Pitch (sports field)

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Comparison of the playing area for various sports to scale Comparison sport playing areas.svg
Comparison of the playing area for various sports to scale
Size comparison of various football codes playing fields Field Size Comparison.png
Size comparison of various football codes playing fields

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.

Contents

For most sports the official term is field of play, although this is not regularly used by those outside refereeing/umpiring circles.[ citation needed ] 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. [1]

Fields of play in various sports

Field sizes

SportShapeField
length
Total
length
WidthTotal
width
Depth/heightSurface
Basque pelota (Jai-Alai)Rectangular cuboid54.00 m-10.00 m-10.00 m
Boccia Rectangular12.50 m-6.00 m--polished concrete, wooden, natural or synthetic rubber.
Dodgeball (WDA)Rectangular17.00 m-8.00 m--
Sepak takraw Rectangular44 feet (13 m)-20 feet (6.1 m)-
Aquatics
Swimming (Olympic)Rectangular cuboid50.00 m-25.00 m-2-3 m
Swimming (short course)Rectangular cuboid25.00 m-20.00 m-2-2.5m
Waterpolo Rectangular cuboid25.00 m-20.00 m-1.80 m
Basketball
Basketball (FIBA)Rectangular28.00 m-15.00 m-
Basketball (NBA)Rectangular94 feet (29 m)-50 feet (15 m)-
Basketball (3x3)Rectangular11.00 m-15.00 m-
Bat and ball sports
Baseball (MLB)Diamond250–400 feet (76–122 m) [2] -446.9–492.9 feet (136.2–150.2 m) [3] --grass
Baseball5 Square21.00 m-21.00 m--
Softball (WBSC) [4] Circle quadrant220–250 feet (67–76 m)-220–250 feet (67–76 m)--
Cricket Oval130–180 yards (120–160 m)-130–180 yards (120–160 m)--
Indoor cricket Rectangular30.00 m-12.00 m--
Pesapallo Irregular hexagon315 feet (96 m)-138 feet (42 m)--
Combat sports
Amateur wrestling Circle9.00 m-9.00 m--
Fencing Rectangular14.00 m17–18 m1.50 m--
Kickboxing (ring)Rectangular cuboid5.20 m-5.20 m-1.32 mfelt, rubber
Mixed Martial Arts (UFC) [5] Octagon30 feet (9.1 m)-30 feet (9.1 m)-69 inches (1.8 m)
Taekwondo (WT)Octagon8.00 m-8.00 m--
Football codes
Association football Rectangular110–120 yards (100–110 m)-70–80 yards (64–73 m)-grass, artificial
Beach soccer Rectangular35–37 m-26–28 m-sand
Futsal Rectangular38-42 m-20-25 m-wood, artificial
American football Rectangular100 yards (91 m)120 yards (110 m)160 feet (49 m)-grass, artificial
Flag football [6] Rectangular50 yards (46 m)70 yards (64 m)25 yards (23 m)--solid, sand
Indoor American football Rounded rectangular50 yards (46 m)66 yards (60 m)28 yards (26 m)-artificial
Canadian football Rectangular110 yards (100 m)150 yards (140 m)65 yards (59 m)-grass, artificial
Rugby union Rectangular94-100 m106-144 m68-70 m-grass, sand, clay, snow, artificial
Rugby league Rectangular100.00 m112-122 m68.00 m-grass
Australian rules football Oval135-185 m-110-155 m-grass
Gaelic football Rectangular130–145 m-80–90 m-grass
Handball
Handball Rectangular40.00 m-20.00 m-
Beach handball Rectangular27.00 m-12.00 m-sand
Hockey
Bandy Rectangular100-110 m-60-65 m-ice
Field hockey Rectangular100 yards (91 m)-60 yards (55 m)-
Indoor hockey Rectangular36-44 m-18-22 m-
Ice hockey (IIHF)Rounded rectangular61.00 m-30.00 m-ice
Ice hockey (NHL)Rounded rectangular200 feet (61 m)-85 feet (26 m)-ice
Underwater hockey Rectangular cuboid21-25 m-12-15 m-2-3.65 m
Ice speed skating
Short track speed skating Stadium [7] 60.00 m-30.00 m--ice
Long track speed skating Stadium178.00 m-66.00 m--ice
Kabbaddi
Kabaddi (standard) [8] Rectangular13.00 m-10.00 m--
Kabaddi (circle-style) [9] Circle44.00 m-44.00 m--
Kho kho
Kho kho Rectangular27.00 m30.00 m16.00 m19.00 m-
Kho kho (Ultimate Kho Kho) [10] Rectangular22.00 m26.00 m16.00 m20.00 m-
Lacrosse
Field lacrosse (men)Rectangular110.00 m-60.00 m-
Women lacrosse Rectangular100.00 m-50-60 m-
Box lacrosse Rounded rectangular55-61 m-24-28 m-artificial turf, concrete
Lacrosse sixes Rectangular70 m-36.00 m-
Polo
Polo Rectangular250–300 yards (230–270 m)-160–200 yards (150–180 m)-grass
Snow poloRectangular170 yards (160 m)-80 yards (73 m)-snow
Racquet sports
Badminton (singles)Rectangular44 feet (13 m)17.40 m17 feet (5.2 m)8.18 m
Badminton (doubles)Rectangular44 feet (13 m)17.40 m20 feet (6.1 m)9.10 m
Padel Rectangular cuboid20.00 m-10.00 m-4.00 m
Squash (singles)Rectangular cuboid9.75 m-6.40 m-4.57 m
Squash (doubles)Rectangular cuboid9.75 m-8.42 m-4.57 m
Tennis (singles)Rectangular78 feet (24 m)37.00 m27 feet (8.2 m)18.00 mclay, grass, hard
Tennis (doubles)Rectangular78 feet (24 m)37.00 m36 feet (11 m)18.00 mclay, grass, hard
Tchoukball
Tchoukball Rectangular27.00 m-17.00 m-
Beach tchoukballRectangular21-23 m-11-13 m-sand
Track and field
Track and field (indoor)Stadium90.03 m-45.78 m--
Track and field (outdoor)Stadium176.91 m-92.52 m--
Ultimate
Ultimate Rectangular64.00 m100.00 m37.00 m--
Beach ultimateRectangular49 yards (45 m)82 yards (75 m)27 yards (25 m)--sand
Volleyball
Volleyball Rectangular18.00 m24-31 m9.00 m15-19 mwooden, synthetic
Beach volleyball Rectangular16.00 m20-28m8.00 m18-20 msand
Snow volleyball Rectangular16.00 m22.00 m8.00 m14.00 msnow

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 courtas opposed to simply playing on concrete or asphaltis 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

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Kapstein, Ethan B (16 Dec 2010). Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field. Princeton University Press.
  2. "OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES - 2023 Edition" (PDF).
  3. 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."
  4. "Official rules of Softball - Fast pitch" (PDF).
  5. "The Octagon | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  6. "International Flag Football - Rules 2023" (PDF).
  7. Weisstein, Eric W. "Stadium". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  8. "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
  9. "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.
  10. "rules-season1.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2022-08-14.