How to Install a Sports Pitch Perimeter Fence: Step by Step
Installing a pitch perimeter fence is well within reach of a capable club work party for a post-and-rail or single mesh system — and our managed teams handle the rest. This guide walks through the full process: setting out, digging, concreting posts, fitting rails and panels, and hanging gates. Whether you are doing it yourselves or simply want to understand what a professional install involves, here is the method.
The sequence is: set out the fence line at the correct setback, mark post centres at 2,500mm, dig 300mm-diameter holes to roughly 650mm depth — around 500mm of concrete with 150mm of soil backfill on top — set posts in concrete checking level and line, allow the concrete to cure, then fit rails and mesh panels and hang gates. Accurate setting-out at the start is what makes or breaks the finished result.
Before You Start: Plan and Measure
Most installation problems are really planning problems. Before any digging:
- Confirm your setback. Measure from the edge of the playing surface, not the line markings — 2,250mm minimum at FA Step 1, 1,830mm at most other steps.
- Calculate post positions so bays divide evenly and gates land in sensible places. Planning post centres to avoid cutting panels saves time and waste.
- Check for services. Scan for buried cables, drainage and irrigation before you dig.
- Order with a waste margin. Allow around 5% on panels and rails for tolerance and breakage.
Our full installation guide includes the post and panel schedule for a standard pitch.
The Installation Sequence
1. Set out the line
Run a string line around the full perimeter at the correct setback, squaring the corners carefully. Mark each post centre at 2,500mm intervals. Time spent here is repaid at every later stage.
2. Dig the post holes
Dig holes roughly 300mm in diameter to a depth of around 650mm — allowing for 150mm of soil backfill over 500mm of concrete — adjusting for ground conditions and post height. Consistent depth keeps the rail lines level.
3. Set the posts in concrete
Stand each post, fill with concrete, and check both plumb (vertical) and line against your string before the mix goes off. Brace the posts and leave the concrete to cure fully before loading them.
Fitting rails and panels before the post concrete has properly cured is the most common cause of a wavy, misaligned finished fence. Be patient at this stage — it is the one step you cannot rush or correct later.
4. Fit the rails
With posts set, fit the rails between them — three rails per bay on the standard Pro Pitch system. Check each rail run is level as you go.
5. Fit the mesh panels
On single or double mesh systems, fit the welded mesh infill panels into the bays. On post & rail there are no panels — the rails alone form the barrier.
6. Hang the gates
Fit pedestrian and double (maintenance/vehicle) gates at the planned positions, checking they swing cleanly and latch correctly.
DIY or Managed Installation?
A post-and-rail or single mesh run on flat, accessible grass is a realistic club project for a competent volunteer team. Where managed installation earns its cost:
- Double mesh at graded grounds, where a compliant, level finish matters for the grading assessment.
- Sloping or difficult ground, hard standing, or restricted access.
- Tight deadlines — particularly the 31 March grading cut-off.
- Warranty and certainty of a result that passes first time.
Supply Only or Fully Installed
Whether your club is installing itself or wants our managed teams to handle everything, we supply the Pro Pitch system to suit. Get a free quote for either option within 24 hours.
Get a Free Quote Read the Install Guide