How booking works
This guide covers bookable football pitches across all 22 Welsh counties, for coaches, PE teachers, clubs and individuals. Each county section covers options, booking routes and details to check first. It is not a complete list of every pitch. Information last checked 17 October 2026.
Three ways pitches are booked
Online, instantly
private centres (Gol, Pure Swansea) and leisure trusts using PlayFootball or their own portals. Best for individuals and one-off games.
By enquiry
schools, universities and most council pitches take an email, phone call or form. Best for weekly sessions and teams.
Seasonal allocation
some councils (Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, parts of RCT) allocate block bookings to clubs once a year. Clubs should apply early; casual groups may only get leftover slots.
Who gets priority
Many school and council pitches put affiliated clubs, junior teams and women's and girls' football first. Casual adult groups are usually last in line for evening block bookings.
Schools are mostly available after 5pm on weekdays and at weekends. Daytime school hire needs a direct request to the school.
Before you book
A quick call or email before your first booking avoids most problems. Ask the venue to confirm these points.
- Price: the current price and its unit (per hour, per 55 minutes or per match), and whether lights or changing rooms cost extra.
- Pitch: the size you are booking (5-a-side, 7-a-side, half or full) and how many players it suits.
- Footwear: most 3G pitches ban bladed or metal studs.
- Insurance: council and school pitches often ask clubs for a public liability certificate.
- Safeguarding: schools may ask coaches and PE staff for DBS checks for junior sessions.
- Cancellation terms: notice periods vary (UWTSD, for example, needs one week in writing), and some venues do not refund.
- Directions: check the entrance and parking, because school and campus postcodes often point to the main reception, not the pitch.
- Block bookings: apply before the season. Councils and schools allocate them early, often giving priority to juniors and women's and girls' teams.
This guide reflects venue and council information as published on 17 October 2026. Prices and booking routes change often, so treat every entry as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Glossary
- 3G
- Third-generation artificial grass: long synthetic fibres with rubber (or cork) infill on a shock pad. The standard surface for football; usually no bladed or metal studs.
- 4G
- A marketing term some operators use for newer 3G-style pitches. It is not an independent technical standard.
- 2G / sand-based astro
- Older, shorter sand-filled or sand-dressed artificial turf, mainly built for hockey. Playable for football but harder and faster; trainers or astro boots only.
- ATP
- Artificial turf pitch: a general term that may mean 2G or 3G. Ask which.
- MUGA
- Multi-use games area: a fenced, usually hard or short-pile surface for 5-a-side and other sports.
- SIS
- A brand of hybrid or synthetic pitch surface used at the Cardiff International Sports Campus.
- FIFA Quality / FIFA approved
- A surface tested against FIFA's football turf standard. Claims here are as stated by operators; certificates were not checked.
- PlayFootball
- Online booking platform used by Halo Leisure, Freedom Leisure and others for one-off bookings, paid by card up to 30 days ahead.
- Playfinder / HireAPitch
- Third-party booking marketplaces. Listings are not always confirmed by the venue.
- SchoolHire
- Booking platform used by some schools (for example in Torfaen) for community lettings.
- Block booking
- The same slot every week for a season or a set number of weeks, often cheaper than one-off hire.
- Allocation window
- A once-a-year period when councils allocate block bookings, usually to clubs first.
- Public liability insurance
- Cover that many councils and schools ask clubs to show before hiring a pitch.
- DBS check
- Disclosure and Barring Service check, often required for adults running junior sessions on school sites.
- what3words
- A three-word address for a 3 m square. Only addresses published by operators are given in this guide.