I headed back from the tournament with a badly skinned knee. The running joke was that the soccer field was actually just a tennis court spray painted green. There was zero give as I fell, as would normally be provided by dirt and grass. It instantly broke the skin. The field, if you could call it that, was legitimately bad, and I suffered for it.
I wonder what happened as the organization decided to host the tournament. I wonder if it were an honest choice with good intentions. Maybe they used the space frequently for pickup games. Or maybe they were just trying to squeeze as much space and tournament registration fees as possible out of the area. Maybe they knew how bad the field was and didn’t care and willingly opened themselves up for expensive legal trouble. I mean, I can only imagine if someone had fallen after a missed header and from a greater height.
Whether you are running a tournament or even standard practices, it is absolutely vital you inspect your facilities. Make sure you take into account safety, compliance codes, and rules of play specific to your sport. It will make for better experiences for the athletes and keep you out of trouble.
The Sideline Fix 
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