A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather or to provide seating stands for watching the sports. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions. More recently, some types of field have begun using a synthetic grass-like material called AstroTurf, some fields are also covered with snow, but its use is often controversial. Today a lot of fields have Next Turf, ProGreen or Field Turf. These Turfs are filled with rubber and/or sand.
There are a variety of different commonly used fields, including:
- American football field
- Association football (soccer) pitch (field)
- Australian rules football playing field
- Baseball field
- Cricket field containing the cricket pitch
- Lacrosse field
- Rugby league playing field (pitch or paddock)
- Rugby union playing field (pitch or paddock)
In other sports, the field of play is called a "court":
- basketball court
- tennis court
- volleyball court
Famous quotes containing the words playing and/or field:
“And there were present
the Picninnies,
and the Jobillies,
and the Garyulies,
and the great Panjandrum himself,
with the little round button at top;
and they all fell to playing the game
of catch-as-catch-can,
till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots.”
—Samuel Foote (1720–1777)
“The planter, who is Man sent out into the field to gather food, is seldom cheered by any idea of the true dignity of his ministry. He sees his bushel and his cart, and nothing beyond, and sinks into the farmer, instead of Man on the farm.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)