A&H

3G / 4G Pitch condition

T

The Ginger Ref

Active Member
I play mid week 5 a side on a step 2 club's 3G/4G pitch. Tonight I was really surprised to see that the pitch has some ridges/tears on the pitch, assuming from overuse or badly installed. I have also seen at a local school's facility where the penalty spot has been kicked away, leaving a bare flat spot due to overuse/deliberate damage. (I also saw the result of a disposable bbq being lit on a 3G pitch during one hot summer 🔥)

So in this instance, what are you doing as a referee on match day when you come across a pitch that could potentially be dangerous? The obvious answer would be to postpone the game because of the possible danger. But what about the expectation that if both teams have arrived etc. then we should be doing our best to avoid a postponement and the likelihood of an incident happening is minimal.

Say you go ahead and then something like what happened to Phil Jones, happens 25 yards out from goal...

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The Referee Store
In England 3G pitches have to be approved, if it isn't approved you shouldn't be taking games on it. As part of that approval they have to be inspected and passed every 3 years (or every year for certain categories). But damage will occur in between inspections, so if that happens and you see it all you need to decide is does it make the pitch dangerous.
 
As Rusty says, if it's not safe don't play. Whether or not the teams are present is immaterial, safety is paramount (and avoids you being sued!)
Most clubs with 3G have a contract with a specialist repairer, with the area around the penalty mark often getting worn, and the goalmouths. I watched a specialist recently; cut out a square and replaced it, looked good as new, no visible join. Be safe!
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
As Rusty says, if it's not safe don't play. Whether or not the teams are present is immaterial, safety is paramount (and avoids you being sued!)
Most clubs with 3G have a contract with a specialist repairer, with the area around the penalty mark often getting worn, and the goalmouths. I watched a specialist recently; cut out a square and replaced it, looked good as new, no visible join. Be safe!
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Don't agree with this. Have you any example of a referee being sued for playing a game on an unfit pitch? (and I don't mean that to come across how it might, it's a genuine question)
 
RefereeX said:
Don't agree with this. Have you any example of a referee being sued for playing a game on an unfit pitch? (and I don't mean that to come across how it might, it's a genuine question)
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Yes. A player in a grassroots game was injured after falling, and sued the referee and the home club. He was off work for months so it was a big claim.
The argument was that the referee had not ensured that the f. o. p. was safe before kick off.
Case was settled by the referee's insurance company.
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Yes. A player in a grassroots game was injured after falling, and sued the referee and the home club. He was off work for months so it was a big claim.
The argument was that the referee had not ensured that the f. o. p. was safe before kick off.
Case was settled by the referee's insurance company.
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Player's should be able to make their own decisions as grown adults as to whether to participate or not. If a referee says a game is on, a player can still refuse to play if he is unhappy. The referee should not be held accountable. In addition to this, any time a player steps on a football pitch, they do so knowing they could get injured. It's part and parcel of the game. That's my opinion.

From a legal standpoint though, you say it was settled by his insurance company. Is this a policy they chose to take out, or cover they receive as part of their registration with their local county FA? I know the RA used to provide cover for certain things too.
 
The issue was something like a metal cover for a hosepipe connection (or similar) which allegedly caused tbe player's fall and injury.
Not sure which insurances he had.
 
Im sure I have seen the phrase used somewhere that the referee considered to be the 'guardian of the game' or using the plain English of 'the appointed match official'.

Therefore, my intepretation or understanding is that they are in charge of deeming the safety of the pitch, the equipment, surroundings etc. and it is their call whether to proceed with a match, and in doing so therefore become liable if a player is injured by a pitch that was in fact unsafe?

This is how I would imagine it's viewed from a legal perspective, however, proving fault may be an interesting conumdrum, but all in all seems a bit of a scary thought from the perspective of a new referee.
 
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The Ginger Ref said:
Im sure I have seen the phrase used somewhere that the referee considered to be the 'guardian of the game' or using the plain English of 'the appointed match official'.

Therefore, my intepretation or understanding is that they are in charge of deeming the safety of the pitch, the equipment, surroundings etc. and it is their call whether to proceed with a match, and in doing so therefore become liable if a player is injured by a pitch that was in fact unsafe?

This is how I would imagine it's viewed from a legal perspective, however, proving fault may be an interesting conumdrum, but all in all seems a bit of a scary thought from the perspective of a new referee.
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ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
I would not like to be the referee using that as my defence in cort if the teams knew I hadn't inspected the playing area before kick off. I suspect a court of law would be unlikely to accept it, as has been proved in other sports.
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But when teams play association football they agree to play according to the laws set by IFAB, do they not? That would be my defence in court.

Like I say, the referee has a responsibility to decide whether a pitch is suitable for play after an inspection, but are you telling me that if the referee misses a rabbit hole on a grass pitch because he hasn't inspected every inch, he's liable to be sued for a broken ankle? I just don't see it, and if he is, that's utterly wrong.
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
I would not like to be the referee using that as my defence in cort if the teams knew I hadn't inspected the playing area before kick off. I suspect a court of law would be unlikely to accept it, as has been proved in other sports.
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Indeed, law of the land will always trump laws of the game. Happens more in rugby, where referees have had legal action taken against them after players received serious injury.

For football if it could be proven the referee knew the pitch was dangerous, probably because he had pointed it out to the teams before the game, he'd be on a very sticky wicket if someone got injured and tried to take legal action. I had a game earlier this season and found a significant hole in the pitch, easily big enough for a boot to fit into. Both teams wanted to put a bib over it so players knew where it was but no way I was having that, it got filled properly in or the game was off.
 
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