When starting a fledgling youth soccer league in a previous hometown, my team and league shared a field with the local youth football league. The football league was well established and was not eager to share its field with a soccer league. This was a small town with limited space for athletic fields and even more limited budget. The modern multi-field soccer complexes had not become popular back in the 1970s.
A major point of conflict was the soccer goal frame. A soccer goal frame and a football goal post are not compatible. The soccer goal frame is much wider and the crossbar is two feet lower than the football goalpost. My solution at that time was to build goal frames that could be moved. The football goalposts I was dealing with were merely straight steel pipes set on the back line of the end zone rather than the curved "gooseneck" seen on modern college and professional football fields. The soccer goal frames I was able to obtain were also made of straight pipe (6" NPS). As you can imagine, these frames were quite heavy. Frequent movement of the soccer goal frames was required and that got old in a hurry. Finally, at the end of the season, I was told to remove the goals from the field. Handling a 24-foot crossbar made of 6" pipe was not easy and storage also presented a problem.
A modern lightweight portable soccer goal frame would have been a lifesaver (make that back saver). Additionally, the pipes I had were round (as pipes tend to be) rather than having a 6" flat face specified in soccer rules.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What size soccer goal do I need?
Gone are the days when FIFA required all soccer goals to be 8' high x 8 yards wide! It was just too much to ask for a 10-year-old or 9-year-old Goal Keeper to defend a soccer goal higher than he/she can jump and touch. Most U-10 Goal Keepers can't touch 8' high, let alone deflect or catch a soccer ball at that height. Many U-12 Goal Keepers can't defend the full 8' high goal. Goal width is another consideration. The younger Goal Keepers have difficulty defending the entire 24 feet width, they just don't have the speed to cover that much area.
Model League Designation Age Group(s) Goal Size(HxW)
DM2400, P2400 International Adult U13, U12 8'H x 24'W
DM2100, P2100 US Junior Standard U12, U11 7'H x 21'W
DM1800, P1800 US Modified U11, U10, U9 6.5H' x 18.6'W
DM1600 CDN Junior Standard U11, U10, U9 6.5'H x 16.5'W
DM1200 Official Indoor U9, U8, 6.5'H x 12'W
DM600 3v3 Soccer U6 4'H x 6'W
What model does the league your youth team is playing in use? Is it the size recommended in the chart?
Do different age groups use the same field? If so, are the goal sizes changed from one age group to the next?
Can you change the size of the soccer goal if needed?
Many of the portable soccer goals can be adjusted to the size needed for league.
Today, soccer goals may be downsized to match the size of the youth players. The chart below shows the recommended goal sizes for youth players.
Model League Designation Age Group(s) Goal Size(HxW)
DM2400, P2400 International Adult U13, U12 8'H x 24'W
DM2100, P2100 US Junior Standard U12, U11 7'H x 21'W
DM1800, P1800 US Modified U11, U10, U9 6.5H' x 18.6'W
DM1600 CDN Junior Standard U11, U10, U9 6.5'H x 16.5'W
DM1200 Official Indoor U9, U8, 6.5'H x 12'W
DM600 3v3 Soccer U6 4'H x 6'W
What model does the league your youth team is playing in use? Is it the size recommended in the chart?
Do different age groups use the same field? If so, are the goal sizes changed from one age group to the next?
Can you change the size of the soccer goal if needed?
Many of the portable soccer goals can be adjusted to the size needed for league.
Soccer Field Size and Goal Size
Do your soccer field Size and Goal Size match the sizes recommended for your youth team (or your over 30 team). Rules of the game allow these dimensions to be adjusted for the size and age of the players. This concentrates the play resulting in more touches for the players, thus more fun for the players. An added benefit to the increased enjoyment is increased learning and skill levels. Refer to the chart below for field sizes recommended.
Refer to the posting "What size soccer goal do I need" for the size soccer goal frame to go with the field size.
In addition to reduced dimensions for soccer goal and field, using fewer players per side can generate more flow and action in the game. The obvious age group where reducing the dimensions and number of players can produce better results is in the U-6 or even the U-8. Play in these age group using 11-man sides frequently results in a swarm of twenty players around the ball with a goal keeper standing at each end of the field. Using teams consisting of three players per side on a field 15 yards wide by 30 yards long with a goal frame 4' high by 6' wide can loosen up the play and may even result in passing or a player may emerge as a ball handler. Not many U-6 or U-8 players can sustain play on a field 100 yards long. They also lack the power to kick the ball far enough to play on a full-size field. Teams through the U-10 age group can benefit from a smaller field and sides consisting of fewer than 11 players, 8 per side is a good number for this age group with a field 40 yards wide by 70 yards. Generally speaking, the U-12 and older players can handle a full-size field.
That brings us to some older folks playing recreational soccer. I personally played through the age of 50. I can confirm that most folks over the age of 35 to 40 could benefit from a shorter field. I don't think a smaller goal size would make the game more enjoyable, I needed as large a goal as possible.
FIELD SIZE
AGE GROUP DIMENSIONS PERCENT
U-14 FULL SIZE 100%
U-12 50yds x 80yds 80%
U-10 40yds x 70yds 70%
U-8 20yds x 50yds 50%
U-6 15yds x 30yds 25%
Refer to the posting "What size soccer goal do I need" for the size soccer goal frame to go with the field size.
In addition to reduced dimensions for soccer goal and field, using fewer players per side can generate more flow and action in the game. The obvious age group where reducing the dimensions and number of players can produce better results is in the U-6 or even the U-8. Play in these age group using 11-man sides frequently results in a swarm of twenty players around the ball with a goal keeper standing at each end of the field. Using teams consisting of three players per side on a field 15 yards wide by 30 yards long with a goal frame 4' high by 6' wide can loosen up the play and may even result in passing or a player may emerge as a ball handler. Not many U-6 or U-8 players can sustain play on a field 100 yards long. They also lack the power to kick the ball far enough to play on a full-size field. Teams through the U-10 age group can benefit from a smaller field and sides consisting of fewer than 11 players, 8 per side is a good number for this age group with a field 40 yards wide by 70 yards. Generally speaking, the U-12 and older players can handle a full-size field.
That brings us to some older folks playing recreational soccer. I personally played through the age of 50. I can confirm that most folks over the age of 35 to 40 could benefit from a shorter field. I don't think a smaller goal size would make the game more enjoyable, I needed as large a goal as possible.
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