Module 2:

2.3 Assessing Pitch Quality

2.3.10 Assessing a pitch using example data

1   So, let’s get started with providing an overall grade for the pitch that has been assessed using the example data we have provided. After working though this example, you can then determine the overall pitch grade for your own pitch using your values.

First up, we need the average values we found from the worksheet that was used for recording the findings from the pitch assessment and input these into the following summary analysis table.

The figures need to be compared with the table in this module’s section 2.3.7 Performance Standards for the different pitch quality grades and the relevant grade indicated in the column provided below.

2   Table showing summary of assessed performance standard data

3   So, in this example (so far) we have a pitch that has grade distribution (using average mean analysis) as follows:

How then can we try and get a feel for an overall pitch grade?

We could just add up the total of the grade values and divide by 12 (the number of performance standards that were assessed) to give a figure of 2.58.

¹ Number of instances multiplied by the value of the grade number.

4   This is a nice and easy approach, but it doesn’t distinguish between the influence some of the standards have on playability and the ease which some can be easily corrected.

For example, if the grass / sward height was given as ungraded because it was very long (in our performance standards data table this is greater than 80mm), it wouldn’t take long to just mow the pitch and get it into a high grade.

By contrast getting root depth or ground cover to improve can take considerable time and effort, but they can have a significant impact on playing quality and games that can be played. Ideally some sort of weighting system is used to reflect the important, influence and ease or difficulty of correcting a poor finding from a pitch assessment.