The “overall quality of Ligue 1 pitches is gradually improving” due to the establishment of the pitch championship, according to Gregory Fleurot of L’EQUIPE. Introduced at the beginning of last season by the French Football League (LFP), the new quality classification has “prompted several clubs to invest in better pitches.” The model, which is based on what has been done in the Premier League and Bundesliga for several years, aims to “improve pitch quality by introducing a notion of competition.” In practice, captains, coaches and referees as well as the director evaluate the pitch at the end of each Ligue 1 meeting, “resulting in a rating for each game and an overall ranking,” which excludes synthetic turf. Paris St. Germain has “set itself apart” in the league after recruiting the best gardener in the Premier League, Jonathan Calderwood, in the summer of ’13. The gamble has “paid off” as Calderwood’s efforts allowed the club to “dominate the first edition of the pitch championship” in May. While spectators can still expect to attend a few games this winter on a pitch “unworthy of the highest level,” it is “clear the average quality of the grass is growing.” One must look at the increase in “hybrid” and “fiber reinforced substrate” fields, which are used by almost all the Premier League clubs. Last season, Nantes was the only Ligue 1 team with this type of turf. Today, there are four more using the turf -- Paris St. Germain, Marseille, St. Etienne, and Metz -- and the new stadium in Bordeaux, which will open in March, will also be equipped (L’EQUIPE, 1/7).
