9 votes

Why Copa America is being played on small fields – and what it means

5 comments

  1. kovboydan
    Link

    The Copa America is being played on the smallest pitch size permitted for an international fixture: 100 metres long and 64 metres wide (109 by 70 yards).

    Or, to put it another way, a prestigious tournament involving some of the biggest football nations in the world is taking place on pitches that are similar to the dimensions under-13 academy players regularly use in England to help them transition from 9-a-side to 11-a-side football for the first time: bringing in the sidelines and shortening the length to reduce the physical demands. The total amount of space lost is roughly the equivalent of the size of a penalty area.

    1 vote
  2. [3]
    shinigami
    Link
    I assume this was done with the intent to increase scoring in games?

    I assume this was done with the intent to increase scoring in games?

    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      No, it's because it's being played in multiple NFL stadiums and they're not wide enough. But they wanted consistency so instead of having a mix of different sizes, they're all the smallest...

      No, it's because it's being played in multiple NFL stadiums and they're not wide enough. But they wanted consistency so instead of having a mix of different sizes, they're all the smallest available size.

      7 votes
    2. fefellama
      Link Parent
      A smaller field would lead to more congestion and probably make it harder to create chances, no? I'd imagine that larger fields would open up spaces between defenders and result in more goals. I...

      A smaller field would lead to more congestion and probably make it harder to create chances, no?

      I'd imagine that larger fields would open up spaces between defenders and result in more goals. I wonder if this has been studied before.

      2 votes