Let Groundstaff Mow Soccer Pitches Their Way!
Let Groundstaff Mow Soccer Pitches Their Way!
The Issue
When I was about 7 or 8, I could occasionally be found “mowing the lawn” at home. The lawn in this case being the tall-haired carpets throughout my house. I’d use my hands or sticks and batons lying around to recreate Premier League and FIFA-quality pitch patterns. Like this.
When I was 9, I visited London with my family, and made a pilgrimage to the legendary Lords Cricket Ground. A fledgling groundskeeper’s dream. Having found my way to an unprotected corner of the velvety, immaculate pitch, I just had to touch it. A moment later, a cantankerous old stadium staff member ran me down and tore into me for having set off an alarm, disrupting my ritual.
Well-mowed, well-maintained grass pitches are one my great pleasures. So you can imagine my distress to find out last week that groundskeepers’ rights and autonomy have been systematically dismantled by Big Soccer in recent years.
In 2017, the Premier League banned elaborate pitch designs to align with UEFA regulations (see page 20) which state:
- “Grass should be cut in straight lines, across the width of the pitch, perpendicular to the touchline. No other form of grass cutting (diagonal, circles, etc.) is permitted for UEFA matches.
- The lines across the pitch should be cut in the direction and sizes shown in Fig. 15, with a total of nine bands in each half of the pitch. Band preparation starts from the left-hand side of the pitch as seen from the main camera, starting with a band that is cut away from the main camera position.
- The first four bands of the pitch should always be exactly 5.5m wide. The five remaining bands in each half should then be of a uniform width, finishing at the halfway line (on 105m pitches these bands will be 6.10m wide; for shorter pitches the width of these bands should be adapted accordingly).”
According the Premier League’s announcement of the news back in 2017, “assistant referees find that the traditional cutting of the grass in horizontal lines aids them in their decision-making for offsides.”
Who says horizontal lines are the only style to count as traditional? There were all kinds of fun patterns setting the stage for the greatest goal of the 20th century (https://bit.ly/4hbAL9O). What is the point of VAR helping with offsides other than to let us have our pitch designs back?
Sign the petition and tell Big Soccer to get off our lawns!!! :)
8
The Issue
When I was about 7 or 8, I could occasionally be found “mowing the lawn” at home. The lawn in this case being the tall-haired carpets throughout my house. I’d use my hands or sticks and batons lying around to recreate Premier League and FIFA-quality pitch patterns. Like this.
When I was 9, I visited London with my family, and made a pilgrimage to the legendary Lords Cricket Ground. A fledgling groundskeeper’s dream. Having found my way to an unprotected corner of the velvety, immaculate pitch, I just had to touch it. A moment later, a cantankerous old stadium staff member ran me down and tore into me for having set off an alarm, disrupting my ritual.
Well-mowed, well-maintained grass pitches are one my great pleasures. So you can imagine my distress to find out last week that groundskeepers’ rights and autonomy have been systematically dismantled by Big Soccer in recent years.
In 2017, the Premier League banned elaborate pitch designs to align with UEFA regulations (see page 20) which state:
- “Grass should be cut in straight lines, across the width of the pitch, perpendicular to the touchline. No other form of grass cutting (diagonal, circles, etc.) is permitted for UEFA matches.
- The lines across the pitch should be cut in the direction and sizes shown in Fig. 15, with a total of nine bands in each half of the pitch. Band preparation starts from the left-hand side of the pitch as seen from the main camera, starting with a band that is cut away from the main camera position.
- The first four bands of the pitch should always be exactly 5.5m wide. The five remaining bands in each half should then be of a uniform width, finishing at the halfway line (on 105m pitches these bands will be 6.10m wide; for shorter pitches the width of these bands should be adapted accordingly).”
According the Premier League’s announcement of the news back in 2017, “assistant referees find that the traditional cutting of the grass in horizontal lines aids them in their decision-making for offsides.”
Who says horizontal lines are the only style to count as traditional? There were all kinds of fun patterns setting the stage for the greatest goal of the 20th century (https://bit.ly/4hbAL9O). What is the point of VAR helping with offsides other than to let us have our pitch designs back?
Sign the petition and tell Big Soccer to get off our lawns!!! :)
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Petition created on October 20, 2024