Artificial pitches proposal not approved following tied vote

Proposals for clubs to use artificial playing surfaces in League One and League Two from the beginning of next season have been rejected at an EGM meeting this afternoon.

The Football League poll ended in a tie, with 34 voting for yes and the same number voting for no. Four clubs abstained from taking part.

Chief executive of the Football League, Shaun Harvey, said: "This vote is reflective of the fact that this issue divides opinion amongst clubs as much as it does across the football public.

"While the outcome is different to previous indicative votes, it demonstrates that there is still a desire amongst clubs to find out more about artificial playing surfaces before taking such a significant step."

Artificial pitches can currently be used in the FA Cup and at Conference level.