Making Soccer Pitch Safety an Expectation, Not a Desire

Making Soccer Pitch Safety an Expectation, Not a Desire

Mike Goatley, Professor and Turfgrass Extension Specialist

It has been awesome to witness the growing interest in soccer among American audiences over the past few decades, and to see the visibility of the sport grow even more with the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to North America. Having previously written about agronomic and cultural programs in the management of soccer pitches, I have certainly long appreciated the conditions of the fields for professional soccer anywhere in the world. They are simply amazing. And with the growing interest in soccer in the States in general, I have made it a point to try to do a better job of reaching out to help those schools and clubs tasked with managing soccer pitches around Virginia because there are some amazing soccer pitches in the Mid-Atlantic managed on very low budgets. The challenges associated with having safe, high quality athletic fields in Virginia are many: a transition-zone climate, limited venues, and the frequent demand for almost non-stop use by a host of different sports teams. Then throw in small budgets that simply can’t meet field maintenance needs.

For better or worse, today’s youth possess the confidence of “indestructibility” (most of you know what I mean… we all possessed it once!) and for those that are athletes, they typically give very little attention to sports field conditions as it relates to their safety; such is the beauty of youth! I remember the practice fields, and even game fields, that I played on as a youth in my hometown and thinking back on them now I realize they weren’t much more than glorified cow pastures! But I did not know any better, and the games were still some of the biggest events of the week in my rural community of Central Kentucky.

One offshoot of poor-quality natural grass fields is that artificial fields have greatly increased in numbers over the past decade, across all level facilities with arguments made that they are “safer” and “less expensive”. Maybe, maybe not. Synthetic fields are not zero maintenance and their cost of installation, and eventual removal and replacement, often aren’t calculated into their total cost. But the purpose of this article is to focus on the importance of better education and understanding of the significance of and the strategies in delivering safe fields for all.

The basis for this article is me sharing the perspectives of a turf-industry friend (who asked to remain anonymous) who has served as both a coach and referee for many years in youth soccer. In getting to know this individual, it struck me that even though they were not trained specifically in turfgrass science, they know exactly what matters regarding a playing surface and I had many questions I wanted to ask them, and now share with you.

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a field? "I am not particularly interested in its looks but I focus almost exclusively on its ‘feel’ under my feet. I remember during an early spring game one year on a soccer field that was maybe 50% barren of grass, BUT it was uniform in its poor density. Does that make sense? Even though it was not 100% grass of an ideal pitch, it was uniform in its density. I am not telling you it was a good playing surface, but I deemed it acceptable and SAFE for a game that day. It was not clumpy but it was still an appropriate firmness and was reasonably smooth. Was it aesthetically pleasing? No. But suitable for a good game and safe for the athletes? Absolutely! In my experience green can be deceiving. I’ve been on fields that from the stands were some of the prettiest, greenest fields you could see, but once you got on them and run up and down it a few times, you realize how clumpy the grass is. These clumps are what many of us referees refer to as ‘ankle breakers’and I can’t tell you how many injuries I’ve seen because of these. I saw an athlete tear an ACL due to their foot catching a grass clump without a player within 10 yards of them. It’s just not right! Folks are too hung up on color… year in and year out in Virginia, some of the best playing fields are weed-free, dormant bermudagrass."

What other factors have you observed in your years of refereeing that contribute to unsafe fields? "Surface hardness. I can’t tell you what percentage moisture the soil is supposed to be on some of these native-soil fields like you might want me to do with a piece of equipment, but I know when a field is playable or not. When I arrive at a high school for a game, I run up and down the field several times to do two things: loosen up and assess playing characteristics. You need enough firmness/traction for footing, but you know, it’s a balance between too hard or too soft. Whereas low-density grass fields can still be safe and soft when sufficiently moist, these same fields can be extremely dangerous once they dry out. When a player’s cleats won’t penetrate a surface, they are going to slip; it is like playing on asphalt. Surface hardness is often not a permanent condition because as soon as it rains, fields can become reasonably playable. However, field moisture needs to be addressed days before the game, not minutes before. On bare, compacted fields, players fall on these barren, concrete-like soils and they simply don’t get up.”

What made you so passionate about your commitment to the quality of soccer fields? "I played it, then coached it, and now I continue to give back to the game and the athletes by serving as a referee. Soccer is such a beautiful game when you really learn how it is played and the skills that are required. That’s why it is so popular internationally and why its popularity has grown (and continues to grow) at this time. Imagine what is going to happen with World Cup coming to North America? Soccer is truly a player’s game; it has no time outs and coaches have little influence during the game. And the soccer rulebook is very small compared to that of baseball or football. Other than field hockey and lacrosse, no sport is so dependent on turf cutting height, surface smoothness, and plant density as soccer. So, remember that if that field was used for football in the fall, its requirements for soccer are very different and quite often the fields left for spring soccer are in terrible condition after fall American football."

"What’s unique about soccer is that it is played constantly on one foot, and good footing is an absolute necessity for crisp cuts and proper passes. A quality field allows players to properly challenge their opponents for possession of the ball. You rarely have a good game on a bad field because players must make up for field deficiencies by playing more aggressively. This leads to more yellow cards and more fights. I bet you never considered that poor field quality is one of the primary reasons for fights in soccer. The extreme variability in field quality at the high-school level is very frustrating for players because the skills that make soccer such a great sport are of limited importance when the field is poor. I’ve gone as far in my efforts as a referee as to warn a high school Athletic Director that if certain maintenance aspects were not corrected on the field, I would forfeit the next game I umpire there. The corrections were made - and the AD asked the head of officials to make sure I never umpired a game again at that school - I will still take that as a win for the student athletes!"

Why do you think there are so many problems at the high school athletic field level when it comes to soccer? "One important concern is folks not understanding the difference between a soccer field and a football field. You can play 10-to-20 soccer matches on a field at a suitable moisture level before you might match the wear attributed to one game of football. In soccer, the players are smaller, cleats are smaller, and there is no pushing or shoving repeatedly from a designated line of scrimmage. The second concern is a simple lack of knowledge in basic maintenance practices. Everyone seems to know an awful lot about growing grass until it comes time to actually grow it. Having a basic fertility, cultivation, and weed control program can make the difference between acceptable or dangerous fields. I know that most high schools don’t have their own aerifiers, but who says they have to own one? Why not pitch in with area schools and buy a machine to share. This seems like a pretty common-sense approach."

"I had a chance to address a county school board about field maintenance requirements one time. I used the three-legged stool analogy for them. One leg is the field use… how much, how often, under what conditions. The second leg is the maintenance program – do you have one? And the third leg is the soil type and field design. Does it have adequate surface drainage? Now, any discrepancies in the legs make for a pretty useless stool and it is the same for your field. All the legs are important and they deserve equal attention."

So, what is needed to improve these fields? "Three items are typically lacking in field maintenance -- money, labor, and knowledge – and I think the biggest limitation in field management at the high school level is most often knowledge. Schools with pretty small budgets can still have some great playing fields because someone cares AND knows what they are doing. Many of the best fields I visit are maintained by the local parks and recreation staff in a partnership where the fields are sometimes used for special events or tourneys for the city or county. This results in the high schools utilizing the expertise of some really knowledgeable people. Some of the other ways I have helped school systems is to advise them on fundraising activities by the booster clubs to support field maintenance. This just takes a little organization and initiative, and maybe a little education on why field maintenance is so important! And I remind them that neither age or skill level should have anything to do with having a safe field – everyone deserves a safe playing surface."

One last point my friend wanted to reemphasize to me: "Remember Goatley, when it comes to overall field safety and playability, it’s not what it looks like, it’s what it FEELS like that makes the difference!"