Pitch inspection
- Thread starter Adrock
- Start date
Post in thread 'Pitch inspections' https://refchat.co.uk/threads/pitch-inspections.17165/post-202276
one
RefChat Addict
Make a decision after inspecting just before the game. Use a lot of common sense and be wary of the possibility of gamesmanship or politics being played by managers.
I had a game neither manager wanted to play because 'pitch was unsafe'. While there were a couple of soft surface areas (no mud), it was perfectly safe to play. We all knew both team were short of players due to injuries and being away for the long weekend and that was the real reason they didn't want to play. They decided they won't play despite I deeming it safe. I sent an incident report in, nothing came off it.
I had a game neither manager wanted to play because 'pitch was unsafe'. While there were a couple of soft surface areas (no mud), it was perfectly safe to play. We all knew both team were short of players due to injuries and being away for the long weekend and that was the real reason they didn't want to play. They decided they won't play despite I deeming it safe. I sent an incident report in, nothing came off it.
ChasObserverRefDeveloper
Regular Contributor
A very risky approach - if a player is injured because of conditions expect a claim!
This a wum?
I seemed to remember a heated discussion about the flaws of this approach last time
For anyone looking for advice on this topic ... This is not the advice you should be following!
If that's your rule of thumb then it's up to you, but you shouldn't encourage anyone else to follow your lead. If you approve a pitch that is obviously unsafe and someone is seriously injured then that's on you, and you could be sued.
I abandoned a supply league game many years ago because the pitch was unsafe. I inspected and it appeared ok, although it was wet. However, once players started seriously running on it a player's foot went into the ground almost to his knee. It then transpired that the home team had an FA Vase semi-final in a week's time and had moved the pitch across so they could fit a temporary grandstand in. They'd dug a drainage channel across the pitch. It was ok to walk across but was very soft and wouldn't support serious weight - for example players sprinting.
This wasn't obvious, but as soon as it became so it was game off. The home team offered to sign to say I wouldn't be held liable if someone was injured, but there's no way I was agreeing to that. There is no way that would hold up in court.
Did the home team get done for it?
I feel guilt for every non contact playing injury in my games (unfairly, I never let us play on an unreasonable pitch). I’m not sure I could ever take your approach, watching a 15 year old girl hobble off because her ankle rolled in the sticky mud of her penalty area.
If you are only going to come onto to spout nonsense that is clearly incorrect, might I respectfully suggest this isn't the forum for you. Especially as you said exactly the same before and were universally told your approach was risky, dangerous, and just plain wrong.
I believe so, but the game was replayed because I did that one as well
My mindset is inclined towards yours on the basis that you don't quite mean your comment literally, which I doubt you do
In principal, it can rain almost as much as it likes for me, but absolutely no way I'm going anywhere near a frozen pitch
Depends though, a wet pitch is often a sticky one and liable to rolled ankles and twisted knees
ladbroke8745
RefChat Addict
I had 2 games this weekend past (1 Saturday and 1 Sunday) both on the same pitch.
I done a pitch inspection on the pitch for the Saturday game and deemed it unplayable then (water all over the pitch).
Continued to pee it down heavily the rest of the day and got a call from the manager of the home side asking about the game as the away side had been bothering him.
Based on my inspection earlier that day, and the continued rain and expected forecast, the distance the away side would be traveling (about 25 miles one way) I said to postpone the game.
I done a pitch inspection on the pitch for the Saturday game and deemed it unplayable then (water all over the pitch).
Continued to pee it down heavily the rest of the day and got a call from the manager of the home side asking about the game as the away side had been bothering him.
Based on my inspection earlier that day, and the continued rain and expected forecast, the distance the away side would be traveling (about 25 miles one way) I said to postpone the game.
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but kudos to the points above for their help for me this weekend.
I've done a couple of inspections previously for games that went ahead without problems but this was my first "in person" call off in the two years I've been refereeing. After a couple of hours of torrential rain over lunch, I rang ahead to check with the club the state of the pitch. "All fine, no problems, see you shortly", great...
Or so I thought. Puddles of water in large parts of the playing surface and a club secretary not best pleased that the game was off. The ball rolled but dropping the ball, the ball stopped dead and the puddles would have made the game a farce (and in my eyes, potentially dangerous).
But the guidance from above as well as the league directive on Pitch Inspections was really helpful and a learning for the inevitable next one, so thanks for all the advice.
I've done a couple of inspections previously for games that went ahead without problems but this was my first "in person" call off in the two years I've been refereeing. After a couple of hours of torrential rain over lunch, I rang ahead to check with the club the state of the pitch. "All fine, no problems, see you shortly", great...
Or so I thought. Puddles of water in large parts of the playing surface and a club secretary not best pleased that the game was off. The ball rolled but dropping the ball, the ball stopped dead and the puddles would have made the game a farce (and in my eyes, potentially dangerous).
But the guidance from above as well as the league directive on Pitch Inspections was really helpful and a learning for the inevitable next one, so thanks for all the advice.
santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Pitch is muddy!