Levelling of sports surfaces

The levelling of surfaces on sports fields is necessary in the construction, and even as a stage of maintenance, as over time unevenness is caused by levelling, repair of damaged areas, etc... in this type of playing field.

The levelling and renovation of football pitches requires the removal of the topsoil, rotovating and the use of lasers. Depending on the existing mattress, more or less topsoil removal will be required.

In certain situations, such as in bermudagrass fields with many years of useful life, it is necessary to remove a large soil profile, even up to 5 or 6 cm.

The incorporation of organic substrate may make levelling more difficult, although the use of a sandy fraction will save a lot in reconstituting the original profile.

The use of the laser is complemented by levelling implements attached to the tractor which introduce sand in the lower areas or remove the aggregate where it is in excess.

In terms of required slopes, on football pitches, the highest elevation line is the one running through the middle of the pitch, in a north-south direction, with slopes towards the sidelines from 1% to 1.5%.

The standard that regulates the construction quality of these surfaces in Spain is the UNE 41959-1 2011, which establishes that the maximum slope that a pitch should have is 1%, although it is recommended to build with a slope of 0.5% towards the sidelines and 0.25% towards the goals, in 4-sided levelling.