EL pitch sizes

[brianw82]

Is it just me, or are the pitches in the EL much smaller than the ones on the continent/UK?

There never seems to be any space in midfield for players on an EL pitch. I was wondering if the pitch has to be a minimum/maximum size?

[noby]

It's just that all the players are fatter here.

[Battery Rover]

Max

130 yds long
100 yds wide

Min
100 yds long
50 yds wide




Our pitch is 125 yds long and 74 yds wide

I seem to recall Dalymount being a very wide pitch the last time I saw it a few seasons ago.

[TonyD]

Is it just me, or are the pitches in the EL much smaller than the ones on the continent/UK?

There never seems to be any space in midfield for players on an EL pitch. I was wondering if the pitch has to be a minimum/maximum size?

No, it's not just you. I've always thought that too, though it could be an optical illusion. With TV angles and the like, foreign pitches might just appear bigger on TV. Anyone know what the biggest pitch in the EL is ? I know Pats have squeezed every available inch out of Richmond Park recently, but I don't know what the dimensions are.

[seanfhear]

Is it just me, or are the pitches in the EL much smaller than the ones on the continent/UK?

There never seems to be any space in midfield for players on an EL pitch. I was wondering if the pitch has to be a minimum/maximum size?
you get much more open and attractive football on bigger pitchs.I have always thought that any new stadiums should be forced to make the pitches as big as the rules stipulate and also with the fans as close as possible.To hell with running tracks and the like, with the amount supporters are now paying they deserve the best possible atmosphere.

[passinginterest]

No, it's not just you. I've always thought that too, though it could be an optical illusion. With TV angles and the like, foreign pitches might just appear bigger on TV. Anyone know what the biggest pitch in the EL is ? I know Pats have squeezed every available inch out of Richmond Park recently, but I don't know what the dimensions are.

Wexford Youths is the biggest. Had to make it smaller because it was bigger than the maximum allowed. A lot of pitches do look very tight, I know I've played on a few park pitches this year that were massive compared to some of the League of Ireland pitches I've seen.

[oldyouth]

Wexford Youths is the biggest. Had to make it smaller because it was bigger than the maximum allowed. A lot of pitches do look very tight, I know I've played on a few park pitches this year that were massive compared to some of the League of Ireland pitches I've seen.

Ours still has to be the longest. Our front men run and run and run and still never seem to get as far as the halfway line!!!!!!

[Schumi]

Anyone know what the biggest pitch in the EL is?I suspect it may be ours. It was bigger than allowed before the start of the season and had to made smaller, I think to the max allowed size.

[DonalE]

The pitch in Athlone is very long, very first thing I noticed the first time I was in the new ground

[Red&White Rover]

Same as. Biggest I've seen in the EL anyway.

[gufcfan]

I suspect it may be ours. It was bigger than allowed before the start of the season and had to made smaller, I think to the max allowed size.

I did think that Belfield Bowl looked massive.

[Stato]

Max

130 yds long
100 yds wide

Min
100 yds long
50 yds wide


I looked up that bastion of good standards, the Club Licensing Manual, and it states the criteria as follows:

Size of Field Of Play (pirch)
105m x 68m exactly (older stadia and first division clubs may have smaller sizes no less than 100m x 64m and 95m x 60m respectively)

Size of the Playing Area
Minimum for Champions League group stages & UEFA Cup first round 109.5m x 72.5m
For all others there must be a boundary of at least 2.25m between the field of play and the perimeter boards.

Given that clubs have to have the correct size field of play under licensing (it's independently measured before the start of each season) I'm guessing they're all pretty much the same, as are pitches around Europe. St Pats recently widened and lengthened the field of play to the maximum from the minimum.

The big difference in a lot of European grounds compared to Irish grounds is the size of the playing area. Some clubs have 5m to 10m of "run off" space at the sides and ends of their pitches, that creates the illusion of a bigger pitch.

[SeanDrog]

if I had to guess I would Utd Park is the smallest.

[bigmac]

Well the RSC must be the same size as all the other pitches inside running tracks (Stadio Olimpico etc..)
I always think that pitches in general look bigger from further away - therefore cameras at the top of a stand will make a pitch look bigger than the closer up cameras used in the EL.

[gilberto_eire]

Is it just me, or are the pitches in the EL much smaller than the ones on the continent/UK?

There never seems to be any space in midfield for players on an EL pitch. I was wondering if the pitch has to be a minimum/maximum size?

A lot of the pitches are very small, also the fact that most fans would see Old Trafford on T.V more then the rest which i'd believe to be the Max'.
Our pitch is a bit on the small side as would a lot of other clubs