Most of the big clubs in English soccer have some under soil heating in place. It is considered an essential requirement by many of the clubs who do not wish to see matches staged at their home stadium fall victim to adverse weather conditions. This would result in the inconvenience of thousands of supporters and lead to the game being re-scheduled at a later date. It would also lead to the club suffering a financial loss.

English football clubs with under soil heating, can look forward to their games going ahead as planned regardless of how bad the weather conditions are. No sports fan likes to see matches postponed and it is a pet hate of the average football supporter. Traveling to the game is expensive and time consuming. It is not a pleasant experience finding out upon your arrival the match has been abandoned. Sometimes games are postponed at a very late stage which does not go down well with the spectators.

Frozen pitches are not a problem as the heating system will quickly melt the ice. The same goes for a heavy snowfall which can be removed by leaving under soil heating running for a few hours. This means a pitch which looks unplayable can be transformed into a perfectly safe playing surface in a very short space of time. This is good news for those supporters who are en route to the game.

The installation of these heating systems involves laying pipes underneath the surface of the pitch. Hot water is then pumped through these pipes which melts snow and ice or prevents it from forming in the first place. The installation of these systems can lead to some short term disruption with the playing surface. This is because the pitch needs to be dug up to enable the pipe work to be carried out.

The first English soccer club to install one of these systems was Everton and many others followed suit. Most stadiums in the premiership and the championship now have under soil heating. The majority of clubs in the lower divisions do not have under soil heating. Clubs have to weigh up the cost of installation against the benefits. For the smaller clubs, it is an expense which cannot always be justified.

English football clubs with under soil heating, enjoy a huge advantage over other clubs. They do not have to worry when temperatures plummet and the weather is cold and icy. No financial losses are incurred as a result of postponements. Their home matches will commence on time as planned with playing conditions that are safe for the players and ideal for entertaining football.