Marking out the pitch?
Tape a pitch round the shed and keep goals two big steps from anything breakable.
Read about the garden pitchGarden Hazards to Check Before Kids Play Football: A Two-Minute List
Small Garden
Two minutes before the ball comes out.
If the garden has a pond, a trampoline or a shed near the grass, here is a quick check and a layout that keeps the ball and the children away from them.
The garden hazards to check before kids play football come down to six: open water, a trampoline, the shed and tools, the goal, clutter on the ground and anything hot or poisonous (RoSPA)(RoSPA). Give each one a decision: move it, cover it or keep play away from it (RoSPA). A child chasing a ball watches the ball and not the ground, so a hazard that is fine on a quiet day needs a gap around it in a game. No source covers football in gardens, so this is general advice from RoSPA, rearranged for a ball.
I used to check the garden by looking at the lawn, and the one time the ball rolled towards the pond I found I had never once looked past the lawn.
Walk it once, ball in hand
A Garden Safety Checklist for Ball Games: Six Checks in Two Minutes
Walk the garden with the ball under your arm and look at each spot as a child would see it from a run. Each check is worded for a child who is chasing the ball.
- 1
Water. Ponds, hot tubs and water butts are covered or fenced, and paddling pools and small containers are emptied (RoSPA). A child chasing a ball is watching the ball, not the water, so keep every shot pointing away. A small child can drown in as little as five centimetres of water, and drowning is silent (NI Direct).
- 2
Trampoline. Net and pads are in place, one child at a time and none under six (RoSPA). With no net, keep 2.5 metres clear of toys, trees, washing lines and poles (RoSPA). Ball games stay off it, and an adult fetches any ball that lands underneath.
- 3
Shed, tools and chemicals. Doors shut, tools put away and checked, chemicals up high and out of reach (RoSPA)(NI Direct). A child on a run will not see an open door or a rake on the lawn.
- 4
The goal and play equipment. A goal of any size is anchored or weighted (the FA), and swings and slides stand on a soft surface and are secure (NI Direct). For a pop-up goal, peg every loop and put it away in wind.
- 5
The ground. Pick up hoses, toys, tools and cones so there is a clear run to the ball, because clutter is a trip hazard (RoSPA). For a layout that lies flat, tape beats cones.
- 6
Anything hot or poisonous. Barbecues and fire pits are supervised and cooled, as surfaces stay hot long after use (CAPT), and the ball stays away from them. Toxic plants such as yew, laburnum and foxgloves are kept out of reach (RoSPA).
The sources are general garden-safety pages, and the ball-chasing wording is my own. None is a rule.
The ball goes where the hazards are
Tidy the Garden Before Football: Why a Ball Changes the Check
The advice pages are written for a child who sits, wanders or digs. A child chasing a ball runs with their eyes on it, at speed, and turns without looking. That is my own reasoning, not something a source says.
So two things change: the gap around each hazard and the tidy. A shed left open or a rake on the lawn matters far more in a game than on a quiet afternoon.
A kick-and-fetch rule helps. Nobody runs after a ball that lands near water, the trampoline or the shed, and an adult fetches it. If the dog is out too, read when the dog joins in, because a dog is a hazard that moves.
No source says how big the gap should be. The only distance one gives is the 2.5 metres for a trampoline with no net (RoSPA).
One decision each
Ponds, Trampolines and Sheds Near Football: Move It, Cover It or Keep Out
RoSPA lists the hazards (RoSPA)(RoSPA). The table below sorts them for a ball game, giving each one a single decision.
| Hazard | Decision and how |
|---|---|
| Pond, hot tub, water butt | Cover or fence it (RoSPA). Keep the goal and every shot pointing away, and let an adult fetch any ball that lands near it. If it cannot be covered or fenced, the garden is not the place for ball games today. |
| Paddling pool or small container | Move it: empty it first (RoSPA). Rain refills it, so check again. |
| Trampoline | Keep out. Ball games stay off it. Net, pads, one at a time, none under six, and 2.5 metres clear if there is no net (RoSPA). |
| Shed, tools, chemicals | Move what you can. Tools away, chemicals up high or locked (RoSPA), shed shut and the goal facing away from it. |
| Barbecue, fire pit, hot surfaces | Keep out until cooled, since they stay hot long after use (CAPT). |
The sources do not say how far to keep a ball game from each hazard. The table gives each hazard one decision, and how far to keep play from it is my own judgement.
Three zones
A Safe Layout: Kick Zone, Buffer and No-Go
I used to put the goal wherever the lawn was flattest, which was also the nearest bit to the shed.
Now the garden splits into three zones. The layout is my own arrangement of the sources' lines, not a published standard.
| Zone | What it is | How to set it up |
|---|---|---|
| No-go | Water, trampoline, shed and anything hot | Shut, covered or fenced, and said aloud as out of bounds. |
| Buffer | A strip of clear lawn between the kick zone and the no-go | Nothing breakable or sharp, as far as the garden allows. Keep 2.5 metres for a trampoline with no net (RoSPA). |
| Kick zone | The open lawn | Goal facing away from the no-go and anchored (the FA). |
To set it up, stand where the ball would come from and look where a miss goes. Turn the goal until a miss ends up on the lawn.
In a small garden the buffer may not fit. Shorten the game instead, with keepy-uppy or wall passing and no shooting. There is more on fitting a pitch round a shed.
For the border side, see protecting plants from the ball. If a younger child wants a go, a smaller child on the lawn needs a plan of its own.
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say, and Where They Stop
Cover or fence ponds, empty paddling pools, lock chemicals away and check tools before use. That is RoSPA's garden safety advice.
Under sixes should not use trampolines, only one child should bounce at a time and a net-free trampoline needs 2.5 metres clear. That is RoSPA's trampoline safety page.
A goal of any size, including a portable one, should be anchored or weighted. That is the FA's goalpost guidelines.
A small child can drown in very little water. That is NI Direct's garden safety page, a Northern Ireland government page. Hot fire-pit surfaces come from the Child Accident Prevention Trust's garden safety page, which I use as supporting only.
These are general garden-safety pages from RoSPA, a government site and a football body. None of them is about football in a garden, none says how far a ball game should be from a pond, and none is a study. The checks lower the risk. They do not remove it.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Garden Hazards and Football
What should I check in the garden before my child plays football?
Water covered or fenced, the trampoline netted and kept out of the game, the shed shut, the goal anchored, the ground clear and anything hot cooled (RoSPA)(RoSPA)(the FA)(CAPT).
Is it safe to play football near a pond?
A covered or fenced pond with the goal facing away and an adult fetching stray balls lowers the risk (RoSPA). No source says how far is far enough, and a small child can drown in very little water (NI Direct).
Can children play football near a trampoline?
Keep the ball game away from it. RoSPA says one child at a time, none under six, and a 2.5 metre clear zone if there is no net (RoSPA).
How do I tidy the garden before football?
Pick up hoses, tools and toys, shut the shed, put chemicals up high and lock the tools away (RoSPA).
Where should I put the goal in the garden?
Anchored or weighted (the FA), and facing away from the pond, shed and trampoline so a miss ends on the lawn.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you found.
Protecting the borders?
Tough plants, borders out of bounds and cheap netting for the bed you cannot move.
Read about football-proof plantsGoal blowing about?
A peg through every loop, and when to put the goal away.
Read about a windy-day goalTonight's five minutes
Walk the garden once before the ball comes out.
Do the six checks while nobody is playing, give each hazard one decision, and set the goal where a miss ends up on the lawn.