The international football governing body FIFA has released its rating system for natural pitches. FIFA calls the document ‘the missing piece of the Natural Playing Surfaces (NPS) quality programme’.
The purpose of the rating system is to improve the overall quality of natural playing surfaces by implementing a rating system that allows the quality of the surfaces to be objectively assessed.
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The document discusses the generic testing protocols, test positions and the rating system. Details about the test methods used to assess the quality of the pitch can be found in the Natural Playing Surfaces Test Manual.
The rating system has been developed to help tournament organisers to identify where resources are most needed and to assess the potential risks relating to the playing surface quality before the tournament.
The rating system is intended to be an efficient tool for ground staff in their day-to-day work and to help them keep a record of the surface quality.
