"FFA, Melbourne Victory and the Central Coast Mariners inspected the pitch recently and all parties will continue to receive updates from the venue to ensure the match is played on a field that is safe for all players," A-League boss Damien de Bohun said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

"If required, FFA will commission independent turf experts to examine the field at North Sydney Oval ... to offer FFA independent advice and work with the existing ground staff at the relevant grounds to ensure the pitch meets the required standards."

Milligan, Victory's captain and an experienced Socceroos midfielder, launched a broadside at the FFA over the standards of some pitches in the league, arguing that player welfare should be the first consideration for the clubs and the league, rather than the commercial benefits that might accrue from moving games to venues that are not regular soccer grounds. He is worried about the hard centre at North Sydney Oval and the impact it could have on players in the Mariners game.

Milligan said several of his team-mates pulled up sore after the round two match at the Adelaide Oval, played on a ground that was far from ideal for soccer, even though the Reds pulled a crowd in excess of 33,000 for the game, double that which they would have attracted to their regular venue at Hindmarsh.

"I am definitely concerned," Milligan said after a training session on Tuesday morning. "I have played there a fair bit, not too long ago as well, and I am very aware of the (cricket) pitch that they have in the middle. I don' t think I have ever played when it's not been there.

"They do prepare a good pitch, but there's no shying away from the fact that it's extremely hard and we have come off the back of playing at Adelaide Oval, which to the eye was amazing, but we had a lot of injuries after it and struggled. The same with Newcastle (where Victory was the first away team to play the Jets at their ground after extensive work had been done on the pitch there).

"Player wellbeing has to come first. It has to be in the minds of the people making these decisions. Just judging previous games this year and how players have come off the back of those games, it needs to be taken into account and we need to be able to have an independent review of the pitch so the players are looked after.

"Firstly they need to let us review the pitch and if we are going to play there that it's going to be okay, that we are not going to come out of this week with four or five players that can't train and are struggling for the week after. Both teams want to be able to be assured that there's going to be no significant damage to the players' bodies after the match."

Asked if he had faith in the FFA to make the right decision, Milligan sounded doubtful.

"I hope  so. We have seen it a couple of times already this year … they are aware of the situation, and they need to take it seriously that the players' wellbeing is very important."

De Bohun conceded that the policy of shifting games to maximise crowds and bring A-League football to new audiences sometimes meant that playing surfaces were an issue. But he insisted that player welfare would always take precedence.

"The Hyundai A-League is played in multi-purpose stadiums, and indeed stadiums in regional areas to continue the growth of the competition. This can affect the field of play, even at the regular grounds of our teams, but FFA will always ensure matches are played on fields that are safe for the players."