SOUTHAMPTON skipper Jason Dodd opened a new all-weather football pitch at The Beechdown Club recently.

The pitch boasts a revolutionary surface. Designed in Canada the carpet is thicker than normal Astroturf and is supported on a thick mix of silica and rubber granules, providing a degree of give.

The surface can be found elsewhere within the training grounds of Premiership teams and the FA are apparently considering an extension of its use for matches.

Formal coaching is run every Wednesday by former football pro Paul Weatherall, until recently a regular in the Reading side.

Weatherall said: "It really is a superb football surface. Even I didn't appreciate the difference that such a surface will make until I had the opportunity to kick a ball around."

In addition to matches for children, a regular weekly session for grown-ups is being launched and a four-a-side league is already over-subscribed.