Stoke-on-trent sport and physical activity strategy 2009-2016

FA into the suitability of different types of 3G surfaces for football.137. The key characteristics of the small-sided football game are:• Most players are adult, affluent men;• Many people play directly after work;• Many of those taking part are only playing small-sided football i.e. they do notalso play the 11-a-side game;• Centres can be over-subscribed at peak times;• There is limited demand for the pitches during the daytime other than forschool use;• Players are attracted to sites with bars and social areas;• Leagues are often established, usually based around the individual centres,therefore there is no comprehensive list of teams;• There is an increasing trend for players to stop playing the 11-a-side game ongrass, in preference to the small-sided game on synthetic surfaces,particularly within urban areas;• The Football Association is trying to formalise the sport through their Futsaldiscipline, but there are large numbers of unaffiliated teams and leagues.Hockey138. There is no specific information about hockey trends but anecdotal evidence fromelsewhere in the country suggests that the sport is relatively stable with onlysteady growth expected.139. Hockey England has recently produced new policy guidance on the use ofdifferent pitch types, and the key points are:• The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has recently approved a smallnumber of 3G pitches for competition use following on-site testing and thesegenerally have a turf length of between 35 and 40 mm. Pitches with a longerturf length than this are not expected to meet the FIH performancestandards.;• England Hockey has introduced a new system of pitch categorisation whichindentifies three levels within the current FIH parameters. These are:EH Category 1EH Category 2EH Category 3Water based and sand dressed surfaces approved withthe FIH Global/National ParametersSand filled (sand based) surfaces within the FIHNational parameterLong pile (3G) surfaces that are categorized by the FIHas satisfying their ‘National’ performance parameter.The certification shall be based on onsite testing.Nortoft Partnerships Ltd <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Page | 153Sport & Physical Activity Strategy 2009-2016October 2009