Match Weather
Every match is played in its own weather, and the match report describes it as the teams come out. In the premier games the weather can change how a match goes: rain and cold make a pitch play worse, and rain makes players slip into fouls.
The weather
 | Sunny | No effect on the match. |
 | Sunny with light cloud | No effect on the match. |
 | Cloudy | No effect on the match. |
 | Overcast | No effect on the match. |
 | Drizzle | A slightly slippery pitch: a few more fouls, and the pitch plays a little worse. |
 | Rain | A wet pitch: more fouls, the pitch plays worse, and it wears faster. |
 | Heavy rain | A waterlogged pitch: the most fouls, the pitch plays worst of all the rain, and it wears faster. |
 | Hail | A cold, hard pitch: it plays worse, and it wears faster. |
 | Snow | A frozen pitch: it plays worst of all, and it wears faster. |
Each match has a forecast, but it is only a guide: the weather on the day can turn out better or worse.
Why the pitch matters
On a pitch that plays badly, more passes go astray and more players get injured. Bad weather makes any pitch play worse for the match, and a worn pitch in heavy rain is the worst of all. See Stadium for how pitches wear and how to look after yours.
Beating the weather
In the premier games you can protect your home pitch:
- Undersoil drainage counters the rain: the pitch plays better in the wet, wears less, and your players slip into fewer fouls.
- Undersoil heating counters the cold: the pitch plays better on hail and snow days, and wears less.
Each comes in three levels, and each level counters more of the weather, with the advanced level countering all of it. They help in your home matches, on your own pitch.
In the free games
The weather sets the scene in the match report, but it does not change how the match goes.