A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term pitch is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in Australian, American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field.
For most sports the official term is field of play, although this is not regularly used by those outside refereeing/umpiring circles. The field of play generally includes out-of-bounds areas that a player is likely to enter while playing a match, such as the area beyond the touchlines in association football and rugby or the sidelines in American and Canadian football, or the "foul territory" in baseball.
The surface of a pitch is most commonly composed of sod (grass), but may also be artificial turf, sand, clay, gravel, concrete, or other materials. A playing field on ice may be referred to as a rink, for example an ice hockey rink, although rink may also refer to the entire building or, in the sport of curling, to either the building or a particular team.
In the sport of cricket, the cricket pitch refers not to the entire field of play, but to the section of the field on which batting and bowling take place in the centre of the field. The pitch is prepared differently from the rest of the field, to provide a harder surface for bowling.
A pitch is often a regulation space, as in an association football pitch.
The term level playing field is also used metaphorically to mean fairness in non-sporting human activities such as business where there are notional winners and losers.
Fields of play in various sports
PitchesField sizes
| Sport | Regulated by | Shape | Field length | Total length | Width | Total width | Depth/height | Surface | Diagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basque pelota (Jai-Alai) | FIPV | Rectangular cuboid | 54 meters | - | 10 meters | - | 10 meters | ||
| Bowling | IBF | Oblong rectangle | 754.1875 inches (19.15636 m) | 41–42 inches (1.0–1.1 m) | wood or synthetic material | ||||
| Canoe polo | ICF | Oblong rectangle | 35 meters | 23 meters | water | ||||
| Dodgeball | WDA | Oblong rectangle | 17 meters | - | 8 meters | - | - | ||
| Goalball | IBSA | Oblong rectangle | 18 meters | - | 9 meters | - | wood, plastic or synthetic | ||
| Korfball | IKF | Oblong rectangle | 40 meters | - | 20 meters | - | |||
| Netball | World Netball | Oblong rectangle | 100 feet (30 m) | - | 50 feet (15 m) | - | wood | ||
| Sepak takraw | ISTAF | Oblong rectangle | 44 feet (13 m) | - | 20 feet (6.1 m) | - | |||
| Aquatics | |||||||||
| Swimming (Olympic) | World Aquatics | Cuboid | 50 meters | - | 25 meters | - | 2-3 meters | ||
| Swimming (short course) | 25 meters | - | 20 meters | - | 2-2.5 meters | ||||
| Waterpolo | 25 meters | - | 20 meters | - | 1.8 meters | ||||
| Basketball | |||||||||
| 3x3 | FIBA | Oblong rectangle | 11 meters | - | 15 meters | - | |||
| Basketball | 28 meters | - | - | ||||||
| NBA | 94 feet (29 m) | - | 50 feet (15 m) | - | |||||
| Bat and ball sports | |||||||||
| Baseball | MLB | 250–400 feet (76–122 m)2 (distance from home plate apex to nearest center field fence) | - | 446.9–492.9 feet (136.2–150.2 m)3 | - | grass | |||
| WBSC | 400 feet (120 m) (distance from home plate apex to center field fence) | - | Distance between foul poles (each one are 275 feet (84 m) or more from home plate apex) | - | |||||
| Baseball5 | Square | 18 metres (59 ft) | 21 metres (69 ft) | 18 metres (59 ft) | 21 metres (69 ft) | 1 metre (3.3 ft) (fence) | |||
| Softball4 | Circular quadrant | 220–250 feet (67–76 m) (radius) | - | 220–250 feet (67–76 m) (radius) | - | ||||
| Vitilla | Circular sextant | 100 feet (30 m) (radius) | - | 100 feet (30 m) | - | - | |||
| Pesapallo | Finnish Pesäpallo Association | Irregular hexagon | 315 feet (96 m) | - | 138 feet (42 m) | - | - | ||
| Rounders | GAA | Square | 70 meters | - | 70 meters | - | . | ||
| Cricket | ICC | Oval | 130–180 yards (120–160 m) | - | 130–180 yards (120–160 m) | - | - | ||
| Indoor cricket | WICF | Rectangular cuboid | 28-30 meters | - | 10.5-12 meters | - | 4-4.5 meters | ||
| Lapta | Russian Lapta Federation | Oblong rectangle | 40-55 meters | - | 25-40 meters | - | |||
| Oină | Romanian Oină Federation | Oblong rectangle | 70 meters | 32 meters | grass | ||||
| Schlagball | Oblong rectangle + trapezium | 70 meters | plus an area between divergent diagonals of 140 meters behing rear flags | 25 meters | plus an area between divergent diagonals of 140 meters behing rear flags | ||||
| Boules | |||||||||
| Boccia | BISFed | Oblong rectangle | 12.5 meters | - | 6 meters | - | - | polished concrete, wooden, natural or synthetic rubber. | |
| Bocce volo | WPBF | Oblong rectangle | 27.5 meters | - | 2.5-4 meters | - | |||
| Petanque | 15 meters | - | 4 meters | - | |||||
| Raffa | 6.5 meters | - | 4-4.5 meters | - | natural ground or synthetic material | ||||
| Combat sports | |||||||||
| Amateur wrestling | UWW | Circle | 9 meters (diameter) | - | 9 meters (diameter) | - | - | ||
| Fencing | FIE | Oblong rectangle | 14 meters | 17–18 meters | 1.5 meters | - | - | ||
| Karate | WKF | Square | 8 meters | 8 meters | |||||
| Kickboxing (ring) | WAKO | Rectangular cuboid | 5.2 meters | - | 5.2 meters | - | 1.32 meters | felt, rubber | |
| Mixed Martial Arts | UFC5 | Octagonal prism | 30 feet (9.1 m) | - | 30 feet (9.1 m) | - | 69 inches (1.8 m) | ||
| Taekwondo | WT | Octagon | 8 meters | - | 8 meters | - | - | ||
| Cue sports | |||||||||
| Carom | WCBS | Oblong rectangle | 2.79-2.89 meters | 3.065-3.115 meters | 1.37-1.47 meters | 1.6245-1.695 meters | 0.787-0.837 meters | ||
| Pool | Rounded rectangle |
|
|
|
| 29.25–31 inches (0.743–0.787 m) | |||
| Snooker | Oblong rectangle | 140–141 inches (3.6–3.6 m) | 69.5–70.5 inches (1.77–1.79 m) | 33.5–34.5 inches (0.85–0.88 m) | |||||
| Cycling | |||||||||
| Cycle ball (international) | UCI | Oblong rectangle | 14 meters | - | 11 meters | - | - | wood, parquet, chipboard, triplex, synthetic | |
| Equestrian | |||||||||
| Dressage | FEI | Oblong rectangle | 60 meters | - | 20 meters | - | sand | ||
| Polo | FIP | Oblong rectangle | 250–300 yards (230–270 m) | - | 160–200 yards (150–180 m) | - | grass | ||
| Snow polo | 170 yards (160 m) | - | 80 yards (73 m) | - | snow | ||||
| Football codes | |||||||||
| Association football | FIFA | Oblong rectangle |
| - |
| - | grass, artificial | ||
| Beach soccer | 35–37 meters | - | 26–28 meters | - | sand | ||||
| Futsal |
| - |
| - | wood, artificial | ||||
| American football | IFAF | Oblong rectangle | 100 yards (91 m) | 120 yards (110 m) | 160 feet (49 m) | - | grass, artificial | ||
| Flag football6 (standard) | 50 yards (46 m) | 70 yards (64 m) | 25 yards (23 m) | - | - | solid, sand | |||
| Indoor American football | Rounded rectangle | 50 yards (46 m) | 66 yards (60 m) | 28 yards (26 m) | - | artificial | |||
| Canadian football | Football Canada | Oblong rectangle | 110 yards (100 m) | 150 yards (140 m) | 65 yards (59 m) | - | grass, artificial | ||
| Rugby union | World Rugby | Oblong rectangle | 94-100 meters | 106-144 meters | 68-70 meters | - | grass, sand, clay, snow, artificial | ||
| Rugby league | IRL | 100 meters | 112-122 meters | 68 meters | - | grass | |||
| Australian rules football (professional) | AFL Commission | Oval | 135-185 meters | - | 110-155 meters | - | grass | ||
| International rules football | AFL Commission and GAA | Oblong rectangle | 145 meters | - | 90 meters | - | |||
| Gaelic football | GAA | 130–145 meters | - | 80–90 meters | - | ||||
| Gymnastics | |||||||||
| Artistic gymnastics (floor) | FIG | Square | 11.97-12.03 meters | 11.97-12.03 meters | |||||
| Artistic gymnastics (vault) | Oblong rectangle | 32.2 meters | 2.5 meters | ||||||
| Rhythmic gymnastics | Square | 12.97-13.03 meters | 12.97-13.03 meters | ||||||
| Handball | |||||||||
| Indoor and wheelchair handball | IHF | Oblong rectangle | 40 meters | - | 20 meters | - | |||
| Beach handball | 27 meters | - | 12 meters | - | sand | ||||
| Hockey | |||||||||
| Bandy | FIB | Oblong rectangle | 100-110 meters | - | 60-65 meters | - | ice | ||
| Field hockey | FIH | Oblong rectangle | 100 yards (91 m) | - | 60 yards (55 m) | - | |||
| Indoor hockey | 36-44 meters | - | 18-22 meters | - | |||||
| Beach hockey | 30-35 meters | - | 20-25 meters | - | sand | ||||
| Ice hockey | IIHF | Rounded rectangle | 61 meters | - | 30 meters | - | ice | ||
| NHL | 200 feet (61 m) | - | 85 feet (26 m) | - | ice | ||||
| Inline hockey | World Skate | Rounded rectangle | 131–197 feet (40–60 m) | - | 66–98 feet (20–30 m) | - | sport tile, wood, asphalt or cement | ||
| Rink hockey | 34-44 meters | - | 17-22 meters | - | wood, cement | ||||
| Underwater hockey | CMAS | Rectangular cuboid | 21-25 meters | - | 12-15 meters | - | 2-3.65 meters | ||
| Ice skating | |||||||||
| Ice dance | ISU | Oblong rectangle | 50-60 meters | - | 26-30 meters | - | ice | ||
| Short track speed skating | Stadium7 | 60 meters | - | 30 meters | - | - | |||
| Long track speed skating | 178 meters | - | 66 meters | - | - | ||||
| Lacrosse | |||||||||
| Field lacrosse (men) | World Lacrosse | Oblong rectangle | 110 meters | - | 60 meters | - | |||
| Women lacrosse | 100 meters | - | 50-60 meters | - | |||||
| Box lacrosse | 55-61 meters | - | 24-28 meters | - | artificial turf, concrete | ||||
| Lacrosse sixes | 70 meters | - | 36 meters | - | |||||
| Intercrosse | Oblong rectangle | 40 meters | - | 20 meters | - | wood | |||
| Racquet sports | |||||||||
| Badminton | BWF | Oblong rectangle | 44 feet (13 m) | 17.4 meters |
|
| |||
| Padel | FIP | Rectangular cuboid | 19.9-20.1 meters | - | 9.95-10.05 meters | - | 4 meters | ||
| Squash (singles) | WSF | Cuboid | 9.75 meters | - | 6.40 meters | - | 4.57 meters | ||
| Squash (doubles) | 9.75 meters | - | 8.42 meters | - | 4.57 meters | ||||
| Table tennis | ITTF | Oblong rectangle | 2.74 meters | - | 1.525 meters | 76 centimeters 91.25 centimeters (including net) | |||
| Tennis | ITF | Oblong rectangle | 78 feet (24 m) | 37 meters |
| 18 meters | clay, grass, hard | ||
| Tag games | |||||||||
| Kabaddi (standard)8 | IKF | Oblong rectangle | 13 meters | - | 10 meters | - | - | ||
| Kabaddi (circle-style)9 | Circle | 44 meters | - | 44 meters | - | - | |||
| Kho kho | IKKF | Oblong rectangle | 27 meters | 30 meters | 16 meters | 19 meters | - | ||
| Kho kho (Ultimate)10 | 22 meters | 26 meters | 16 meters | 20 meters | - | ||||
| Tchoukball | |||||||||
| Tchoukball | FITB | Oblong rectangle | 26-29 meters | - | 15-17 meters | - | |||
| Beach tchoukball | 21-23 meters | - | 11-13 m | - | sand | ||||
| Track and field | |||||||||
| Track and field (indoor) | World Athletics | Stadium | 90.03 meters | - | 45.78 meters | - | - | ||
| Track and field (outdoor) | 176.91 meters | - | 92.52 meters | - | - | ||||
| Ultimate | |||||||||
| Ultimate | WFDF | Oblong rectangle | 64 meters | 100 meters | 37 meters | - | - | ||
| Beach ultimate | 49 yards (45 m) | 82 yards (75 m) | 27 yards (25 m) | - | - | sand | |||
| Volleyball | |||||||||
| Volleyball | FIVB | Oblong rectangle | 18 meters | 24-31 m | 9 meters | 15-19 meters | wooden, synthetic | ||
| Beach volleyball | 16 meters | 20-28m | 8 meters | 18-20 meters | sand | ||||
| Snow volleyball | 16 meters | 22 meters | 8 meters | 14 meters | snow | ||||
Game court
Game court is one of the names for a multi-sport athletic space, typically constructed outdoors, where such games as basketball, volleyball, paddle tennis and other racquet sports, and up to a dozen more games and activities can be played. They are usually smaller than a regulation tennis (120' x 60')or basketball (84'x50')court, although there is no set dimensions or size for a game court. The game-court concept was popularized by Sport Court in the 1970s, and some generic references are made to game courts as 'sport courts', although that is a trademark of Connor Sport Court International, LLC. Game courts are often found in residential backyards, giving families and children opportunities for healthy recreation close to home.
Game courts are usually constructed using a rectangular sub-base made from concrete or asphalt, then covered with an open-grid modular polypropylene (or similar) sports surface to improve safety. Most feature athletic equipment such as basketball goals, net systems for racquet sports, volleyball and badminton, lights for nighttime play, fencing or ball containment netting, hockey/soccer goals, lines or markings for various sports, and practice or training components can also be incorporated into the design.
Surface
The surface of a game court—as opposed to simply playing on concrete or asphalt—is designed for safe play and to reduce injury. Many people have started to use suspended athletic courts to cover old athletic courts like tennis courts and basketball courts. The surface should provide appropriate traction for various types of sports and activities, as well as shock or force reduction to minimize overuse and stress injuries.
Game courts are typically custom-designed to the interests of the family or organization, and are versatile in enabling a wide variety of sports to be played in a relatively small space. Some activities played on a game court are enjoyable modifications of other sports (such as short-court tennis) that allow for similar skills to be developed as the 'regulation' game, but on a reduced-scale court size. A typical game court of 50 by 30 feet (15.2 m × 9.1 m) might include a basketball key and 3-point line arranged around a hoop, overlaid by short-court tennis or pickleball lines (which can also be used for volleyball or badminton) along the longer dimension.
Ball containment
Game courts for private use will frequently be built with a high fence surrounding the surface to allow for containment of the ball used in play, and, if required, to prevent people from entering. Any of several materials have been used, including chain-link fencing, welded wire mesh fence, and fabric mesh or netting.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Playing fields.References
Kapstein, Ethan B (16 Dec 2010). Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field. Princeton University Press. ↩
"OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES - 2024 Edition" (PDF). https://mktg.mlbstatic.com/mlb/official-information/2024-official-baseball-rules.pdf ↩
http://web.mit.edu/~xsdg/Public/papers/himcm-2003.pdf "The width is the distance between foul poles... the Twins’ field width (473.9 ft) and the Braves’ field width (470.2 ft) is not significant. However, the difference between the Rockies’ and Yankees’ field widths (492.9 ft and 446.9 ft, respectively) is very significant." http://web.mit.edu/~xsdg/Public/papers/himcm-2003.pdf ↩
"Official rules of Softball - Fast pitch" (PDF). https://static.wbsc.org/assets/cms/documents/b5480455-60e2-bfc3-1e2e-3566c2765cc5.pdf ↩
"The Octagon | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-11-21. https://www.ufc.com/octagon ↩
"International Flag Football - Rules 2023" (PDF). https://americanfootball.sport/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FlagRules2023.pdf ↩
Weisstein, Eric W. "Stadium". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Stadium.html ↩
"Kabaddi: Origin, rules and the Pro Kabaddi League". Khel Now. Retrieved 2021-09-27. The dimensions of the playing area vary for men and women. It is 33ft x 43ft for the former https://khelnow.com/kabaddi/kabaddi-rules-history-pkl/ ↩
"Standard style and circle style - the two variants of Kabaddi". SportsAdda. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-07. In the circle style format, the field is a circle with a radius of 22 meters [i.e. diameter of 44 meters] which is divided into two equal halves by a mid-line. https://www.sportsadda.com/kabaddi/news/kabaddi-world-cup-standard-style-circle-style ↩
"rules-season1.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2022-08-14. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IPH86qv3lt83qKmrKD6MzZ6c0ImMQPDc/view?usp=embed_facebook ↩