25 Turfs You Need To Play On Before You Die
Soccer fields / football pitches with a view
Most of us are used to playing soccer / football on an ordinary field at a nearby park or an indoor facility. Some people have access to better quality turf surfaces than others, but the surroundings are generally similar from village to village, city to city.
For certain lucky people though, their backyards are no ordinary turfs. At Turfmapp, we are here to help you find your soccer, so we’d like to share these unique, breathtaking turfs from around the world. You can check out more information about each one by clicking on the name or on the photo.
If you cherish playing the beautiful game and love traveling, enjoy — and get your passports ready! We know you need to play.
25. Brooklyn Bridge Park — Pier 5
New York, New York
Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7 | Artificial Turf
Pier 5 boasts three 7 v 7 fields and is a very popular location for recreational league and pickup soccer games in NYC. Who wouldn’t want to play here? You could see the magnificent Manhattan skyline across the East River, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge. The shade sails that run along the length of the pier give it a unique touch.
24. Devil’s Tower Camp Field
Gibraltar
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
Playing by the Rock of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula is a privilege. In order to play here, you will need a special invitation into Devil’s Tower Camp, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.
23. Botafogo Beach
Praia de Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Beach Soccer | Outdoor | 9 v 9| Sand
If you ever visit Rio and want to play beach soccer like a Brazilian, Botafogo Beach can give you that chance to enjoy the game with the famous Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) in plain sight.
22. Pier 40 — Rooftop
New York, New York
Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7 | Artificial Turf
Pier 40’s Rooftop turf was once a parking lot but now hosts youth & adult matches and turns into a late night hotbed for pickup soccer. The best part? It has a fantastic view of the One World Trade Center.
21. Saas-Fee Snow Field
Saas-Fee, Switzerland
Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7 | Snow
This isn’t a permanent ground for soccer. Nevertheless, this pre-EURO 2016 friendly that took place back in March had an absolutely stunning landscape at 11,480 feet above sea level on top of a glacier. If you can play on dirt and sand, why not play on powder?
20. São Carlos Favela Football Pitch
Morro de São Carlos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Street Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7 | Dirt
For the most part, locals here play the game on this dirt court so if you ever plan to face the kids of São Carlos Favela, you better leave your fancy shoes at home. And who knows, you may be going up against the next Ronaldinho.
19. Stadium in Jánošovka
Jánošovka, Slovakia
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Grass
This home of TJ Tatran Čierny Balog, an amateur club in the village of Jánošovka, Slovakia, has its own home field advantage with steam engine trains that pass between the field and the stands.
18. Adidas Futsal Park
Tokyo, Japan
Futsal | Outdoor | 5 v 5 | Artificial Turf
Considering Tokyo’s confined space, being able to find the game on the rooftop in Tokyo’s busiest district of Shibuya is special. And how about them lights and sounds; they’ll definitely set the tempo for the Futsal game you will be playing.
17. Shell Football Pitch
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7 | Artificial Turf
This is the world’s first player-powered football pitch. 200 energy-capturing tiles by Pavegen Systems were installed under this artificial turf, which harnesses the kinetic energy generated by players’ movements to provide illumination at night. Look at that urban-scape of the Catumbi favela!
16. Tamnougalt Village Football Pitch
Tamnougalt, Morocco
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Dirt
This unique dirt field is in Tamnougalt, a village near Agdz. The unfinished dirt surface and the African sun make this field a blistering place to play football in Morocco.
15. Tavares Bastos
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Street Soccer | Outdoor | 5 v 5 | Concrete
Many famous Brazilian players came from favela courts like that of Tavares Bastos’. If small-sided soccer is your game, this spot is a must-visit. Dare to challenge the locals barefoot?
14. Stadion Piran
Piran, Slovenia
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
This artificial turf that sits atop a hill of Piran, a medieval-turned-Roman town in the Istria region of Slovenia, surely has to be one of the most uniquely-located soccer turfs out there. Check this out — it even has the old city walls behind one of the goals.
13. Bamburgh Castle Football Pitch
Bamburgh, United Kingdom
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Grass
Right at the foothill of Bamburgh Castle, lies a natural grass turf that hosts local matches. One can definitely be distracted by the picturesque backdrop of this Castle.
12. Tasiilaq Stadium
Tasiilaq, Greenland
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Dirt
This dirt turf is located in the town of Tasiilaq, Greenland’s largest east coast town. It hosts an annual inter-coastal tournament where soccer teams from several towns across Greenland come in to compete.
11. The Float at Marina Bay
Singapore
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
The Float at Marina Bay was designed to temporarily host the Singapore National Team while the new National Stadium was being built. However, this turf never hosted the Singapore National Team, though it occasionally hosts amateur matches & friendlies.
10. Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq, Greenland
Soccer | Outdoor | 7 v 7| Artificial Turf
This 7-a-side turf was built with the help of the Danish Football Association & FIFA as part of the Goal program to help grow the game. Why is this place special? If you play here during the winter, you may see icebergs floating in the bay as a backdrop.
9. Coroico Turf Field
Coroico, Bolivia
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
At just 5600 feet above sea level, Coroico’s artificial turf field may not be amongst Bolivia’s most elevated fields. However, it surely has one of the most breathtaking views overlooking the valley and the infamous Yungas Road, also known as the “death road”.
8. Wakhan Football Pitch
Wakhan Valley, Dzhiland, Tajikistan
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Grass
This particular pitch is in the Pamir Valley just north of the Afghanistan border in Tajikistan. Despite the fact that it sits along the old Silk Road, this pitch doesn’t look too silky.
7. Fuglafjørður Stadium
Fuglafjørður, Faroe Islands
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
The local team, Ítróttarfelag Fuglafjarðar, are lucky enough to call this their home turf. Fuglafjørður Stadium (city of Fuglafjordur) overlooks the harbour on one side, and is surrounded by the steep hills of the island of Eysturoy.
6. Koh Panyee Floating Pitch
Koh Panyi, Phang-Nga, Thailand
Street Soccer | Outdoor | 4 v 4| Vinyl
Built on stilts, the village of Koh Panyee doesn’t have any land for their youths to play the game on, so their solution was to build one on water. Check out the story and photos of Koh Panyee on Where Is Football here.
5. Henningsvær Stadion
Henningsvær, Norway
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
Located north of the Arctic circle on an island part of the Lofoten archipelago, the Henningsvær (Henningsvaer) fishermen have quite a turf to themselves…strangely surrounded by fish-drying racks.
4. Igralište Batarija
Trogir, Croatia
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Grass
Not only is the Batarija ground in Trogir situated on the beautiful Dalmatian Coast, it sits right between St. Marco fort and Kamerlengo Castle.
3.Hásteinsvöllur
Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Grass
Another pitch by the rock? Well, this photographic cliff you see here is less than a mile away from a young active Eldfell volcano. This very location of the pitch was once covered in lava from the eruption back in 1973.
2. Ottmar Hitzfeld
Gspon, Switzerland
Soccer | Outdoor | 8 v 8 | Artificial Turf
Sitting at 6587 feet above sea level, this 8-a-side pitch is known to be the highest elevated pitch in Europe. In order to see this spectacular view, you’ll have to either hike up, take a cable car or hop on a helicopter like Mr. Hitzfeld himself when he arrived for the opening ceremony.
1. Á Mølini Stadium
Eiði, Faroe Islands
Soccer | Outdoor | 11 v 11 | Artificial Turf
This is an isolated stadium located on the north-western tip of Eysturoy Island in a village of Eiði (Eidi), with a population of less than 800. It sits in the valley between the waters…so playing long passes & shots here can be very unpredictable due to extreme wind conditions.
Map Your Turf
Do you agree or disagree with this list? Do you think we’re missing any other notable turfs? Help us find the best places around the globe. Join Turfmapp to map where you play and tell us about it. We’re trying to connect the world with a ball and show that no matter where you go, there’s always a place to play and always a group to play with.
