Module 2:

2.2 Examples of Performance Standards

2.2.10 Uniform pitch colour

Ideally there will be a consistent, usually darker, green colour throughout the entire pitch.

Checking that the lines are adequately visible mid-week can influence whether a pitch needs a full over marking or just selected overmarking for a forthcoming game. This approach might be relevant to clubs with very limited resources, primarily with Grade 1, or maybe some Grade 2, pitches.

The actual colour will vary during the playing season as grass naturally dies off, with the dead parts of the grass becoming yellow and straw brown in colour (although good maintenance practices should be able to remove any build-up of dead and decaying parts of grasses), along with wind scorching of leaves during the winter, and a lighter green colour during drier summer months where water supply becomes less available.

Maintenance inputs, prevailing weather and the natural life cycle of grass plants will all influence the uniformity of colour, so expecting a 100% uniformity at all times for a living organism is unrealistic. Where pitches are striped then it will be the uniformity of the colour in the stripes, lighter one way and darker the other way.

A sub-category of uniform pitch colour could also be where the pitch is striped / banded. Uniformity of stripe or band width may also be included as a performance standard.

Picture of uniformity of colour on a pitch

  Consider the following question:

1. If you were to describe the current colour of your football pitch, what would be the closest of the following statements?

a) Mostly a nice green colour.

b) Several shades of green, with some yellowing and exposed soil.

c) Several shades of green and yellow / light brown, along with quite a few areas of exposed soil.

d) An irregular patchwork quilt effect of greens, yellows, light browns and exposed soil, in fact a very unsightly pitch.

e) Mostly devoid of vegetation.

Assessing uniformity of pitch colour

Walk the entire pitch to make observations and judgement.

Estimate (as a percentage) how much of the pitch is consistent with the desired colour, or colours if striped.

Numerous colour schemes can be used to help determine what might be a desirable colour for a pitch at a particular site or time of year. The use of web colours is an easy and readily reproduced approach. There are many web sites which show different web colours, including Wikipedia > Web colors.