Frozen pitch

Frozen pitch refers to the hard pitches of ground. Though football is commonly treated as a “winter sport” with the season running August through to May the following year, it is often called off due to severe weather or unsafe pitch conditions. Much to the dismay of some professional athletes, frozen or waterlogged pitches account for many weather related match cancellations.

Footballers are often at high risk from injuries involving the pelvis, groin, hip, thigh, knee, calf, ankle and foot. These injuries are often caused by ongoing trauma to that area.

Due to the nature of the game, football players are more susceptible to these types of injuries despite the condition of the pitch. That being said, it is known that professional footballers who play in the UK suffer an increased amount of injuries involving the aforementioned areas as opposed to professionals who play in warmer climates such as Spain, Brazil and more. We suspect that the increase in injuries is caused not by playing styles, but by severe weather conditions. As such playing in a colder climate can cause more injuries due to the pitch conditions.

Having a muddy or waterlogged pitch may cause players to trip or slide; this is a known cause of ankle and knee injuries. As well as falls, muddy pitches also mean that players have more resistance when running, a leading cause of ligament damage.

In contrast to the soft and muddy pitches, frozen and therefore hard pitches can also cause a significant amount of damage to players. When falling on a frozen pitch the impact with the hard ground can cause significant injury, to any part of the body, and falling is not the only risk that comes with a frozen pitch. Just by simply running on a frozen pitch players face greater risk of injury. The direct contact with the frozen pitch increases a player’s risk of sustaining ankle foot, knee and back injuries.

Though playing on frozen pitches is extremely dangerous, for some, not playing on a frozen pitch is not an option. Footballers who live in countries such as Finland have to practice and play on frozen pitches due to their extreme climate. However, it is their love of the sport which keeps them playing and not the fact that they feel it is safe. Many players state that playing in icy weather conditions makes the ball feel heavier, and they can even feel the physical impact on their feet whilst playing.

There are no direct tests which one can do to determine whether or not a pitch is safe to play on. It is simply up to the referee.

This can be easy as when snow or ice is present it is often visible to the naked eye. However, in order for the pitch to be deemed as safe for play, 100% of the pitch must be free from ice. Having small patches of ice, and therefore hard ground, can cause many more trips and falls than previously anticipated. Therefore the referee must fully inspect the pitch before deeming it to be safe or not.

It is advised that when checking the pitch for frost that they start in the goal mouth, as this is the most used area, and is more likely to be a clear indication of the condition of the rest of the pitch.

Younger players are much more susceptible to injury and therefore referees of youth games should be even more cautious when making the decision as to whether the pitch is suitable for play or not.

Though many players are often disappointed when games are either cancelled or postponed due to severe weather conditions, it is paramount to the safety of the players that games are not played when the pitch is deemed unsafe or unsuitable for play.

During harsh winter weather conditions football matches or practice can be moved to an indoor area. This therefore allows players to keep working on their skills, without paying the price which comes from playing on an unsafe pitch.