Day 17 – The Pitch (the field) – dimensions and surfaces

Topic Point: The FIFA World Cup must be played on a natural grass surface. TheRules of the Game allow for a range for the dimensions: length between 100-130yards and width between 50-100 yards. The field must be rectangular in shape. The most common field dimensionsare 115 yards x 74 yards (per FIFA’s recommendation for international play).There are tighter regulations for field dimensions in international matches(110-120 yards x 70-80 yards).

There are two rectangular boxes marked infront of each goal. The smaller box, known as the “goal area” or “6-yard box”,designates the area within which a goal kick (when the ball goes over the goalline last touched by the offensive team) or free kick for the defending team(for infractions committed by the offensive team within the goal box) may betaken. If the defending team commits an indirect free kick infraction (Day 20)within the goal box, the attacking team takes the kick on the line of the 6-yardbox closest to where the infraction was committed.

The larger rectangular box is the “penaltyarea” or “18-yard box”. It indicates the area within which the goalkeeper mayuse his/her hands, as well as the area within which a direct-kick foulcommitted by the defensive team (Day 20) results in a penalty kick for theattacking team. The top of the box Is 18 yards from the goal line. There is apenalty spot within the box, 12 yards from the goal line, that designates thelocation for a penalty kick. The arc at the top of the 18-yard box, the“penalty arc”, identifies the 10-yard required from the penalty spot. Allplayers except the shooter and goalkeeper will be behind the arc or the line ofthe 18-yard box on either side of the arc.

The center or half-way line divides thepitch in half. The center circle is a 10-yard radius from the center spot; allplayers on the defending team must be outside the circle for a kick-off.

The corner arc is a 1-yard radius and theball must touch any portion of the line for a corner kick.

Ted Lasso: InS2E8 when AFC Richmond is getting ready to play Manchester City, Ted is talkingto the team and learns that fields can be different dimensions. Notably, thepitch at Wembley Stadium is larger (4 meters longer and 1 meter wider) than thepitch at the Dog Track (the real home field for Crystal Palace of the EPL).

Soccer-related note: The largest field in the EPL is Nottingham Forest’s City Ground(105m x 71m). The smallest pitch in the EPL is Fulham’s Craven Cottage (100m x65m).

Until around 2005, artificial turf fieldswere prohibited by FIFA. Since then, FIFA has allowed “high quality, FIFAapproved” synthetic surfaces for select competitions. However, the FIFA WorldCup is required to be played on natural grass. The 2015 Women’s World Cup wasplayed on artificial turf in Canada and resulted in controversy and lawsuits.Players suffered from various injuries including skin burns. For the 1994(played in the United States) and 2026 World Cups, stadiums with artificialturf are required to install sod over the artificial surface.

In the EFL (top 4 tiers of English soccer),all surfaces must be natural grass. If a team in the National League (tier 5)plays on an artificial surface, they must convert their pitch to grass ifpromoted to League 2 (Tier 4).

American Sports comparison: All American football fields, basketball courts, and ice hockeyrinks are the same dimension. Baseball, however, has variability that is moredrastic that soccer. While the infield has a standard dimension, outfield wallscan be different distances from home plate, and the outfield wall itself hasvarying heights. The Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field and the Boston Red Sox’sFenway Park are two of the most iconic stadiums and, due to their age, haveunique features compared to other modern MLB stadiums. At Wrigley Field, if theball ends up in the ivy covering the wall, that outfielder can (and should)choose not to retrieve the ball and continue play. If the outfielder raises hishands to indicate the ball cannot be immediately retrieved, the play is deadand the umpire calls a “ground-rule double”. While not a direct comparison tosoccer, it presents a unique playing-field condition  that one only really finds in baseball andsoccer.

Interactive:

From IFAB Rule of the Game

https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/the-field-of-play/#field-surface

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Crystal Palace F.C. – Selhurst Park (1924)

Pitch Dimensions: 110.5 yards x 74.4 yards (101 meters x 68 meters)

England National Team – New Wembley Stadium (2007)

Pitch dimensions: 114.8 yards x 74.4 yards (105 meters x 68 meters)

Nottingham Forest – City Ground (1898)

Pitch dimensions: 114.8 yards x 77.6 yards (105 meters x 71 meters)

Fulham F.C. – Craven Cottage (1896)

Pitch Dimensions: 109.4 yards x 71.1 yards (100 meters x 65 meters)

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Based on the FIFA recommendation for international tournaments (105 meters x 68 meters or 115 yards x 75 yards), the United States NFL stadiums hosting games must make accommodations to their structure. Below is a link to a video showing how SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams) will increase its field size. Also below is a link to an article (BBC) with a brief discussion of considerations for the stadium venues.

https://www.reddit.com/r/worldcup/comments/1hq8mtw/exclusive_look_at_sofi_stadium_will_increase_the/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/extra/zwengdni1f/world-cup-2026-stadium-guide