Eliteserien players raise alarm over pitches: Are we really running elite sport?

More than half of the players responding to a survey in Norway’s top two football divisions say they have suffered injuries or physical problems they connect to the pitches they play on. The finding has prompted NISO leader Kristoffer Vatshaug to question whether Norwegian football is truly providing elite conditions for its top athletes.

The survey received 72 responses from players in the Eliteserien and OBOS-ligaen. Their assessments of playing surfaces ranged from “very good” to “very poor,” Vatshaug said, adding that some of the pitches used most often for training are also in poor condition.

Top clubs have expanded by adding women’s teams and academies, but all those teams must share the same facilities. Vatshaug says the increased use has put pressure on available pitch time, while clubs did not give enough consideration to capacity when they built their academies. He calls the development of academies positive for player development, but says pitch quality and capacity have not received comparable attention.

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Are we really running elite sport and providing for our elite athletes, or are we running a kind of semi-professional grassroots sport when it comes to playing surfaces?

NISO wants as many natural-grass pitches as possible, but its main demand is for more good pitches. Vatshaug said research shows no direct link between artificial turf and higher injury rates. The problem, he said, is poor and hard surfaces, regardless of whether they are grass or artificial turf.

He pointed to Vålerenga and Bodø/Glimt as clubs that have worked to improve artificial-turf quality. In the survey, grass pitches currently rank highest, with Åråsen leading. The grass in Bergen was poor in the spring after a demanding European campaign, while pitches in Hamar and Kristiansand ranked lowest so far. Norsk Toppfotball sports director Erik Hoftun said players’ experiences should be taken seriously, while noting the substantial work clubs already do to provide suitable training and match conditions.

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The paradox is that inadequate pitch conditions can lead to unnecessary injuries and overuse problems and, at worst, end the football careers of the very players we are working so deliberately to develop.