The simple answer is no. Football is a universal sport. Depending on the level at which the game is being played, there are many variations that will greatly affect the level of pitch.
It is important for anyone involved in running a sports facility to be aware of these differences to ensure that players provide the right environment for their skill training. Even as a fan you can benefit from this information because you better understand why pitches are different in size and why your favorite team plays on different sized fields than other teams.
How long is the football field?
There is no simple answer to how long a football field should be. Dimensions will vary depending on the format and age of the game, as well as the rules governing the club’s governing body. For this article we will look at the regulations established by the Football Association.
Depending on the age of the players, they are allowed to join different age groups. The reason behind this is that each age group focuses on developing different skills. Some types of training can be very difficult for youngsters, others will be more complex to keep games competitive in adulthood. This will ultimately affect the surface that players need to cover. The smaller the baby, the smaller their body will be and the more difficult it will be to cover a wide space.
So how long is the football pitch? These are the sizes recommended by the FA, which can guide you to create age-appropriate football pitches.
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5-A-Side Pitch Soccer Pitch Dimensions
5-A-side pitch is recommended for those under 7 and under 8. According to the FA, the 5-a-side football pitch is supposed to be 36.5 meters long and 27.5 meters wide. A key feature of this type of pitch is its penalty area, which is actually semi-circular for these smaller pitches, compared to the more traditional rectangular boxes we see on 11-a-side pitches.
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7-A-Side Pitch Soccer Pitch Dimensions
The 7-a-side is a bit big, as naturally it needs to fit four more players. Also, this type of pitch is recommended for older children, between under-9 and under-10. The dimensions recommended by the FA for 7-a-side pitches are 54.86 m long and 36.6 m wide.
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9-A-side football pitch dimensions
9-a-side football pitches are designed for U-11 and U-12 players and must accommodate up to 18 players. According to FA regulations, a 9-side football pitch should be 73.1 meters long and 45.72 meters wide.
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Dimensions of 11-a-side football pitch
Now we move on to the adult professional game. The dimensions of the 11-a-side football pitch must be 90-120 meters long and 45-90 meters wide.
As you can see, football pitches are not all the same size. Their levels vary based on the group age of the players. However, one interesting fact that you may not be familiar with is that pitches for professional clubs are not the same size.
For 11-a-side, there is no fixed number, but more range, which determines the minimum and maximum requirements for the pitch.
These regulations allow for some flexibility in the size of the pitch and allow professional clubs to adapt their pitch to the specific playing style of their team.
For example, teams that have a long ball style of football will benefit from a longer pitch, as this will give their wings more space to push their attack. On the other hand for a defensive play style, a smaller pitch would be more appropriate. Players need to defend a small area and can easily control the situation by interrupting their opponent’s scoring trial. It may be able to explain why your favorite team shines when playing a home match and spends a fair amount of time playing an away match. It is important for coaches and players to be aware of how the pitch itself affects their style of play and to be able to adapt their match strategy accordingly.
Could a football pitch be square?
The short answer is no. A football pitch cannot be square. The rules of the game say that the pitch should be longer than the width, the touch line should be longer than the goal line. However, this means that theoretically, a football pitch could have a 91 meter long touch line with an 89 meter goal line, which would make the pitch look almost square.
Of course, the goal of most clubs is to build pitches that are as close to international standards as possible. In this way they ensure a consistent experience for both the player and the spectator.
How to mark a football pitch
Now that you understand the different sizes of football pitches, the next question you should ask yourself is how to draw lines for the game.
This work is traditionally done manually, with a group of groundplay players measuring the area, spreading the strings to find the exact location of the line, and then pushing a line marking machine that sprays paint with those strings. This manual work is very time consuming and erroneous. Lines can be twisted due to human error and change their correct position. This means that even without realizing it, your pitch can break the rules of a proper governing body.
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The latest technology in the field is the turf tank, a line marking robot that automates the process and identifies the pitches itself. Since it does not require a manual operator, it is a more efficient tool than the more traditional, manual alternatives. The robotic field painter is controlled by a smart tablet and it works with GPS-technology, thus ensuring that the lines are accurately marked each time. It can identify different levels of football pitches, making sure the lines are always in the right place and following the rules of the Football Association.
Another thing to keep in mind is that practice pitches can be different from play pitches. Coaches may want to customize the pitch to help their players develop their skills, such as resizing boxes, adding gridlines, or even scoring extra goals. Robots can easily be programmed to create all these new additions, creating custom dimensions according to the specific needs of your club.
Now that you are familiar with the various dimensions related to the age of a football pitch group, according to FA regulations, as well as understanding the tools needed to identify a football pitch, you can make better decisions and create the perfect pitch for your club.