Soccer is big business around the world, and at the professional level, everything about the game is well-maintained, and that includes the field. If you’ve ever been to a live game or paid particular attention to a televised game, you might have seen the field getting watered.
But like many fans, you may have wondered, “Why did they turn on the sprinklers?”
Why do they wet soccer fields? They wet soccer fields to make the grass grow. But more than that, wet grass makes the game more exciting because the ball and players can move faster on a damp field. It also protects the players from harsher impact forces and protects the owners’ investment in their stadium.
Most Soccer Fields Are Real Grass
Unlike the trend of using artificial turf in American football, most soccer fields at the pro level, especially in Europe, are real grass.
This surface is so key to players that when European teams come to America to practice in the offseason, they insist on playing on real grass, downright refusing to play on turf.
Obviously, real grass needs water and sunlight to grow properly. Groundskeepers are employed at the stadiums and take into account the factors that will keep the grass healthy. Which includes monitoring the amount of rainfall in the area and compensating to grow happy blades of grass, as well as making both the players and the fans happy.
Why Do Players Like Wet Grass?
Wet ground is softer than dry ground, so when the materials below the grass are kept at the right level of moistness, it is easier on players’ bodies.
Jumping up and down on concrete is going to be a lot harder on your body than doing the same action in the sand, and so having a surface that is soft enough to prevent injury as the players run up to seven miles (or more!) during the game is key.
Also, when the ground is properly watered, players’ cleats dig deeper into the soil, which provides them with more grip. Since soccer players frequently change direction, stop on a dime after a sprint, and need to have proper balance when they’re on one foot while kicking the ball, it’s important that players know their shoes will perform as intended.
Slide tackling is a key defensive maneuver in soccer, and this is obviously easier to do when the ground isn’t bone dry. Imagine trying to go down a waterslide without the water being turned on first!
A wet field also helps protect goalkeepers, who frequently dive for the ball and end up landing on the ground. A wet field allows them to slide, thus minimizing the amount of impact they sustain as compared to hitting dry ground and then just stopping.
And more than just being a key part of the game, it’s no secret that players love to slide when they’re celebrating. Whether they’re sliding on their bellies like penguins or sprinting before dropping to their knees, these types of celebrations endear fans to players, and they’re just easier and less painful to execute on a properly wet field.
While elite soccer players can and should be adaptable to various conditions, there is something to be said about the fact that professional soccer players spend their time practicing on fields that are maintained to a certain standard. This translates into gameplay because the players know what to expect when they’re interacting with the ball.
If the field is properly maintained, the ball will more or less bounce in a predictable manner, spin across the grass when players are making a pass, and provide a familiar surface so that players can play their best.
Why Do Fans Like Wet Grass?
There’s certainly a lot of physics involved in a soccer match, but even if the fans aren’t doing those calculations on the fly, they’ll know when the field is too dry because the ball simply won’t move as fast.
Much like the different tennis court types impact whether a tennis match is played fast or slow, a dry or wet field can impact the entire pace of a soccer game.
Dryer grass exerts more friction against the ball, meaning that the same pass on a dry field won’t go as far as that pass would go on a wet field. The game just isn’t as exciting for fans if the grass is too dry because everything happens at a slower pace.
Watering Fields At Half-Time
Sometimes, the pitch will be watered at halftime. The decision of whether or not to do this has to be approved by both coaches, and if either decline to have the field watered, the groundskeeper can’t turn on the sprinklers.
There are certain strategies to be considered depending on how wet the grass is. A soccer team that plays a quick game and depends on those long passes will want to keep the grass as wet as it should be, but their opponent may decide to not have the field watered at halftime in an attempt to slow them down.
Conversely, both coaches may notice that the field is drying out and want to keep it watered appropriately to decrease injuries that could arise if the moisture content drops too low.
In addition to the plethora of other decisions that the managers make throughout the game, fans may not know that whether or not to turn on the sprinklers at halftime is also something they’ve got to choose, and it could definitely have an impact on the second half of the game.
There Can Be Too Much Water
Anyone who has ever watched soccer players struggle up and down the field as they jump from puddle to puddle knows that if the field is too wet, it makes for a very difficult day at the office for the players.
While there isn’t much to be done if Mother Nature decides to water the field, it is absolutely crucial that groundskeepers don’t overwater.
If nothing else, soccer fields are expensive investments, and allowing soccer players to run around a field that is sodden will cause damage to it, which the folks footing the bill will not appreciate.
Poorly maintained fields are also going to be left out of bidding for additional tournaments or other uses, which will cause the owners to lose money that they could get by leasing out the field.
Overly wet fields are a huge hazard to players, as well. We’ve all played on grass after heavy rainfall and slipped when trying to kick the ball or twisted an ankle that gets stuck in the mud.
The effort of battling through mud and puddles will also tire out the players much faster, making the game less intense and interesting as the players simply lose their stamina.
Since most elite soccer fields are made of living grass, they have to be maintained with enough water to keep the grass alive and flourishing, and then they have to be kept appropriately watered to protect the players and make the gameplay at a speed that is interesting to fans.
Whether this watering is done before the game, from rainfall, or during halftime, most teams and stadiums have put significant investment into maintaining their fields.
