Line marking
Be up to the mark
Ensuring a pitch is marked out to the correct dimensions and with lines that are even and accurate is essential if a legal game is to be played.
Having a well-marked out pitch increases the chance of correct decisions being made by the referee, making for a fairer match. That’s why it’s important to follow The FA’s standards for effective line marking.
Below are the main line markings for an association pitch. In addition to these, you may be asked to mark gridlines or special training areas.
Top tips for top marks
1. To guide straight lines, run a string along the length of where you want to mark your line. Secure your string guide with pitch marking pegs and make sure it is taut.
2. To guide curved lines, you can dash with a paint brush or turf safe spray paint. For your circle or arc, fix one end of the string to the desired centre point on the ground with a peg, this is likely to be either the penalty spot, centre spot or pitch corner. On the string, measure the desired length and attach a second peg. Use this second peg as the guide to dash with paint or score using the peg. Take care to pull the string taut as you do this.
3. Take care and pay attention to how much marking material the machine is depositing. Depending on the marker used you may have to walk at a steady pace to keep the level right.
4. Keep equipment clean and check it for any loose or faulty parts prior to and after every use.
5. In the pitch layout, there are many right-angles (corners with 90° angles). You can follow the simple 3, 4, 5 method to find perfect right-angled triangles when laying down your string guides. It is based on the mathematical rule that lengths of the sides of a right-angled triangle are related by the ratio 3:4:5.
What might this method look like in practice?
Let’s say you’re marking a 100-metre by 64-metre pitch. The touch-line is already marked and you want a perfect right angle between it and your first goal-line.
Check out the below for an illustration of how you could proceed.
NB: in this method, it doesn’t matter which of A-B or A-C is the shortest guide string. However, the ‘hypotenuse’ that connects B and C to complete the triangle is always the longest guide string.
Lining it all up
Now you have the technique down, you’re ready to take on marking an entire pitch.
The FA recommends following this marking sequence.
