Football Pitch Maintenance

A key aim of pitch maintenance and management is to provide an even surface, without significant undulations, which can provide players with good grip for turning, running and ball control.

The surface should drain reasonably well to avoid water collecting in small puddles and this will also help to ensure the ball bounce is fairly consistent and neither too high not too low.

Ball roll will also be improved where a drier and less puddled pitch is achieved.

Good grass coverage over most of the pitch is desirable although a thinning of the grass surface will typically be acceptable for many pitches during the mid to later part of the season.

Due to the wide variety of requirements, it is important to determine what is meant for a football pitch which is ‘Fit for Purpose’, as this will influence realistic expectations and resource requirements. The football season typically runs from August through to May.

Maintenance activities undertaken to achieve desired aims need to be carried out effectively and efficiently, which means the correct settings, under suitable soil and sward conditions, in the right sequence, at the right time of year, to get the most out of a pitch.

Typical activities that have been included in this article on football pitch maintenance include the following:
1. Mowing.
2. Chain harrowing.
3. Dragbrushing.
4. Raking or scarification.
5. Verticutting.
6. Aeration.
7. Surface grooming.
8. Decompaction.
9. Fertilisers.
10. Biostimulants.
11. Soil conditioners.
12. Marking out.
13. Rolling / Firming
14. Sweeping / Vacuuming.
15. Pitch preparation.
16. Pitch repairs.
17. Top-dressing.
18. End of season renovation.
19. Watering.
20. Wetting agents.
21. Use of pesticides.

For high specification sand-based pitches which have been constructed using reinforcement material see the entry on ‘Reinforced Pitch Maintenance’.