What Fencing Does Your Football Club Actually Need?
If your club has recently received a ground grading report, been promoted to a higher step, or is simply trying to work out what the FA actually requires of your perimeter barrier — you are not alone. Ground grading requirements are widely misunderstood, frequently misquoted, and occasionally enforced at the worst possible time: right before a new season starts. This guide sets out exactly what the FA requires at every level of the pyramid — from Step 1 of the National League System down to the NLS Feeder level at Step 7.
At Steps 1–4, you must have a permanent infilled barrier that prevents the ball passing through or under it — double mesh is the standard solution. At Steps 5–6, a permanent fixed barrier is required with infill strongly advised. At Step 7, post and rope is the absolute minimum but a permanent barrier is strongly recommended for any club with promotion ambitions.
In September 2025, a young non-league player died after colliding with a concrete pitchside wall, prompting the FA to launch a safety review of perimeter walls and boundaries across the National League System. A pitch barrier sits close to players moving at speed — so the material matters. A flexible PVCu barrier flexes and absorbs impact, where concrete, brick or rigid steel does not. Meeting the grading criteria and protecting your players are best solved by the same thing: a permanent, infilled, player-safe barrier.
How the FA National League System Works
The FA's National League System (NLS) is the formal structure of non-league football in England. It runs from Step 1 — the National League, one tier below the English Football League — down to Step 6. Step 7 is the NLS Feeder level, incorporating County Senior Leagues and Regional Feeder Leagues. Below that sit county, district and Sunday leagues, which fall outside the formal NLS grading system and carry no mandatory ground grading requirement.
Each step has its own Ground Grading criteria, published in the FA's National Ground Grading Handbook. This guide is based on version 18, which is the current edition as of the 2025/26 season. Every club in the NLS must meet the minimum criteria for their current step, and must demonstrate they can meet the criteria for the step above should they gain promotion.
FA Fencing Requirements by Step
Steps 1–4 — Grades A, B, C, D
National League through Division 1 Leagues
Minimum setback: 2,250mm at Step 1 (ideally 2,750mm) — 1,830mm at Steps 2–4.
A permanent barrier ideally 1.1m high is required on all sides open to spectators, and — unless it is a solid wall — it must be infilled so the ball cannot pass through or under it. Hi-vis plastic fencing is explicitly excluded as infill. Double mesh is the standard way to meet this requirement.
Steps 5–6 — Grades E, F
Step 5 & 6 Leagues
Minimum setback: 1,830mm.
A permanent fixed barrier is required — temporary or removable fencing does not comply. Infill is permitted rather than mandated at these grades, but is strongly recommended — particularly for clubs with promotion aspirations to Steps 1–4, where infill becomes mandatory.
Step 7 — Grades G, H (NLS Feeder Leagues)
County Senior Leagues & NLS Feeder Leagues
Minimum setback: 1,830mm recommended.
Post and rope is the absolute minimum at Grade H, where infill is optional and advertising boards are an acceptable means of infill. A permanent fixed barrier at 1.1m is ideally expected and is the sensible choice for any club intending to climb.
Steps 2–4 cover NL North and South (Step 2), the four Premier Division leagues of the NPL, Isthmian and Southern (Step 3), and their respective Division One leagues (Step 4). If your club is in any of these leagues, infilled fencing is not optional — it is a mandatory ground grading requirement.
The Most Common Grading Failures — And How to Avoid Them
Based on the FA's grading criteria and feedback from clubs across the NLS, these are the fencing-related issues that most commonly cause clubs to fail or be delayed at ground grading:
- Hi-vis plastic fencing at Steps 1–4. Explicitly excluded as suitable infill in the FA's grading criteria. If you currently use orange or yellow plastic mesh fencing at Steps 1–4, it must be replaced before your next inspection.
- Wrong setback distance. The fence must be at the correct distance from the edge of the playing area — not the pitch markings. At Step 1, this means a minimum of 2,250mm from the actual turf or playing surface edge.
- No infill at Steps 1–4. Post and rail alone, or single rail barriers without mesh, do not satisfy the infill requirement at Steps 1–4. The ball must not be able to pass through or under the barrier.
- Incomplete perimeter coverage. The barrier must cover all sides of the ground that are open to spectators. A fence that covers three sides but leaves one open does not comply.
- Temporary fencing at Steps 5–6. From Step 5 upwards, the FA requires a permanent fixed barrier — not a temporary or removable system. If your fencing can be lifted out or removed without tools, it does not comply.
What Happens If Your Club Gets Promoted?
Promotion to a higher step triggers a ground grading assessment for the new step's requirements. Many clubs are caught out by this — they have compliant fencing for their current step, but not for the step they have just been promoted to.
The practical answer is to install fencing that meets a higher specification than your current step requires. Installing Double Mesh at Steps 5–7 means you will never need to replace your fence if you gain promotion — it is already compliant for Steps 1–4. The marginal extra cost at installation is substantially less than the cost of replacing compliant fencing a few years later.
Football Foundation fencing grants of up to £25,000 are available at all levels and can be used to fund a Double Mesh installation even at Step 7. Installing to the higher specification now, funded by a grant, is a significantly better outcome than installing the minimum and replacing it on promotion — unfunded.
What Is Double Mesh Fencing and Why Does the FA Recommend It?
Double mesh fencing refers to a pitch perimeter system with welded mesh infill panels in both the upper and lower sections of each bay — between the top and middle rail, and between the middle and bottom rail. This creates a solid barrier through which the ball cannot pass and under which it cannot roll.
The FA's grading criteria require that the barrier at Steps 1–4 prevents the ball passing through or under it. Double mesh satisfies this by design and is the specification installed at the vast majority of Step 1–4 grounds.
Summary: What Your Club Needs by Step
| FA Step | Minimum Setback | Infill Required? | Our Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps 1–4 | 2,250mm (Step 1) 1,830mm (Steps 2–4) |
Mandatory | Pro Pitch Double Mesh |
| Steps 5–6 | 1,830mm | Strongly advised | Double Mesh or Single Mesh |
| Step 7 | 1,830mm recommended | Optional | Single Mesh or Post & Rail |
Get the Right Fencing for Your Step
The Pro Pitch PVC perimeter fencing system is available in Double Mesh, Single Mesh and Post & Rail variants to match the exact FA requirement for your step. Supply only or fully installed nationwide. Get a free quote within 24 hours — including full specification documents for a Football Foundation grant application.
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