FIFA UPDATE


FIFA Update


Tournament Delivery


Spring 2019 was a formative time for FIFA’s Pitch Management Manager, Alan Ferguson, as he and his extended team delivered the first two of four tournaments scheduled for 2019. Blair Ferguson reports


W 40


hen most football fans talk about World Cup football, they are usually referring to the men’s event held once every four years.


Beyond one of the most significant sporting events on the planet, what many people won’t realise is that FIFA host four World Cups every year. The age group World Cups, as they are referred to, are held once every two years and age group finals for male and female teams are held at Under 17 and Under 20 level. FIFA also host the Club World Cup annually, although this is about to be


changed to a 24-team tournament to be held in its new format for the first time in 2021. FIFA also manage the Olympic football tournament on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with the next edition in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympic games.


The U20s World Cup in Poland and


Women’s World Cup in France were the first two to be fully covered by the pitch management team, and the preparations, challenges and successes have profoundly influenced the process going forward to future tournaments. The latest men’s U20 World Cup in Poland


was played throughout May and June 2019. The tournament is a 24-team event and was played in the Polish cities of Gydnia, Tychy, Bydgoczsc, Bieska-Biala, Lublin and Lodz. Each host city stadium was supported by four training sites within a 40-minute drive of the stadium.


The U20 tournament is seen as a youth tournament in the eyes of the majority of hosts and, as such, host countries tend to opt for smaller stadium venues with a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 to ensure they are full and create a good atmosphere. Alan agrees with the stadium approach, but where the FIFA pitch team has run into


PC October/November 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164