The Pitch
2. Line marking
Figure 8: Marking aid for playing fields (DE 10 2008 019 514 A1)
Traditional chalk lines that mark out the football pitch have to be refreshed frequently with a chalk liner because the grass has to be mowed regularly and colour, exposed to the weather, will quickly wear off. Marking out the pitch is time-consuming and sometimes the result is not as accurate as expected.
Templates can be used to mark out a pitch (DE 10 2008 019 514 A1), for instance, when it is hardly possible to make out any features on the ground to identify the line geometries of the football pitch, because the ground is also regularly used for other sports (Figure 8). Nonetheless, the final visual appearance of the football field depends on the skill of the person operating the chalk liner.
| Publication number | Year | Title | Brief description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE 10 2008 019 514 A1 | 2008 | Markierungsschablone für Spielfelder | Marking aid for playing fields |
2.1 Field marking systems
Permanent markings can be used to solve this problem. This development has coincided with the development of artificial turf: The lines can be easily woven in during production. Partial solutions combining artificial turf and natural turf are also common.
Utility model application DE 92 08 692 describes such a partial solution: a bar made of artificial turf to mark out the pitch is inserted in a natural turf field. An earlier application (CH 626 811 A5) had suggested a U-shaped bar instead of the artificial turf. The bar was coated with polyurethane or silicone rubber material and firmly anchored in the soil. To anchor this type of plastic bars into the turf, the parts to be embedded into the ground can be secured by barb-shaped pegs, screw joints or ground pegs driven into the ground at an angle (DE 88 04 302 utility model).
If separately manufactured material strips of an artificial turf material are used for the pitch and the field marking lines, a coloured marking line can be attached to the actual turf material strips by using hook-and-loop fasteners (DE 36 03 383 A1).
Figure 9: Pipe system for marking pitch boundaries (DE 103 12 354 B4)
DE 103 12 354 B4 (Figure 9) shows a very shrewd Swedish idea to refresh the lines marking out a pitch. According to this invention paint is pumped through an underground pipe system up to the surface leaving through outlets installed at the desired field marking spots. The branch pipes used for the paint outlet apertures and the pressure in the pipes are designed to control of the paint flow, preventing paint from being splashed around.
The application DE 103 61 617 A1 describes how to quickly change the field markings on the pitch for another sport. It suggests plastic contrasting-coloured tapes, which are secured to the ground by spikes.
| Publication number | Year | Title | Brief description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE 103 12 354 B4 | 2003 | Unterhalb der Bodenoberfläche verlegtes Rohrsystem und Verfahren zur Markierung der Bodenoberflächen | Underground pipe system and process for marking out surfaces |
| DE 198 20 149 A1 | 1998 | Gerät zum Beschriften großer ebener Flächen | Spray marker to imprint large surfaces such as sports fields (advertising) |
| DE-GM 92 08 692 | 1992 | Farbmarkierungslinie (Sportgelände) Kunststreifen | Barbed artificial turf bar anchored in the turf to mark out the pitch |
| DE 39 12 902 A1 | 1988 | Vorrichtung zum Versetzen von Markierungsdübeln für Bodenmarkierungen od. dgl. | Line marker places contrasting marker plugs into the ground for marking out the pitch instead of drawing solid lines |
| DE-GM 88 04 302 | 1988 | Dauerhafte, im Erdreich zu befestigende, Kunststoff-Spielfeldmarkierung (Linie) für Spiel- und Sportplätze im Freien | Plastic bar fastened with ground pegs driven into the ground at an angle |
| DE 36 03 386 A1 | 1986 | Künstlicher Rasen mit Spielfeldmarkierungen | Marking lines attached to the artificial turf with hook-and-loop fasteners |
| CH 626 811 A5 | 1977 | Dauermarkierung zur Kennzeichnung eines Spielfeldes auf einem Rasen- oder einem Hartplatz | Permanently anchored U-shaped bar coated with polyurethane or silicone rubber material to mark out the pitch |
2.2 Improvements on the chalk liner
Figure 10: Spray paint line marker (DE-OS 23 62 965)
At the end of this article, we return to the chalk liner of the groundsman and explore some developments in this field. For example, chalk liners have been replaced by spray paint line markers whose operating mode is explained very clearly in the application documents DE-OS 23 62 965 (Figure 10.
Some line marking machines are designed to position so-called "marker plugs" in a row, at specific points on the pitch. Above the ground, these plugs often look like white shaving brushes. They form a "dotted line" on the pitch similar to the solid lines indicating the field boundaries (DE 39 12 902 A1).
Today, high-precision laser technology is used to mark out pitches, namely to control the movements of a line marking trolley on the football pitch, for example, shown in EP 1 760 428 A1. Originally, such control equipment has been commonly used eg for tunnel construction.
Meanwhile the pitch is not only adorned by field marking lines. Thanks to a new line of spray paint line markers, lettering may be applied to large sports fields for advertising purposes. Such a new type of spray marker is shown in DE 198 20 149 A1. Certainly, it can be considered part of the above series of developments. In comparison, other methods to produce the display of an advertisement on a grass pitch should be mentioned: eg EP 1 655 709 A1 (using weights to flatten down the grass) or EP 1 224 358 A1 (respective planting techniques).
| Publication number | Year | Title | Brief description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP 1 760 428 A1 | 2005 | Reference beam generator and system for generating guiding beams for marking trolleys | Laser-controlled marking trolley for pitches |
| EP 1 655 709 A1 | 2004 | Device for using lawn as advertising surface | Weights are used to flatten down the grass to display a desired advertising design on the pitch surface |
| AT 410 401 B | 1999 | Verfahren zur Nutzung von mit Rasen bepflanzbaren Grün-, Sport- oder Spielflächen | Desired advertising display is produced eg by planting different types of grass seeds |
| DE 198 20 149 A1 | 1998 | Gerät zum Beschriften großer ebener Flächen | Spray marker to imprint large surfaces such as sports fields (advertising) |
| DE 39 12 902 A1 | 1988 | Vorrichtung zum Versetzen von Markierungsdübeln für Bodenmarkierungen od. dgl. | Line marker places contrasting marker plugs into the ground for marking out the pitch instead of drawing solid lines |
| DE-OS 23 62 965 | 1973 | Sprühvorrichtung | Line marker with spray nozzles |