Football Grounds - Pitches & Posts

The Green Green Grass

In the early years of football, teams were quite happy to find a reasonable patch of grass in a public park on which to play their games. Many famous clubs began this way. Once clubs asked spectators to pay to watch a match it was only right that they should provide the best possible surface on which to demonstrate their football skills.

Today major clubs play more games in a season than ever before and, no matter what the weather, the match nearly always takes place. The fact that it does is a tribute to those members of the club who rarely get a mention - the groundstaff.

To keep a grass pitch in good condition, takes not only time and money but also expert knowledge and devotion to the task. After a game has been played on the pitch the work of the ground staff often starts before the last fan has left the ground. Divots of turf have to be replaced, skid marks raked out and holes filled in. The pitch then has to be lightly rolled and, to help aeration and drainage, spiked. The idea behind aeration is to create holes or slits so that air and water can penetrate beneath the surface.

Life for the groundstaff is made no easier by the ever decreasing closed seasons. During the few months between May and August the grass has to be dressed with fertiliser. The bare patches have to be either returfed or re-sown with a strong, quick growing grass seed.

The ground under the surface needs careful treatment as well, especially in the goal-areas and down the centre of the pitch. Constant wear in these parts causes packed layers of soil to be formed and, unless they are broken up, surface water will not drain away properly. Good drainage is important at every football ground.

Probably the groundstaff's greatest enemies are frost and snow. A referee is well within his rights to call off a match if he considers the pitch dangerous, and then the club suffers financially.

Snow on the pitch at Queens Park Rangers

Above:1963 The White City - aptly named.

Referee Davis Smith and Alec Stock manager of Queens Park Rangers confer before deciding that football is not possible.

Right: Swindon Town v Arsenal League Cup Final. Clods of turf are torn up and mud flies off the rain soaked Wembley Pitch during this sliding tackle.

Hidden Influences

The location of the ground is very important. The quality of the pitch and the amount of maintenance work the ground staff have to do can be markedly affected by the amount of rainfall during the footbsll season and the drainage of the ground. The red dots show the approximate location of Manchester United Football Club.

Temperature

A mild climate can mean much less work for the ground staff in winter because there is less frost and snow. However, too much dry weather can also cause problems if the pitch gets too hard and dry.

These maps of Britain show the winter and summer average temperatures in degrees celcius.

Soil

Soil is a thin layer of loose mineral grains overlaying bedrock. Soil varies in thickness. About 40% of most soils is made up of spaces occupied by water and air.

Chalky and sandy soils drain quickly, clayey soils do not drain well.

Rocks

Water seeps through a porous rock such as sandstone. It also seeps through permeable rocks such as limestone and some granits and forms ground water. Impermeable rock prevents the downward movement of water.

Stadium Design

The design of the stadium is also important. All grass pitches need natural ventilation and sunlight, but tall stands and enclosed grounds hinder both.

Water in the soil and water produced by the grass through its leaves (transpiration), cannot evaporate without a circulation of air. This humidity encourages the growth of mould, moss and algae.

The shadows cast by a stand can make the soil on one side of the pitch cold and the grass threadbare while the grass on the other side can be in good condition. The effect of the shadows are especially noticeable after a hard frost when the soil on the shadowy side of the ground can be frozen while the other side can be 'soggy'.

The most common cause of postponed matches is a waterlogged pitch.