Grass pitches

The natural grass pitches at University Park are renowned across the country as amongst the finest in Scotland.

Many professionals who have visited St Andrews including FC Barcelona, Manchester United FC, West Ham United FC, Brighton and Hove Albion FC and regular visitors, Scottish Rugby, have praised the quality of our outdoor facilities.

The estate incorporates four grass rugby pitches, eight football pitches, two cricket pitches, with additional pitches for lacrosse, shinty, ultimate frisbee and 7-a-side football.

Ariel view of Carnegie Pitches
Carnegie Fields from above

Carnegie Fields

The three premium natural grass pitches that make up the Carnegie Fields are amongst the finest playing surfaces in the country.

Each pitch benefits from a fully-automated, remote controlled Hunter irrigation system equipped with 24 individual sprinklers per pitch for maximum water coverage.

West Fields

The West Fields incorporate seven grass pitches; four dedicated to football and three for multi-purpose use.

Pitch Dimensions

View across Carnegie Fields from Whitehorn Hall taken with drone
View to Carnegie Fields from above Whitehorn Hall of Residence

Pitch dimensions for football and rugby vary from 60-70 metres wide to 100-105 metres long, but can be adjusted to suit the requirements of visiting teams, given prior notice.

Height of cut

Height of cut on all pitches is 22mm. Pitches are cylinder cut daily using a Jacobson 305-5 unit ride on mower and rolled and devoted after most training sessions.

Pitch maintenance

Led by Fraser Wright, our dedicated grounds team have been preparing top-class surfaces for professional and international squads for over 15 years, including full time residents Dundee United FC who have based their training ground at University Park since 2009.

West Fields looking South

Our standard maintenance package on the Carnegie pitches includes:

  • regular pitch inspections and repair as required
  • pitch markings and dimensions freshly painted and defined
  • water applied to pitches using automatic irrigation system prior to training
  • additional watering on individual areas of the pitch as requested
  • pitch damage repaired after each training session as required
  • pitches cut and rolled after each training session
  • pitches irrigated for other training requirements i.e. afternoon sessions as required.