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
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
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
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
Yes
No
Potentially
Unsafe
Safe
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.
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
for play
Is further testing needed
to assess ground as
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
Fit/not fit for play
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.
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).