Football turf maintenance routine

An hour a week. That is the whole difference between a pitch that plays true at ten years and one that is flat, slick and puddled at four. The carpet does not wear out; it gets buried, compacted or drowned, and all three are preventable.

Weekly.

Brush the whole pitch with a drag brush or a power brush, against the pile direction, to stand the fibres up and redistribute infill. Twenty minutes for a 5-a-side.
Clear debris: leaves, wrappers, hair ties. Debris that stays becomes organic matter that stays.
Look at the goalmouths and centre circle. Infill migrates out of the high-traffic zones first. Rake it back.

Monthly.

Check infill depth with a gauge in six places, goalmouths included. Top up where it is low. On a rubber pitch, a bag or two a month is normal.
Walk the seams and lines. A lifted edge caught early is a ten-minute glue job; left, it is a torn seam.
Check the drainage outlets are clear.

Before the monsoon.

Flush the perimeter drains and clear every outlet and soakaway.
Deep brush to open the pile so water gets through.
Check falls: any hollow that holds water now will be a pond in July.

Annually.

Deep clean and decompaction with a power brush and a de-compaction rake; this lifts the compacted infill that makes an old pitch feel hard.
Seam and line inspection end to end, re-glue as needed.
Infill top-up to the specified depth across the whole pitch.
Net and fence check: cord, posts, fixings.

What it costs.

For a 5-a-side: about ₹5,000 a month in a maintenance reserve for infill and repairs, plus the ground staff who brush. Against ₹1.5 lakh a month in bookings, it is a rounding error. What it prevents is a ₹6 lakh carpet replacement three years early. The routine is handed over in writing with every ground we build; the turf business guide covers the running costs in full.

Questions, asked often.

Can I use a normal broom?

For a terrace, yes. For a pitch, a drag brush or power brush; a broom will not move infill.

How often does infill need replacing?

It is topped up, not replaced. Expect to add 5 to 10 percent of the original quantity a year on a busy rubber pitch.

What if weeds grow at the edges?

A seasonal spot treatment at the kerb line. Weeds cannot root through a proper base; if they are growing in the pitch, organic debris has been left too long.