Football Pitch Performance Standards (D)

14) Pest damage: This will usually relate to damage caused to the surface and is primarily damage from leatherjackets and chafer grubs, and secondary effects of the grubs from birds pecking at the turf, or foxes or badgers digging for the grubs. The threshold level for ‘acceptable’ damage might be 2% or less for high class pitches, to 15% or so for general quality pitches. Pitches will, usually, recover once renovation (typically in May) has taken place and once birds and mammals have moved on elsewhere.

An indirect method of reducing the impact of damage is to firstly ensure root growth is relatively deep as grubs will only eat so much root. Also raise the height of cut to encourage deeper rooting and certainly reduce the thatch content as birds make more of a mess when this is present, and they also use this as bedding for their nests. This standard can therefore be influenced by numerous other standards.

Nematode damage can result in grasses becoming weak and more easily pulled out of a surface, although ground cover may still stay good. If a playing quality of traction is not assessed then quite high nematode damage can occur, and effectively be hidden, but without the extensive surface damage caused by grubs.

15) Disease: The extent of ground cover (live and dead vegetation) which is affected by a turfgrass disease. A disease attack can make a sward look very unattractive, kill off some of the grass and take time to recover. Creating conditions which provide a healthier, resilient (more stress free) sward are to be aimed for as this reduces the susceptibility of grasses to disease attack.

A low mowing height increases the stress exerted on a grass plant by reducing the leaf area available for photosynthesis, which also significantly impacts on root development.

Disease can be categorised according to the severity of impact on a sward. For example, Microdochium (Fusarium) patch disease can result in significant dead patches if allowed to rapidly spread, so no more than 2% coverage might be a threshold for action on high quality surfaces, but up to 20%, or more, on lower quality pitches. By contrast red thread disease, which can be classed as a cosmetic nuisance disease, might have a maximum of 5% up to 30% or greater as a maximum for lower quality pitches.

In general, the different types or severities of disease impacts are grouped under disease content and represented as a maximum percentage within a sward. For the majority of football pitches, a height of cut between 30mm and 50mm should limit the potential for disease attack, although enclosed stadium pitches will have an increased potential for susceptibility.

16) Surface colour: In general, a darker green appearance is desired, but uniformity of the colour is just as important, if not more so, because a patchy surface will certainly impact negatively on presentation: Grass will naturally vary in colour throughout the year. A lighter green sward can be readily darkened by a light application of sulphate of iron or nitrogen foliar feed. Different grasses will also appear slightly different in greenness so the type and extent of vegetative ground cover will also impact on this standard. A 100% uniform colour will be the ideal, but a parameter of a minimum of 70% or greater might be quite acceptable for lower quality pitches. Surface colour can be considered a subcategory of the Appearance standard.