Where does the goal go?
Two big steps from windows and flowerbeds, and a boundary to fit your garden.
See the mini pitch guideHow to Make a Football Goal at Home (and What Never to Build)
Small Garden
A goal at home needs markers, not a frame.
If you want to make a football goal at home, use cones, bags or a laundry basket, agree how high a shot can go and leave out anything rigid that could fall.
For a long time I thought a proper goal needed a crossbar, so I once lashed two garden canes and a broom handle together on the lawn. A gust of wind took it into the flowerbed within the hour, and I was glad nobody was under it.
Start here
Homemade Football Goal for Kids: The Short Answer
To make a football goal at home, make a goal-mouth, not a goalpost. Two cones, two bags or a laundry basket on its side mark the goal on the ground, and nothing is left standing for a child to climb on. A goal-mouth is a gap between two soft markers. A goalpost is a structure that stands up by itself, and structures are what tip.
The FA says goalposts of any size must be anchored securely or have a weighted back bar, and that portable ones may overturn if not properly secured. It also says homemade goalposts should not be used under any circumstances, and that serious injuries and deaths have followed unsafe use (the FA's goalpost safety guidance).
A pair of cones is not a goalpost in the FA's sense, but that is my reading, not the FA's, so I keep to the soft and the light. Skip any rigid frame or crossbar, agree a height instead of building one and pack it away after play.
Even bought goals fail. RoSPA reports that 41% of mini-soccer goals, 50% of 5-a-side goals and 22% of junior goals failed stability tests in an FA inspection programme (RoSPA's goal post safety page).
For where the goal should stand in the garden, start with marking out a mini football pitch. None of this is a safety certificate, so check whatever you make.
Material by material
DIY Garden Football Goal: What Is Safe to Make and What Is Not
Here is every material I would think about, with a verdict, a build and a check. Nothing here is a carpentry job, because the safest goal-mouth has nothing to build.
| What you use | Verdict | How to build it | Stability check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cones | Yes | Two cones, or four if you want a deeper mouth. Use the soft bendy kind where you have them. | Kick it over on purpose. If nothing is hurt and it stands up again in seconds, it is fine. |
| Bags, jumpers and coats | Yes | Two rolled-up coats or two soft bags with nothing hard inside. | Check bags for water bottles, tins or lunch boxes. Weigh it with a jumper, not a stone. |
| Laundry basket on its side | Yes | A plastic basket on its side makes a small goal with a back. Open end towards the shooter. | Check for snapped edges and handle holes a foot could catch in. It will skid, so keep shots gentle. |
| Light plastic buckets, upturned | Yes, with care | Upturn two empty buckets for posts. Do not fill them with water or sand. | Full buckets are a toe and shin hazard and heavy to move. If a bucket slides in a kick, the weight is already too much. |
| Pool noodles | Yes, with care | Lay noodles flat as a goal line, or slide a short length over a cone if it fits. Do not push one over an upright stick. | A noodle stood on its own blows over, while a flat one stays put. Check there is no stick or cane inside. |
| Garden canes and string | Only with caps | Cap each cane end with a cane topper, a tennis ball or a bottle, push it in firmly and keep the string flat on the ground. Cones are better. | The RHS says the end of a cane can be dangerous for your face or eyes (the RHS on cane ends and eyes). String at ankle or shin height will catch a running child, so keep it low and visible, or leave it out. |
| Chalk or tape goal on a wall, fence or shed | Yes | Chalk a rectangle or stick tape on a plain wall. Nothing stands up, so nothing can tip. | Check the target is clear of windows and the car, and that the wall is not shared with next door's glass. Chalk is gone in the next shower. |
| Bricks, paving, full pots, a wheelie bin or garden furniture | No | Do not use heavy or hard objects as posts. | A ball or a foot hits something hard and heavy that does not move. Anything that can be climbed on is out. |
| Rigid frame with a crossbar (PVC, wood, bamboo or metal) | No | Do not build one. | The FA says homemade goalposts should not be used under any circumstances (FA). The US safety regulator recorded at least 22 tip-over deaths since 1979 (a 1996 US safety warning), typically a child climbing or hanging on the crossbar of an unanchored goal (a 1992 US warning on tip-overs). A bought folding goal is a different thing and is covered further down. |
The verdicts are my reading, built from the FA's rule and ordinary common sense. They are not a test certificate.
The five-minute build
Make a Goal From Cones or Buckets in Five Minutes
- 1
Two markers. Put two cones, bags or upturned buckets on the lawn or patio. Choose from the table above.
- 2
The gap. Pace out roughly two big adult strides between them, about 1.5 to 2 metres, and widen it if shots keep missing. That is a rule of thumb, not an FA size. For a bought goal, see the garden goal size guide.
- 3
The height rule. There is no crossbar, so agree one landmark: a mark on the fence, the top of the shed door or the grown-up's hip. Anything above it is "over".
- 4
A goal line, if you want one. A skipping rope, a hose or a strip of tape laid flat between the markers shows where the line is. Keep it on the ground and visible.
- 5
A quick wobble check. Push each marker with a flat hand and walk round it once. Then run the three checks below.
"Shall we say anything above my hip is over? Then it's your goal and I'll be the one who has to fetch it."
For a game that uses a goal like this, there is the garden penalty shootout. If a goal still feels too big, aim at the garden's corners instead.
Before the first kick
Keep It Soft, Keep It Low: The 30-Second Check
Three moves, and each takes about ten seconds.
The push
Push the goal over yourself, from the side and from the front. If it falls, it should fall soft and not pin anything. If it needs a boot to move it, it is too heavy. That check is my own.
The wind
If it moves on its own, it goes away. Playing football in a strong wind has its own guide, and the Met Office advice there to secure loose garden objects applies.
The hang
Could a child sit on it, swing from it or climb it? The FA says nobody should climb on, swing or play with the structure of goalposts (FA). If yes, it is not a marker, it is a frame.
Put it away every time. A made goal is not left up overnight, and the US regulator advises removing nets when goals are not in use (the US safety regulator's guidance on movable goals). Do not hang a net from a fence or hedge either.
If a cane end ever hits a child's eye, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if something has pierced the eye or hit it at high speed, and to ring 111 if you are worried (the NHS advice on eye injuries).
When a made goal is not enough
Cheap Football Goal Alternatives and When to Buy a Real One
The cheapest honest options come in this order. Cones and bags are free, a chalked wall goal costs a stick of chalk, a laundry basket is already in the house, and a light folding or pop-up goal is the one to buy on purpose.
If a child wants a net, a rebounder or a keeper, buy rather than build. A bought goal must still be anchored or have a weighted back bar (FA), pegged on grass, and taken down or secured when not in use (US regulator).
Buying is a separate choice from making. For what size of bought goal suits your child and your garden, read the garden goal size guide. If shots keep going near the car or a window, see protecting the car and windows from football.
What is known and what is not
What the Safety Sources Say, and What They Do Not
The FA says homemade goalposts should not be used under any circumstances, and that goals of any size must be anchored or have a weighted back bar (the FA's goalpost safety guidance). The page is written for pitches and goalposts. It does not say whether cones or a basket count, so the soft-markers reading is mine.
RoSPA reports that 41%, 50% and 22% of mini-soccer, 5-a-side and junior goals failed stability tests in an FA inspection programme (RoSPA's goal post safety page). The page gives no year, sample size or method, and the goals were pitch goals.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded at least 22 tip-over deaths since 1979, with victims aged three to 22 (a 1996 US safety warning). The typical incident was a child climbing or hanging on the crossbar of an unanchored goal (a 1992 US warning on tip-overs). Those are American counts from the 1990s about heavy movable goals, not rates.
I looked for a UK death count and could not find one on a page I could open, so I have not quoted one.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Homemade Football Goals
What can I use as a football goal at home?
Two cones, two rolled-up coats or soft bags, or a plastic laundry basket on its side. Keep it soft and light, and avoid anything heavy or rigid (FA).
Is a homemade football goal safe?
The FA says homemade goalposts should not be used under any circumstances, because goals can tip (FA). Markers on the ground such as cones are a different thing, but that is my reading, not the FA's.
Can I make a football goal from PVC pipe?
Not one I would trust. A rigid frame is the structure the FA's rule is about (FA), and the US regulator recorded tip-over deaths, typically a child hanging on the crossbar of an unanchored goal (US CPSC).
How do I make a goal from cones or buckets?
Two cones or two empty upturned buckets, about two big strides apart, with an agreed height instead of a crossbar. Keep buckets light, never full of water or sand.
How wide should a homemade goal be?
About two big adult strides, 1.5 to 2 metres, widened if shots keep missing. For bought goals, see the garden goal size guide.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you need.
Want a game to play on it?
A shootout that works with a goal made from two household objects.
See the penalty shootoutWant more garden games?
More ideas for a small lawn or a patio.
See Small Garden GamesTonight's five minutes
Two cones and a height rule.
Set out two cones or bags, agree what height counts and give it the push test before the first kick. Then pack it away.