoney's England colleague Claire Rafferty, who has suffered three anterior cruciate knee ligament injuries in the past, missed Chelsea Ladies' game at Liverpool recently, writing on Twitter: "the pitch at Liverpool is too much of an injury risk for me."
Liverpool play home matches on a 3G surface at the Select Security Stadium in Widnes, the ground they share with Everton Ladies and rugby league side Widnes Vikings.
Sunderland's Lucy Staniforth, who played at Liverpool last season, also took issue with the pitch last month, calling it "absolutely abysmal" and "a serious injury risk".
Stoney said: "For players with a long-term injury history, and older players - you train on grass, you prepare on grass, and then you go to Liverpool and have to play on a pitch that actually isn't of great quality. It just puts people at risk, so it's not ideal.
"But if it's the only pitch they've got available it's the pitch you've got to use. You have to go and play on it and you've got no choice.
"Ideally we'd play all our games on grass.
"I don't think you have any '4G' pitches in the men's top league, and I don't think it's right, especially if players have to miss out because of it.
"It's not right because it gives the other team the advantage and that's not right either."
Stoney will play on arguably the best surface in the country next week when she lines up for Arsenal Ladies against Chelsea Ladies in the SSE Women's FA Cup final at Wembley.
The May 14 clash should see a record crowd for the fixture, bettering the 30,710 that saw Chelsea beat Notts County in last year's Wembley final, the first to be staged there.
Stoney captained Great Britain to victory over Brazil at Wembley during the 2012 Olympics, in front of a 70,000-strong crowd.
The chance to play there again is a thrill for the 33-year-old, who hopes the fixture is at Wembley to stay.
"I can't wait. I never thought in a million years I'd be playing a cup final at Wembley," she said.
"It shows how far women's football's come. It's been a long time coming but I think the game's ready for it now and it's fantastic that it's here."
