Is the ball the right size too?
A goal sorted is half the job. The ball size guide covers the other half.
See the ball size guideWhat Size Football Goal for a 6 Year Old in a Garden?
Kit, Rules & Safety
Buy the goal for your garden, not just your child.
What size football goal for a child in the garden comes down to three numbers: how old they are, how wide the garden is and how far a shot can travel.
I once bought the biggest goal on the shelf because it was in the sale, and it covered the whole width of the patio and the shed door. It went back in the box the next weekend. Measure first and the rest of this page is easy.
Start here
The Short Answer: Which Goal for a Child Aged 5 to 9
For a child aged 5 to 6, a 6ft by 4ft goal (1.8m by 1.2m) is the usual choice for a small garden, with 4ft by 3ft pop-up goals below that. For ages 7 to 8, 6ft by 4ft or 8ft by 6ft. At 9, 8ft by 6ft suits most gardens and 12ft by 6ft needs a wide one.
Allow a goal no wider than about a third of the garden's width, which is one retailer's rule of thumb, and 3 to 5 metres in front to shoot from. Whatever you buy, the FA says goalposts of any size must be anchored or have a weighted back bar (the FA's goalpost safety guidance).
Three plain claims sit behind that. First, the FA does not set a goal size for gardens. England Football's recommended goals are for matches, from 4ft by 2.5ft for 3v3 at Under 7 up to 12ft by 6ft for 5v5 and 7v7 and 16ft by 7ft for 9v9 (England Football's pitch and goal sizes). A 12ft goal is 3.7m wide, wider than many patios.
Second, a 6ft by 4ft goal for kids is the usual middle: big enough to score in, small enough for a small garden. Third, the garden width at the spot where the goal stands sets the widest goal that fits.
The age bands on this page are my reading of retailer guidance, not an FA rule. England Football and the FA are the sources for sizes and anchoring, and retailers are the source for what is typical on sale. The ball is a separate size question, answered in the guide to what size football your child needs.
Age, width, goal
A Garden Football Goal Size Guide by Age and Width
Find your child's age band, then check the garden width at the spot where the goal will stand. If the width is smaller than the table says, go down a size.
| Age band | Goals typically sold for it | Smallest garden width (one-third rule) | Space in front | What England Football recommends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 6 | 4ft by 3ft pop-up (1.2m by 0.9m) or 6ft by 4ft (1.8m by 1.2m). A football goal for a child aged 5 to 6 can be either. | 4ft goal: about 12ft (3.7m) wide. 6ft goal: about 18ft (5.5m) wide. | 3 to 5m | Under 7 (Year 2) 3v3: goals 4ft by 2.5ft. No goal size is given below Under 7. |
| 7 to 8 | 6ft by 4ft or 8ft by 6ft (2.4m by 1.8m). | 6ft goal: about 18ft (5.5m). 8ft goal: about 24ft (7.3m). | 3 to 5m | Under 8 and 9 (Years 3 and 4) 5v5: 12ft by 6ft. |
| 9 | 8ft by 6ft, or 12ft by 6ft (3.7m by 1.8m) if the garden is wide. | 8ft goal: about 24ft (7.3m). 12ft goal: about 36ft (11m). | 3 to 5m | Under 8 to 11 (Years 3 to 6): 5v5 at Under 8 and 9, 7v7 at Under 10 and 11, all with 12ft by 6ft goals. |
Where the table comes from: the goals column is my reading of retailer guidance. ProGoal (10 September 2025) suggests 6ft by 4ft or 8ft by 4ft up to 6 to 7 years and 8ft by 6ft from 7 to 11. Soccerflick (10 August 2026) suggests 6ft by 4ft for 3 to 6 and 8ft by 6ft for 6 to 10 (ProGoal's garden goal guide, Soccerflick's goal size chart).
The width column applies ProGoal's rule of thumb that a goal should take up about a third of the garden's width, worked out for each size. The space in front is a retailer's "3 to 5 metres minimum" (a retailer's garden goal size guide). The England Football column is for organised matches (England Football's pitch and goal sizes).
These are retailers' rules of thumb, not tested limits, and a garden with a fence behind the goal needs the strictest reading. If your garden is narrower than a row says, go down one size. Age bands overlap, so use the width column to break ties.
Match sizes versus garden sizes
Why the FA's 12ft Goal Is Not Your Garden Size
England Football's sizes are for organised matches on marked pitches. Its current table lists Under 7 as 3v3 on pitches from 15m by 10m, and Under 8 and 9 as 5v5 on pitches from 27m by 18m to 37m by 27m. Under 10 and 11 play 7v7 on pitches from 46m by 27m to 55m by 37m, and both of those age groups use 12ft by 6ft goals. Under 12 and 13 move up to 9v9 with 16ft by 7ft goals (England Football's pitch and goal sizes). These groupings apply from the 2026/27 season, when England Football made 3v3 the entry format for Under 7s and introduced 11v11 at Under 14 (England Football's youth football changes). Guides written before then may group the ages differently. A 12ft by 6ft goal on a 37m by 27m pitch is a different thing from the same goal on a 9m patio.
The FA lets matches for under-16s change the width between the posts and the crossbar height (the FA Handbook on goalpost and pitch sizes (PDF)). A goal that is not 12ft by 6ft is not wrong for a child. The smallest official size, 4ft by 2.5ft, shows the FA itself uses small goals for the youngest players.
A retailer line like "12ft by 6ft is the FA size" is true of matches. For a garden it only tells you what your child may meet at a club later. The FA gives no size below Under 7 and none for gardens, so the 5 to 6 row in the table is my reading.
Where the goal stands matters as much as its size, and the layout guide covers how far from the windows to keep it.
Five minutes with a tape
Best Size Goal for a Small Garden: Measure Before You Buy
Five measurements take about five minutes and settle the question better than any chart.
- 1
Garden width at the goal. Measure side to side where the goal would stand, in feet or metres, and write it down. A fence panel is about 6ft across if you have no tape (ProGoal's garden goal guide).
- 2
The one-third check. Divide the width by three. A goal wider than that number will fill the garden, so drop a size.
- 3
Depth in front. Measure from where the goal stands to the furthest point a child could shoot from. The retailer rule is 3 to 5 metres (a retailer's garden goal size guide). Less than that and the garden suits a smaller goal or a passing game.
- 4
What is behind and to the side. Look at where a miss goes: window, car, flowerbed or shed. If a wide goal points at glass, choose a smaller one or turn it. A goal that faces the house is the first thing to turn, and the car and windows guide has a danger-zone layout.
- 5
Walk it through. Stand where your child would shoot and picture a miss. If a miss goes through a window, over a fence or into a planter, that is the answer to which size. Tape or cones for a day tell you more than a tape measure.
"Shall we pace out the shooting spot first and decide on the goal after?"
Buy it once
Before You Buy: What to Check and What It Costs
Certified. The FA says only goals and nets certified to the relevant British Standard should be bought or used, and it names BS EN 748 and BS EN 16579 (the FA's goalpost safety guidelines (PDF)). Look for a standard named on the listing. I have not checked which standard covers which goal.
Net fixings. Metal cup hooks on goal frames were banned in football from the 2007 to 2008 season, and plastic fixings or tape are the alternative (the FA's goalpost safety guidance).
A back bar that can be weighted or pegged. The next section explains why.
Not wooden. The FA says there is no British Standard for wooden goals and that all wooden goals independently tested failed strength and stability tests (the FA's goalpost safety guidance).
Room to grow. One retailer says some 8ft by 6ft goals expand to 12ft by 6ft, so check the listing before relying on it (Mark Harrod's goal size guide).
On one UK retailer's portable goals listing on 3 October 2026, sale prices ran from £9.99 for a 4ft by 3ft pop-up to £39.99 for a 6ft by 4ft post goal and £59.99 for an 8ft by 6ft. That is one retailer on one day, and every figure was a sale price against a higher struck-through price. Treat it as a snapshot, not the price of a goal.
If you are not ready to buy, cone and bucket markers cost nothing, and there is a guide to making a goal at home. The FA says homemade or altered goalposts should not be used "under any circumstances" (the FA's goalpost safety guidance). Markers with no frame to tip are not goalposts in my reading, but a frame you build is another matter.
Whichever goal you buy, move it now and then to spread the wear on the lawn.
What is known and what is not
Anchoring a Garden Goal: What the FA Says and Where It Is Silent
The FA says goalposts of any size, including portable ones, "must always be anchored securely to the ground or have a weighted back bar". It adds that portable goals may overturn if they are not assembled and secured as the manufacturer says (the FA's goalpost safety guidelines (PDF)).
The FA's 2012 guide says the most reliable ways to stabilise a free-standing goal are fixing the back bar to a permanent point such as a fence, a wall or a concrete block, or adding weights to the back bar in the manufacturer's positions. It calls pegs and screw anchors on natural turf pitches "not generally recommended" unless they are shown to work in the worst ground (the FA's guide to pitch and goalpost dimensions (PDF)). For a lawn that means using the manufacturer's method, adding weight to the back bar if it has a place for it and checking the goal after rain.
Take it down after play. The FA says portable goals should not be left in place after use, and stored goals should lie flat (the FA's goalpost safety guidelines (PDF)). Nobody should climb on, swing from or hang on the crossbar.
These are club and school documents, the 2012 guide pre-dates today's goals and I found no UK data on garden-goal injuries, so nothing here proves a number. I used to leave the goal up all week because it was easier. I stopped after a windy night moved it three feet across the lawn.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Garden Football Goal Sizes
What size football goal for a 5 year old?
A 6ft by 4ft goal or a 4ft by 3ft pop-up suits most small gardens. England Football's smallest goal is 4ft by 2.5ft, for Under 7s playing 3v3 (England Football's pitch and goal sizes). Under that age the FA gives no size, so this is a buying judgement, not a rule.
Is a 6ft by 4ft goal big enough for a child?
For ages 5 to 7 and a small garden, yes, and retailers commonly recommend it for younger children (ProGoal, Soccerflick). From 7 upwards one retailer suggests 8ft by 6ft.
What size goal for a small garden?
Take about a third of the garden's width as the widest goal, and leave 3 to 5 metres in front to shoot. Both are retailer rules of thumb. For a garden 5.5m wide that is a 6ft goal.
Is 12ft by 6ft too big for a garden?
Often. It is England Football's goal for Under 8 to 11 matches on pitches of 27m by 18m or more, and it is 3.7m wide. By the one-third rule it needs a garden about 11m wide.
Do garden football goals need to be anchored?
The FA says goalposts of any size, including portable ones, must be anchored securely or have a weighted back bar, and be secured as the manufacturer says (the FA's goalpost safety guidance). Take them down after play.
Can I use a homemade goal?
The FA says homemade or altered goalposts should not be used under any circumstances (the FA's goalpost safety guidance), so do not build a frame. Cones and markers have no frame to tip, which is my reading and not the FA's, and a guide to making a goal at home covers those markers and what to avoid building.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you need. If the wind keeps carrying your goal off, how to stop a pop up goal blowing away has pegs and weights that work.
Where should the goal stand?
Tape a boundary and keep the goal two big steps from anything breakable.
See the mini pitch guideWant the full kit and safety list?
Boots, mouthguards, glasses and the rules that keep play safe.
See Kit, Rules & SafetyTonight's five minutes
Measure first, buy second.
Pace out the width and the shooting space with a tape, then pick the row in the table that fits.