Field Quality... Good, Bad, Ugly, and Smelly

S

Soccermaverick

SILVER ELITE
I would like to start a conversation about the field quality in your area.

I have seen great pitches in some areas...Very good grass.. nice and easy passing. Taxes?

Yet some I have been to are basically dog parks.Glorified dog toilets! I bring a shovel just so we can play.

Then there’s the ones with moles or uneven dirt/ground. Very annoying..

Some fields smell... I am sure they are next to dumps or treatment facilities!

What’s the worst fields you or your DD have played on? Is there a Cal South Standard ?
 
The fields in my city are absolutely terrible. Luckily the kid does not practice or play there. She trains at Great Park and that whole complex and parking is fantastic. Variety of sports there and soccer fields stay decent but get a little beat up with the continued usage. My city is fairly affluent living but they certainly dont have soccer as a focus.
 
League cup. An elementary school in the heart of la. The goals were staked into the ground and could not be moved...they weren’t lined up with each other, off by several meters so the flow of the game was on the diagonal. No grass just mud. One corner flooded and cones set off with a hazardous pump sticking out of the ground. Swore too the goals were unequal height.

The fields in Utah were absolutely lovely even in the city. Utah soccer a few years back put pitches in every suburb around salt lake and several of the public pitches we saw were even nicer than the ones in our California burb.
 
Grace T. said:
League cup. An elementary school in the heart of la. The goals were staked into the ground and could not be moved...they weren’t lined up with each other, off by several meters so the flow of the game was on the diagonal. No grass just mud. One corner flooded and cones set off with a hazardous pump sticking out of the ground. Swore too the goals were unequal height.

The fields in Utah were absolutely lovely even in the city. Utah soccer a few years back put pitches in every suburb around salt lake and several of the public pitches we saw were even nicer than the ones in our California burb.
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We played in Salt Lake, beautiful soccer complex with natural grass fields. One of the nicest locations to play.
 
Pierce College, Woodland Hills. It was during the drought and the field was not being watered. The dry grass was worn away exposing a small concrete slab that had a bolt ticking out of it.
 
Kicker4Life said:
Then you have never played in Apple Valley!
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Oh boy, State Cup in Apple Valley was very dangerous. That place was insane, especially when it snowed all night, then rain, then the ice and then close out with the wind. After escaping injury, the drive back was why I supported Silverlakes, Great Park, Oceanside and any new fields in LA being build so kids could be safe.
 
Turf: there are like 6 different types of surfaces. The synthetic or hybrid style is what we see mostly either 2nd gen with sand fill or rubber pellets. Summer heat can be problem for our turf pitchs since most don't have cooling systems.

Grass: this is where the variety, amount of useage, time of year, and the upkeep really creates a lot of variation. Goes from awfull school pitches to mediocre complex fields, to nice ones in some stadiums that aren't used to death for multiple sports.

All of my kids have preferred turf surfaces for training and playing because they like a faster game where speed can be more utilized and play is more predictable and generaly faster. The heat is a factor and grass can be nicer in some months.

The debate of artificial turf vs natural grass and the risk of injuries has been a real concern. The premier league switched back to natural grass in the 90's and FIFA not allowing artificial fields at the 23' world cup for Women.
 
turf is and always will be bad for injuries. GP is doing a good job with both style of fields.
 
lafalafa said:
Turf: there are like 6 different types of surfaces. The synthetic or hybrid style is what we see mostly either 2nd gen with sand fill or rubber pellets. Summer heat can be problem for our turf pitchs since most don't have cooling systems.

Grass: this is where the variety, amount of useage, time of year, and the upkeep really creates a lot of variation. Goes from awfull school pitches to mediocre complex fields, to nice ones in some stadiums that aren't used to death for multiple sports.

All of my kids have preferred turf surfaces for training and playing because they like a faster game where speed can be more utilized and play is more predictable and generaly faster. The heat is a factor and grass can be nicer in some months.

The debate of artificial turf vs natural grass and the risk of injuries has been a real concern. The premier league switched back to natural grass in the 90's and FIFA not allowing artificial fields at the 23' world cup for Women.
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Actually, some of the big name venues like Barcelona's stadium use a hybrid turf and real grass mix.
 
Lavey29 said:
Actually, some of the big name venues like Barcelona's stadium use a hybrid turf and real grass mix.
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Yeah those are nice but it's mostly in the soil they put those poly fibers in to reinforce the above surface. A small amount remains above the surface but the pitch is mostly natural grass entwined with the fibers.

Rangers in the premium league and Man United I recall installed something like what camp Nou has.
 
The closer you get to the beach, the lumpier the grass fields become. (Not talking about O'side or Surf Cup Sports park -- those are great fields). But any school field or park field located less than a mile from the beach - you should have ankles taped.
 
1. La Cañada High School. Turf was about 1/4 inch thick and like a slip and slide. Kid played on it 2 weeks in a row for scrimmages and the 2nd week he wore indoor turf shoes.

2. Mason Park in Chatsworth. The southern 10 or so feet of the field is on a downslope. They actually painted lines on a hill.

Most of the larger complexes have been pretty good. We have only been to Galway twice fortunately (about as far as you can get from us) and both times the fields were good though I have read the parking lot horror stories
 
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