Have you ever wanted to build your own soccer goal? Perhaps you want to save money by making your own, or you just enjoy do-it-yourself projects. Learning how to make a net out of rope not only adds to a homemade net, but is also a useful skill in other situations. Making your own net is considered a survival skill that you could use in the wilderness for fishing or to create animal traps.
There are a number of crafts you could apply net making to, and a handmade net is a great gift for the soccer player in your life. A handmade net will also likely be stronger and last longer than many store-bought nets, which is important as soccer nets take a regular beating from soccer balls constantly flying at them.
You can also use this method of net making for volleyball nets, fishing, storage, and no much more. This article will tell you the materials you need to make a simple and sturdy soccer net, with step-by-step instructions.
What You Will Need
- Rope. You can use climbing rope, polyester, or any high-quality fiber. The thickness is up to you, but you will want it to be thin enough that it’s easy to work with, but thick enough that it is sturdy
- Measuring tape
- Utility knife or industrial scissors (must be strong enough to cut the rope with one clean cut)
- Lighter (for sealing the net)
- A large workspace (a clear area on the floor or ground that is bigger than the size of your finished net)
- Tape
Making The Soccer Net
Step 1
Measure the goal posts of the soccer goal you are making a net for with your tape measure. Standard professional soccer goals are 8 feet tall by 24 feet wide, but goals vary in size based on skill level and age. Determine the size of your net before beginning, taking into account how much room you want for the net to hang or how much room to leave for the goalie. This will also depend on the size and type of goal.
Step 2
Cut the vertical columns of rope for your net. You will want these to be a bit longer (about 20%) than what you want your finished net to be because you will lose some length from knotting. For example, if you are making an 8 foot tall net, cut the vertical columns about 9.5-10 feet long. You can take away height at the end, but you can’t add it. It’s better to cut too long than too short and trim off the extra later, than to do a bunch of knotting only to realize your net is too short at the end.
Step 3
Lay out your vertical columns of rope on your large workspace. You want them to look like the finished product, so use your measuring tape to make sure the columns are equidistant from each other and laid out to form the width you want (for a standard goal size, 24 feet).
Step 4
Use your lighter to burn/melt the ends of the rope. This prevents them from unraveling during and after constructing the net.
Step 5
Starting from the rope on the farthest left of what should be a rectangle of vertical columns of rope, tie a double overhand knot down each of the vertical ropes where you want the horizontal ropes to intersect. For a soccer net, you just want to be sure that when the horizontal pieces are attached a soccer ball cannot fit through. You may want to hold up a soccer ball to determine the best placement for your knots.
Step 6
Cut the horizontal rows of rope for your web, the same way you did in step one for your vertical columns. Be sure to add extra length to the horizontal pieces as well for knotting.
Step 7
Place the horizontal rows of rope across the vertical ones to create a grid, with the horizontal ropes touching the knots on the vertical ropes. When you’re done it should look like a bunch of squares inside a big rectangle of rope.
Step 8
Take the horizontal piece of rope at the top of your grid and wrap it around and then through the farthest top left knot. Tie the knot and pull it tight. Continue to the next vertical column and repeat tying the knots until you have tied each knot for the first horizontal piece of rope. Continue to the next horizontal piece and repeat with all the remaining horizontal pieces until every knot is tied. You may want to use tape to keep your grid in place as you work.
Step 9
Trim any extra cord and burn/melt any loose ends.
Conclusion
And now you have a beautiful homemade soccer net, perfect for your own use or for the soccer player in your life!
