Professional & Academy Football

Football Clubs.

EFL first-team grounds, National League venues and category-1-to-4 academy training facilities. The standards are demanding, the stakes are high, and every metric is evidence the regulator can ask for.

The FA's Performance Quality Standard (PQS) is the baseline every professional and licensed academy natural turf venue is measured against. Surface hardness, traction, sward density, floodlighting — all have documented acceptable ranges, and all require annual third-party testing.

For EFL and National League venues, the PQS and the FA Grounds Grading Scheme combine to dictate everything from match-day readiness to broadcast compliance. We produce reports formatted for direct submission to the FA Licence & Registration Department.

For academies, the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) requires documented pitch performance data across both first-team and development squad training venues. Our academy packages cover multiple pitches on a single visit, with consolidated reporting tied to the EPPP audit cycle.

Typical Engagements

How sector clients work with us.

Annual FA PQS Compliance Survey

Full Pitch Score across first-team and reserve pitches, with FA-format report ready for submission.

EPPP Academy Audit Package

Multi-pitch surveys timed to the EPPP audit window, consolidated compliance evidence across all category levels.

Match-Day Readiness Assessment

24-hour rapid turnaround on hardness and traction for fixture clearance decisions.

Broadcast Lux Compliance

88-point lux grid for Sky / BT / TNT broadcast approval, including flicker and CRI reporting.

Post-Renovation Verification

Pre- and post-intervention testing to evidence renovation spend with grant funders or owner boards.

What Drives Sector Testing

Why these clients commission us.

01
Fixture clearance under scrutiny
Every refereeing decision to play or postpone needs defensible data behind it. 'The pitch looked fine' is not a defence if a player is injured.
02
Governing body inspections
Unannounced and scheduled FA inspections are increasingly routine at academy and professional level. Prior UKAS-accredited data always weights the inspector's view.
03
Player-safety litigation
Documented annual hardness and traction readings are now standard evidence in professional footballer injury claims.
04
Renovation justification
Significant renovation budgets are justified through the metrics. Without them, the case is subjective and harder to defend to a board or owner group.
Case Snapshot

What data-led change looks like.

Anonymised client case
A Championship-level training ground commissioned us to test 8 pitches across their category-2 academy estate. The headline Pitch Score for the main training pitch came in at 76 (Good). The surprise was pitch 4 — visually fine, but Gmax testing surfaced localised hard spots up to 118, well above the FIFA limit of 100. The club redirected a planned irrigation upgrade budget into verti-draining and top-dressing instead. The following year's Pitch Score for that same pitch: 84.

Ready to measure your pitch?

Every test we run is UKAS-accredited and defensible. Tell us about your venue and we'll come back with a fixed written quote within two working hours.

or email info@surfaceperformance.com with your venue and test requirements