Good Practice Sports Ground Inspection Form
Notes for each inspection category are on the reverse sides of this sheet.
Ground Name:
Date of Inspection:
/
/20
Time of Inspection:
am/pm
Grass Cover
Observations
Are there weeds, tussocks or bare patches that could cause stability problems for players? Is the
grass length (or variations in it) likely to cause a player to trip?
Note: If in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you should indicate “Yes”
Assessment
Yes
No
Potentially
Unsafe
Safe
Observations
Yes
Are bare areas at such different levels to the grass surrounds likely to cause stability or tripping hazards? Are there
holes, undulations, worn areas or sprinkler areas that might cause players to trip or fall?
Are there variations in evenness between the cricket wicket area and the surrounds that might cause players to
trip or fall?
Note: If in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you should indicate “Yes”
Assessment
Potentially
Unsafe
In terms of overall ground surface safety, the evenness of the field is such that conditions are:
Note: If you answer “Yes” to any one of the above questions, you should indicate “Potentially Unsafe”. It
will indicate that the ground requires further assessment before it should be used for play.
No
In terms of ground surfaces safety the grass cover of the field is such that the conditions are:
Note: If you answer “Yes” to any one of the above questions, you should indicate “Potentially Unsafe”.
It will indicate that the ground requires further assessment before it should be used for play.
Surface Evenness
Safe
Ground Hardness/Shock Absorbency
Observations
Yes
Are the ground conditions in terms of softness, firmness or hardness an issue for player safety? Are there
any hard bare areas that might be an issue for player safety?
Are there any other hard areas on the ground (not the cricket wickets) that might be an issue for player
safety?
Note: If in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you should indicate “Yes”
Note: The cricket wicket area is clearly different to the rest of the football field. If you think this area of the ground is
likely to be a problem for player safety at all, indicate this in the Ground Profile section of this form.
Assessment
Potentially
Unsafe
In terms of ground surface safety, the hardness of the field is such that conditions are:
Note: If you answer “Yes” to any one of the above questions, you should indicate “Potentially Unsafe”.
It will indicate that the ground requires further assessment before it should be used for play.
No
Safe
Playing Surface/Grip
Observations
Are there cracks greater than 3-5mm wide anywhere on the ground that could cause a player wearing a
studded boot to become unstable or stuck or for their foot to be trapped?
Do you think that a player wearing a studded boot is likely to slip on the ground?
Do you think that a player wearing a studded boot is likely to get their foot caught in the ground? Are
there sections of the ground with different surface characteristics (such as bare patches, sandy sections)
that might cause a player to slip on the ground or get their foot caught when moving from grassed to
ungrassed sections?
Note: If in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you should indicate Yes
Assessment
In terms of ground surface safety, the playing surface, in terms of grip and slip, is such that conditions are:
Note: If you answer “Yes” to any one of the above questions, you should indicate “Potentially Unsafe”. It
will indicate that the ground requires further assessment before it should be used for play.
Yes
No
Potentially
Unsafe
Safe
Good Practice Sports Ground
Inspection Form
Observation Notes
Grass cover
Ground hardness/Shock absorbency
Ideally, sports grounds have a consistent
100% grass cover. As the percentage of bare
areas increase across a ground, the associated
injury risks also increase. Safety concerns can
arise if bare patches are at
a different level to the grassed surface. These
can cause an uneven surface and different
traction characteristics as players move from
one area to another. Weeds, tussocks and tufts
of different grasses can also lead to an
undulating and uneven surface. Tripping and
jarring injuries are possible consequences.
Shock absorbency is the extent to which a
surface absorbs the impact of a player
running on the surface. Sports grounds can
feel soft, firm or hard. Shock absorbency is
influenced by soil moisture, soil type and
grass cover. Extremely hard surfaces may
lead to soft tissue injuries caused by falling
and to joint injuries caused by compressive
forces.
Surface evenness
The sports ground surface should be level,
flat and even. This should be considered in
two ways: for the whole of ground and for
specific parts of the ground. Uneven and
denuded areas created by sport dimension
markings can be hazardous, but are easily
rectified. Uneven ground surfaces are evident
in the form of patches of bare ground and
tufted grass, holes and undulations. For
whole of ground evaluation, the person(s)
inspecting
the ground seeks to conclude that the
overall sports ground surface is even
and there are not undulations, holes,
tussocks or other raised surfaces that
present a tripping or falling hazard to
players or officials.
Playing surface/Grip
Both slip resistance and traction are important
characteristics of sports ground surfaces as is
the interaction with players through their
footwear. A player must have enough grip on
the surface to accelerate and decelerate at
will. The playing surface must also allow
players to have sufficient traction to change
their direction during play at will. If there is
insufficient grip a player may slip which can
result in loss
of stability and balance and can result in
ligament and muscle damage. Conversely,
too much grip can entrap a body part such as
a foot leading to ankle, knee
and hip injuries.
Physical Hazards
Observations
Is there debris (such as glass, stones, faeces, windrows, etc) on the ground?
Are there sprinkler heads and taps that are uncovered and/or not level with the surrounds? Is there
unsafe and/or unsecured perimeter fencing and signage?
Note: If in doubt about the answer to any of these questions, you should indicate “Yes”
Assessment
Yes
No
Potentially
Unsafe
Safe
In terms of ground surfaces safety the hazards on the field are such that conditions for players and officials is:
Note: If you answer “Yes” to any one of the above questions, you should indicate “Potentially Unsafe”. It
will indicate that the ground requires further assessment before it should be used for play.
Ground Profile
Observation Focus
Indicate whether the ground
is safe or potentially unsafe
play
Is further testing needed
to assess ground as for
being safe for play?
Is maintenance required
before ground can be rated as
being safe for play?
(Yes or No)
(Yes or No)
Grass cover
Surface evenness
Ground hardness/
Shock absorbency
Playing surface/
grip or slip
Physical hazards
Fit/Not Fit for Play Recommendation
The ground is currently fit for play / not fit for play. (circle rating)
The following further testing of the ground is recommended before it can be rated as safe:
We recommend the following maintenance action on the ground before it can be rated as safe:
Signed
LGA rep
Date
Club rep
Date
Good Practice Sports Ground Inspection
Form
Observation Notes (cont.)
Physical hazards
Physical hazards are quite likely to be
present on many community grounds.
Damaged signage, broken glass and
damaged sprinkler heads and uneven
surrounds are but a few of the possible
hazards that are known to increase the
likelihood of player injury. These hazards
are easily rectified.
Fit/not fit for play
For a ground to be considered unsafe for
play there must be clear evidence and a
strong belief that the likelihood and
consequences of the surface conditions
present an unreasonable injury risk for
players and officials. The inspecting
person(s) must be able to say that a ground
is not fit for play based on safety reasons,
not on the basis of the general outward
appearance of the ground.
Ground Profile
A Ground Profile is produced when the
person(s) inspecting the sports ground
aggregates the outcomes of the judgements
made previously. As a result of this they are
then required to make a judgement that the
ground is fit /not fit for play, that objective
testing is required, or that maintenance is
required to make the ground fit for play. For
example if the evaluation of surface
evenness indicated that the sports ground
sprinkler system might cause players to trip
or fall this would be denoted as being
potentially unsafe. The person inspecting the
ground now has to decide whether the
ground is
fit for play and whether to also recommend
maintenance to fix the problem.
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you. The acknowledged agencies and their employees do not guarantee that the publication is
without flaw or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other
consequence that may arise from you relying on any information therein. You are solely responsible for any content changes you make to
this MS-WORD version of the checklist as well as any consequences resulting from making such changes.
Acknowledgements
This resource was produced with assistance from the Victorian Government and originally developed by the School of Human
Movement and Sport Sciences at Federation University (formerly the University of Ballarat).