What You Need To Know About Soccer Goal Nets

If you've got a soccer player in your house, chances are good that you're in the market for a soccer goal and net, whether you realize it or not. While soccer goals can be made from a variety of materials by the do-it-yourselfer, you're still going to have to have a net in the goal to stop the ball. Depending on the age and skill level of your soccer player, getting the right type of net can be important to the maximum enjoyment and durability. If you're fortunate enough to live in a community with access to an indoor soccer practice area with nets and other equipment, that's great—but you'll still probably want a spot in the backyard for your player to practice shooting.

How Strong is Your Player?

Soccer goal nets vary in price, mainly by the overall size—since soccer goals get bigger, the older the players get—and by the thickness of the cord from which they are made. The least expensive soccer goal nets are woven together with polyethylene cords of about 2 mm in thickness. Also, the less expensive the net, the wider the squares will be (because less cord is used). If your soccer player is younger than about age 12, you can probably get by, at least for awhile, with a 2mm cord net with fairly wide squares. However, once your player gets some experience, especially if he or she is older than age 12, the ball will start to go right through those large squares, and the 2 mm cord won't hold up to the punishment the player can dish out. At that point, you'll probably want to go with at least 3 mm thickness in the cord, and you may want to move on up to 5mm. Also, the larger squares (5.5 inches is somewhat typical) will need to give way to the finer soccer goal nets with 2.5 inch squares or smaller.

Different Types of Goals

The soccer goal net you select will also depend on the type of goal you have. For simple practice purposes, a goal without depth is fine; it frames the target area and catches the ball for easy retrieval. But if your backyard is big enough for a pickup game, you'll want a soccer goal with some depth, to allow the goalie a little place to work. Whether your goal has depth or not has a bearing on how big the overall size of your soccer goal net needs to be. Whatever type of goal you choose, you should make certain it is well anchored. If the goal is set into the ground or made of very heavy material, you'll also probably want to pad it, for greater player safety.