Despite there being rules and guidelines on the size of football pitches used by clubs to play in the English Premier League games, several clubs do not meet the regulation size of 105 metres long and 68 metres wide.
Believe it or not, the club with the smallest pitch in the Premier League during the 2016-2017 season was Tottenham Hotspur, whose home ground then – White Hart Lane – had a pitch size of 100 metres x 68 metres. Perhaps that is understandable though as the club first moved to the ground in 1899.
When Spurs moved to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in April 2019, they no longer had the smallest pitch, with the new pitch measuring 105m x 58m – the size stipulated by Premier League rules.
For the 2023/23 season, it is Fulham who have the smallest pitch in the Premier League, as their Craven Cottage pitch is 100m x 65m.
Although Fulham have the smallest pitch, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Liverpool also have pitches which don’t meet the required legal size required by the Premier League.
Premier League Pitch Size Rules
However, they don’t contravene Premier League regulations by abiding to the following five rules relating to football pitches in Premier League:
K.15. – Unless otherwise permitted by the Board, in League Matches the length of the pitch shall be 105 metres and its breadth 68 metres.
K.16. – The Board shall only give permission to a Club for the dimensions of its pitch to be other than as set out in Rule K.15 if it is impossible for it to comply with Rule K.15 due to the nature of the construction of its Stadium.
K.17. – A Club shall register the dimensions of its pitch before the commencement of each Season by giving written notice thereof in Form 8 to the Board.
K.18. – The Board may at any time require a Club to obtain and submit to the Board a report by an independent expert certifying its pitch dimensions.
K.19. – No Club shall alter the dimensions of its pitch during the Season without the prior written consent of the Board.
However, there is no maximum size specified, as long as the overall dimensions fall within the guidelines set by FIFA, which is the governing body for football worldwide.
It is worth noting that the dimensions of the pitch can affect the way a game is played, with a larger pitch generally leading to more open and expansive play, while a smaller pitch can lead to a more physical and congested style of play.
If you’re a fan of teams outside the Premier League, then you might be interested in finding out who has the smallest pitch in the EFL Championship.
There’s one thing for sure however and that is regardless of the size of the pitch, groundsmen have a lot of grass to cut during the football season!