The Ref Stop

Frozen Pitch

The Ref Stop
To respond to OP
I'd say that a pitch so frozen that you absolutely can't play on it should be pretty obvious to recognize.
If it's not the case, ask yourself "would I hurt myself if I'd fall right on the knee ?", then, consider the age of the players, OA and U19 requirements of safety aren't the same as U12
 
  • Like
Reactions: SM
To add to the above - You are looking for things like; will the pitch take a stud? Are there frozen ridges of mud which would cut a player? If a player fell would it be like landing on concrete (pitch too hard)?

Any of these things anywhere on the pitch? No game today lads, I'm going home.
 
Does it look frosty, is it still a cold day, is it Am or PM and is / has the Sun been out on it. Did you have to de-ice the car? ll these are pointers that it is cold enough to have frozen and that the temp is currently still too low to have de-frosted.

is the moisture on the grass still ice or is it droplets, are they bending or snapping, are there hard ridges in the ground, if you run do you have grip or are you crunching on the top or wrost case - can you stick a key in the groung or is it too hard.(queue outroar!)

My mum says that if you int got owt decent to say, then dont say owt.

Or as the Sgt Major may probably more eloquently put it - " and which bit of you vast 16 years expereince of life so far makes you an expert of Arctic Survival - if you've never been there Come on, I'm waiting ....... eh?"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Keep it on topic fellas (HRW ans MIP) please. it's too late on a Friday evening for that kind of nonsense. :)

Saying that though, we just upgraded our house keys. Now made of metal. Who'd have thought it eh? Technology stuns me :p
What were yor house keys made of before i wonder? Wool? :D
 
They would be useless for testing the hardness of a football pitch.

No no no, you're missing the point. You cant sit in the changing rooms and eat keys. But you CAN eat twiglets. Sod the pitch inspection, they are grown men. Its twiglet time and I shant be disturbed.
 
Best method, house key.... penalty area where the goalkeeper likes to sunbathe, down the wings where players like to compete in the olympic gold medal 150 yd sprint if the key goes in about 5 mm should be ok but common sense will prevail
 
Last edited:
To add to the above - You are looking for things like; will the pitch take a stud? Are there frozen ridges of mud which would cut a player? If a player fell would it be like landing on concrete (pitch too hard)?

Any of these things anywhere on the pitch? No game today lads, I'm going home.
All of the above also applies to April-September football when the pitches are so bone dry from the sun (rare, I know) so what would RC members do in that situation...?
 
Back
Top