For several years now, the Ligue de Football Professionnel has been organizing the Ligue 1 “pitch championship”. Often, Paris Saint-Germain, 1st in sporting results, also comes out on top in terms of the quality of the pitch at its Parc des Princes. And they’ve done it again this season.
The ranking is based on the assessments of clubs, central referees and TV producers, using 5 criteria:
“Overall assessment of the playing area and its surroundings (quality of layouts, technical
areas, etc.)
For the clubs and the central referee:
Trajectory of the ball on the ground,
Flexibility/Hardness of the ground,
Quality of the supports (change of direction, acceleration, stop run…),
Quality of the ground cover (density, color, homogeneity…),
Overall appreciation of the playing area and its surroundings (assistant referee lanes,
warm-up areas, layouts…).
For the TV producer:
Color (quality of green, homogeneity, etc.)
Density of the pitch (presence of damaged or patched areas, etc.)
Mowing pattern (well-defined transverse strips, respectful of layouts)
Tackling behavior (stability under pressure, presence of clods)”
PSG and their ground manager Jonathan Calderwood are very proud of their pitch, which is considered to be almost perfect. This means we can always have great matches, with players in the best possible condition to play.
We’re also pleased to see that the average level in Ligue 1 has risen considerably in recent years. There’s been a real effort to avoid problematic pitches. A point sometimes underestimated in the quality of the championship.
