Football Grounds - Pitches & Posts

Pitches and Posts - Teachers Notes

Teachers Notes

Task 1 - Worksheet 4

Preparation - The work in this section needs pre-practice.

This work can be done by individuals, groups or a class working with the teacher using paper and pencil or a computer. The object is for the pupils to hear or read instructions, interpret them and then perform the tasks. They will need to be able to use a ruler and compass with confidence and to draw pencil lines lightly so that they can go over them at a later stage with coloured crayons. The bold type emphasises teaching points.

Time should be allowed for mental arithmetic practice, halving, doubling, adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying "fours" (or whatever unit is used as a basic scale) before this work is undertaken.

Using squared paper, work out with the pupils an appropriate scale to draw accurately a football pitch. One square = 4 yards is a simple scale. This produces even numbers to make calculations easier. This is the scale used in the following example. It produces a pitch the same size as Notts County - the oldest club in League football.

For those unfamiliar with pitch dimensions and drawing to scale by verbal or written instructions a full explanation follows.

A		A Draw a rectangle 112 yards (28 squares long) and 72 yards (18 squares) wide. The long side is the touch line; the short side is the goal line. Label these
B		The half-way line is a line dividing the pitch in half. Find the middle of each touch line and mark with a dot; join the two dots with a straight line parallel to the goal lines. Label this
C		Find the middle of the half-way line. This is the centre of the pitch. Mark it with a large dot. Use this dot to draw a circle with your compass set to a radius of 10 yards (2.1/2 squares) around it. This is the centre circle. Label this
D		At each end of the field of play the goal posts are placed one each side of the middle of the goal line. The posts are 8 yards (2 squares) apart. This means that each post is 4 yards (1 square) each side of the middle of the goal line. Mark these and label one.
E		At each end of the field of play draw two lines at right angles to the goal line 6 yards (1.1/2) squares from each goal post and going into the field of play 6 yards (1.1/2 squares). Join these by a line parallel to the goal line, This rectangular space is called the goal area. Label one.
F		At each end of the field of play draw two more lines at right angles to the goal line 18 yards (4.1/2 squares). Join these by a line parallel to the goal line. This rectangular space is called the penalty area. Label one.
G		The penalty spot is 12 yards (3 squares) into the field of play from the middle of the goal line. Mark this with a dot. Label one.
H		Set your compass to a radius of 10 yards (2.1/2 squares). With the point of the compass on the penalty spot draw the penalty arc outside the penalty area. Label one. The corner area is marked by a quarter circle having a radius of 1 yard (1/4 of a square) inside the field of play. Draw one in each corner of the field. Draw to scale on the plan a flag on a post not less than 5 feet (suggest 8 feet : 2 squares) high at each corner, Label one.
	This completes the drawing of a football pitch to scale. Compare your drawings with the photograph of Moss Rose Ground the home of Maclesfield Football Club. Macclesfield have been at this ground since 1891.

Task 2 - Worksheet 5

Ensure that the children understand the meaning of the word evolved. It took 70 years for modern pitch markings to evolve.

Worksheet 5 asks them to draw pitch markings as they changed through the years. To use different colours to identify the years and finally to create a colour key. For example:

1863 Red
1882 Blue
1887 Black
1909 Orange
1937 Purple

The children can, of course, use any colours they choose. One square on paper represents 4 yards on a full sized pitch.

Task 3 - Worksheet 7

Ground	Club/Team
1. Old Trafford	Manchester United
2. Villa Park	Aston Villa
3. Highbury	Arsenal
4. The Hawthorns	West Bromwich Albion
5. St James Park	Newcastle United
6. Hillsborough	Sheffield Wednesday
7. Molineux	Wolverhampton
8. Ibrox Park	Glasgow Celtic
9. Celtic Park	Glasgow Rangers
10. Hampden Park	Queens Park, Glasgow. The Scottish National Stadium
11. Wembley Stadium	Cup Finals and English Internationals (until 2000)
12. Millenium Stadium	Welsh National Stadium Cardiff. Temporarily used for previous Wembley fixtures.

An atlas or wall map will be needed. The necessary map reading skills may need to be taught.

The most popular sized pitch in football grounds is 115 yards long and 75 yards wide.

This is exactly half way beyween the maximum and the minimum pitches allowed by the Laws of the Game. All these clubs, and many more, have a ground this size.

Worksheet 2 contains a map marked with twelve dots. These dots show the location of twelve football grounds. Using an atlas or a road map, the children are asked to place the number in the grounds column below, alongside the correct dot. As shown.

Task 4

On squared paper draw a rectangle to represent the largest pitch allowed. I square = 4 yards is an appropriate scale. Superimpose other rectangles to represent:

the largest pitch allowed (130 yards x 100 yards)

the largest pitch in the leagues (117 yards x 79 yards)

the most popular pitch in the leagues (115 yards x 75 yards)

the smallest pitch in the leagues (110 yards x 70 yards)

the smallest pitch allowed (100 yards x 50 yards)

Create a colour key, shade in the differences and label each pitch with its measurements.

Work out the surface area (length x width) of each pitch and add these measurements to your drawing.

Work out the surface area of:

the goal area (20 yards x 6 yards)

the penalty area (44 yards x 18 yards)

the centre circle (3.14 x (10 yards x 10 yards)) ie p(3.14) x Radius²

Task 5

Using a calculator, convert the imperial measurements used in Task 1 to metric measurements using the table below.

1 metre = 1.09 yards yards	1 yard = 0.91 metre
1 square metre = 1.19 square yards	1 square yard = 0.83 square metre

Task 6

Select a space, either the playground, playing field or perhaps the local park, to investigate pitch measurements.

Remember that Law 1 of the Laws of the Game clearly states that:

"the length must exceed the width". In other words the pitch must be a rectangle.

Aim: To find out if a pitch 115 x 75 yards will fit into the space selected. If not, work out the largest football pitch that will fit into the space.

Discuss how to measure and mark out a large rectangle. For example measure with a tape or trundle wheel and mark out with ropes or bean bags placed at intervals.

Discuss how to make sure that opposite sides of the pitch are parallel. Remember to also check the lines marking out other areas on the pitch.

Discuss how to measure and mark out a large circle - without using a compass.

Discuss how to make sure that all the corners of all the rectangles are 90 degrees. Remember to include the goal areas and the penalty area.

Task 7

Use your marked out pitch, or any other pitch available, to explore ways of testing stamina and football skills. For example, throw-ins, penalty kicks, goal kicks, sprints, long runs, dribbling the ball, wing to wing passes and heading

Task 8

For healthy growth plants must have a balanced amount of each of their four basic needs.

water

air

sunlight and

food

Try controlled experiments in the classroom. Use small trays of soil planted with quick growing grass seed. Discuss what needs to be done to each tray to ensure the grass has the right amount, too much, too little or none at all of the things it needs for healthy growth. Record the results carefully.

Task 9

The transpiration stream is a current of water
passing from the soil through the roots, up to the
shoot system, and finally evaporating into the air
through the leaves.

This loss of water can be demonstrated very clearly by setting up the following experiment.

To measure the rate of water loss, weigh the plant at the start of the experiment and at regular intervals.

Record the results carefully.

Task 10

Plants cannot live without water. Although the range of temperature, the type of soil, the amount of sunlight determine which plants grow best where, the most important single factor is rain.

Study the water cycle and the water tables by drawing diagrams.

Diag. Water cycle

Task 11 - Worksheet 6

An atlas with maps of the British Isles will be required and time allowed for the children to become familiar with them. They should understand that:

a relief map shows land of
different heights by shading land of the same height in the same colour.

a rainfall map shows places with different amounts of rainfall by shading places with the same rainfall in the same colour and

temperature maps show places with different temperatures by shading places with the same temperature in the same colour.

Manchester United football club is marked on these maps by a light coloured dot. The children are asked to use the information on the maps and write a few sentences about any problems the ground staff at this football club may or may not have.

Similar exercises could be undertaken for any other football club. The children will first need to locate this on their maps by a coloured dot.