Premiership clubs to vote on banning artificial pitches

Scottish Premiership clubs are to vote on a resolution to scrap artificial pitches from the start of the 2026-27 season.

Livingston’s relegation leaves Kilmarnock as the only confirmed Premiership club next season to have a plastic surface, although play-off finalists Raith Rovers have synthetic grass at Stark’s Park.

The resolution requires nine clubs to vote in favour for it to be passed. The Scottish Professional Football League stated that the outcome of the vote would be announced “in due course”.

The board confirmed that the two-year period of grace was in line with the recommendations of the SPFL Competitions Working Group, which represents clubs across the league.

A statement added: “Separately, the SPFL board has approved plans for a Premiership-wide project to work with a leading pitch consultancy firm, which is regularly used by UEFA, to improve the standards of grass pitches in the cinch Premiership.”

Kilmarnock are hoping to be going into their final season with an artificial pitch, which they currently train on. Plans for a new training ground are in progress.

Most of last season’s Championship teams had real turf but artificial pitches are more common in League One. Hamilton’s play-off second leg win at Inverness was only their third game on grass out of 48 matches.

Plans to employ a pitch consultancy firm come after Dundee were fined for the state of their Dens Park surface, which was the subject of five postponements during the season.