25 Years Ago, QPR Made English Football History: The First Game on Plastic!

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RANGERS "CONTROVERSIAL" PLASTIC PITCH

September 1, 1981: Terry Venables QPR played Luton Town at Loftus Road, for their first home game of the season. (The previous Saturday, QPR won their season opener with a 3-1 win at Wrexham.) Andy King put QPR 1-0 before Luton scored twice to win it.

QPR's plastic was so controversial that originally the FA was not going to allow games to be played at Loftus Road. That never fortuitously didn't occur since that was the season that QPR went on to the FA Cup Final.

In ensuing seasons, following Rangers' example, Preston, Oldham and Luton itself followed suit. But the plastic fields were very controversial, with the claim that they gave an unfair advantage to the home teams, and supposedly players getting certain injuries. Also the bouncing ball off the surface, etc. And the term "controversial" came into almost newspaper match report of QPR games. Within a few years, the clubs had all given up their plastic.

QPR's Team for that opening game at home to Luton.
Burridge - Fenwick Hazell Roeder Gregory
Waddock Francis King
Allen Stainrod Flanagan

A couple of years later, when QPR qualified for the UEFA Cup, their Plastic pitch was not permitted in Europe, so they had to play at Highbury.

Ironically, a few years earlier, Terry Venables had co-authored the book "They Used to Play on Grass"

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