Ever Wonder Why Football Pitch Turf Looks So Good - Heres The Answer

With the amount of football on television and the constant slew of stories in the press focusing on football’s biggest names it’s easy to forget about one of football’s biggest ingredients, the pitch! If you actually study the pitch next time you’re watching a game you might be surprised to see just how well maintained the turf is. The grass is lush in colour, even the goal mouths are well seeded and the playing surface looks perfectly level. To give a better comparison, just look at the difference between a premier league pitch and a local park. To achieve this level of turf perfection requires the dedication of a skilled team and they have to work incredibly hard to keep the pitches up to scratch. Here’s a brief overview of the kind of work that’s carried out on England’s football pitches:

Essential Preparation

In order to keep the ground ready for regular matches the pitch needs to be frequently tended to. The grass is frequently cut to keep the surface fresh and uniform. The pitches also have what appears to be criss-crossed patterns and this is achieved by using a roller. Items like corner flags and goal posts are stored away until required so that turf can have time to regenerate. In order to make the games fair the white guide lines required for playing are re-sprayed onto the grass usually before each game. Although not always necessary the pitch may also be covered using large breathable tarpaulin, should there be excusive rain fall.

Post-Match Recovery

After a 90 minute game it’s not just the players that are looking tired and the pitch can look a little worse for wear. Its condition can be further worsened if it’s been a game interrupted by frequent showers. Areas where players have slid for tackles dived to save goals or taken divots out of the turf when kicking the ball too deeply all need promptly repairing. The first thing that pitch maintenance teams will do is to replace any loose divots and dents in the ground formed through the weight of the foot, supporting the striking leg. Areas of bare earth, typically the goal mouth need to be reseeded, or in some cases the turf cut out and replaced altogether. Once completed the grass will be regularly watered and fed with nutrients to help it recover before the next game.

It can be surprising to learn the vast amount of work that goes into football’s unsung hero, perhaps the next time you’re watching your team play, you’ll notice the pitch a little more.

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