Franklin Field dimensions?

Discussion in 'Philadelphia Union' started by SoccerPrime, Jul 7, 2006.

  1. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hey can someone tell me the dimensions of Franklin Field (for soccer)?

    I know we have discussed it before, but I can't remember or find it on Google.

    Thanks!
     
  2. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Looks pretty small. From pics I'd guess it would be about 116 x 64 (at most). The corners are tight with the non-metric track.
     
  3. Rickster

    Rickster Member

    Dec 1, 1998
    I don't know the numbers, but that sounds about right to me. I doubt it's much bigger than field the Clash/quakes used to play at, but since it is surrounded by a track it may feel less confining.

    Here's the main Penn page.

    http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1700&KEY=&ATCLID=66184

    No dimensions but the photo is helpful. It's open during weekdays; anyone want to go over at lunchtime and measure?
     
  4. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks guys. If anyone can find some official info from Penn, that would be spectacular. Gracias!
     
  5. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great idea!!! Anyone interested in helping Rickster? I would, but I won't be able to make it for lunch today. :(
     
  6. mdelrossi1

    mdelrossi1 Member

    Jul 29, 2005
    Center City Philly
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I dont think we were able to find out last time we discussed this. I seem to remember we had a bitch of a time trying to get photos of soccer dimensions on the field.
     
  7. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I emailed Penn and SprintTurf, maybe they can tell me.
     
  8. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It looks like the long jump pit is a problem area. There looks like enough room to do 68 yds wide but the pit on one side shrinks the width. I'd looks like an MLS field would have to be off-centered.

    The soccer markings that are on the field and faintly visible in the Penn pic imply a 60-62 yard width.
     
  9. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FYI
    Spartan Stadium (Quakes old home) was 70 yards x 110 yards.

    Can Philly MLS work at FF if the width is only 62 yards (max)?
     
  10. stucknutah

    stucknutah Member+

    Feb 14, 2002
    In the Office
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    FYI, Spartan was no where near 70 yards wide...the visiting MLS coaches would pace it off and discovered that it was only 60-62 yards...
     
  11. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Official dimensions from SJST website:
    http://www.sjsuspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=5600&KEY=&ATCLID=235120#specifications

    Field Dimensions
    North - South - 375'
    East - West - 210'

    or 125 yards x 70 yards

    Obviously, a soccer configuration is different, so if you are right Stuck, then the FF would match the Spartan dimensions quite nicely.
     
  12. Tigerpunk

    Tigerpunk Member+

    Jun 17, 2004

    It's a traditional oval, so the grounds can be figured out using math.

    The track itself is 400 meters - 2 100 meter straightaways and 2 100 meter circumference semicircles.

    The DIAMATER of a circle with a circumference of 200 yards is C = piD so 200 = piD so 63.67 meters at the point where a pitch is 100 meters long. So if there's no grass at all on the corners, maximizing width you can have a field that is just about 70 yards by 110 yards (actually 69.63 yards by 109.4 yards).

    That's if they utilize the whole pitch (i.e. throw ins take place from the track, and the pit is removed) - which I assume must be done for this to work.
     
  13. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It was about 68.5 yards wide.
     
  14. Tigerpunk

    Tigerpunk Member+

    Jun 17, 2004
    Well if the "field" is 70 yards, someone just subtract the size of the field from the distance (x2) between the wall and the endline.
     
  15. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Okay Quake experts, what are the dimensions for Spartan Stadium then?

    More importantly (to us in this forum) what are the dims for FF? :confused:
     
  16. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Its not a metric track. Its a little tighter than that. They have to install a rail inside the track during the Penn Relays to make up for this.
     
  17. Tigerpunk

    Tigerpunk Member+

    Jun 17, 2004
    What are the lengths of the straightaway and the semicircles?
     
  18. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I really don't know. I could guess that its a 400 yard track but that's about it.
     
  19. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A traditional non-metric track would be 440 yards, which is slightly larger than the standard 400 meter track.
     
  20. ossieend

    ossieend New Member

    Apr 3, 2005
    derby u.k.
    A football field is 53 and a third yards wide, so you could print off a photo taken from the end of FF measure the actual width of the football field on the photo then the width available for the soccer pitch on the photo, then scale them both up to real dimentions. remember if the soccer pitch length is to be the same as at RSL the goal lines will be about six tenths of the way into the end-zones, so will still be inside the bend of the track thus losing some of the possible width. Then you have to decide whether or not a corner-kick taker has a run up on Sprinturf or Reckorton.
    Good luck with the maths guys.;)
     
  21. Mizzouman

    Mizzouman New Member

    Mar 2, 2006
    Columbia,Mo
    Sorry for sounding negative but isn't this type of playing surface another reason why people do not take the MlS serious? The dimensions and that field turf definitely turn me away from watching games played on it. It is horrible to try and watch a Real Salt Lake Home Game. Doesn't this bother any of you? There has to be another place to play that has a natural surface.
     
  22. Sundevil9

    Sundevil9 Member

    Nov 23, 1999
    Reston, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Umm. No there isn't, at least not at a good price-point or availablity.

    And FieldTurf and SprintTurf seem to have different 'flavors', the Penn surface seems to be the type with a longer blade, whereas RSL seems to play on shorter stuff. The shorter stuff is horrible for soccer to the the speed, the longer stuff could be OK......and it's only for the 2007, 2008 and maybe a bit of 2009.
     
  23. Mizzouman

    Mizzouman New Member

    Mar 2, 2006
    Columbia,Mo
    Ummm well ummmm whatever you want to call it, it all is horrible to play on and watch! If a team cannot provide a decent field then they should just wait until they can. Those permanent football lines are also very low budget for what is suppose to be Major League.
     
  24. PhillyMLS

    PhillyMLS Member+

    Oct 24, 2000
    SE PA
    Yeah; but the sprinturf field is actually approved by UEFA so I'm not too worried about it. Plus FCD uses it for one of their practice fields. I talked to someone who has played on the turf at FF and she says that it is a very good surface and you can actually play on it with cleats and not feel much of a difference. I may try to get down there one day and have a go on it but work will most likely get in the way. I actually might try and get up to the field they installed at Radnor HS and see how the ball plays on that to get a better idea of it.
     

Share This Page