Have you ever wondered how to make your own soccer goal? Whether you are a seasoned player or a hardcore do-it-yourself builder, you can make your own goal to whatever size specifications you want at home. Perhaps you want to be sure your goal is the proper size for your needs, or you want to save a few bucks by building it yourself. This article will provide you with a simple guide to making your own soccer goal at home that you can use in your backyard, on a field, or even indoors.
Building your own soccer goal is relatively simple, inexpensive, and fast. Even if you aren’t the best builder or soccer player, you should be able to build a goal that will allow you to practice, get some exercise, and have fun.
What You Will Need
To get your metal soccer goal build underway, there are a few things you are going to need:
- Post hole digger (these can be purchased online and in hardware stores for less than $20, and if you enjoy building you will likely use it for other projects as well)
- Two bars of equal length that will be the height of your goal (standard size is 8 feet tall by 24 feet wide, but you can size it much smaller or however you’d like for home use)
- One long bar for the width of your goal (you can use steel, aluminum, or PVC for the vertical and horizontal bars)
- Two elbow joints that fit the bars you chose (you can ask for help at any hardware store to find the correct joints for your needs and materials)
- Cement mixture
- Tape measure
Steps to building the soccer goal
Once you have gathered all of the materials you will need, this is how to build a metal soccer goal:
1. Dig the holes
First you must use the post hole digger to dig two holes where your vertical bars will stand. Use your tape measure to be sure the holes are the correct distance apart from each other (the length of your long bar for the width/top of the goal). If you haven’t done so already, cut your bars to the size you want, with the two vertical bars being the same height, before proceeding to the next step.
2. Pour the cement
Mix cement according to package instructions and pour into the holes. Insert each of your vertical bars into the holes and allow the concrete to harden. You may need to rig a way to keep the poles upright depending on the materials you use and how you dug the holes.
3. Adding the bars
When the cement is dry, attach the long horizontal bar at the top of the two vertical bars using the two joints. You could also do this step before inserting the vertical bars into the cement, but your vertical bars will stay upright more easily without the added weight of the horizontal bar.
And there you have it! You have a perfectly useful and sturdy soccer goal. At this point, you have the option of adding a net. This is not needed but adds to the aesthetic appeal of your goal and will catch the ball in the back if kicked into the goal. You can use twine to attach the net to the posts. If you use a net, remember that nets take a beating from soccer balls constantly flying into them (if you’re a decent player!).
It is better to purchase a thicker, higher quality net one time than to keep replacing a cheap, thin net that the ball keeps tearing through. You will save time and money if you invest in a good net from the beginning.
Safety
Be sure to test the goal for safety before playing with it or allowing anyone else to play with it. You will want to check the security of the joints where the horizontal and vertical bars meet as well as the tightness of the vertical bars into the cement in the ground.
Give the concrete at the bottom of the vertical posts a couple days to completely solidify, and check the ground around the posts after various weather conditions (especially hard rain) to see if the posts have shifted or become wobbly at all.
If so, pour more cement and wait until it has hardened again and the posts are steady. Do not play if the goal posts are wiggly or loose, as they could break and fall during play and be potentially hazardous.
