What to Look for When Buying a Football Goal

Portable Plastic goals

Corners
The corners are the most important part of a plastic goal. This is where the strength is needed to keep the goal in shape and prevent the crossbar from dipping and the goal looking like it is made from plasticine! The larger the goal the more this matters. An 8ft or 12ft wide goal will not stay in shape with lightweight corners. For this reason, if you are in the market for a portable plastic football goal we would always recommend Samba Football Goals as the corners on these goals are up to 80% thicker than the corners on competitor’s goals. Thicker corners = Stronger Goals.

Football Nets
The new standards for nets used on children’s football goals should have 100mm squares. This is to prevent the chance of very young children becoming entangled in the net. The net should be weatherproof and rot proof and made from at least 2.5mm thick polypropylene. While all Samba Goals comply with this some cheaper goals do not and use thinner nets with larger squares to save money.

Goalpost Safety
Portable plastic football goals should comply with BS8462:2005+A2:2012 or BSEN 71-1 and 3. The standards are designed to improve the safety of sports, playground and other recreational equipment. British made goals like those from Samba Sports will usually have these safety standards but unfortunately a lot of the cheap replicas will not.

Cost
Although it is very tempting to buy the lowest cost goals available this inevitably turns out to be a false economy. Buy cheap, buy twice. Samba Goals were the original portable plastic goals and have been in production for over 20 years. There are a lot of copies of these goals available but in our opinion none match the quality of the original Samba Goals. The copies normally use thinner plastic parts which compromise on the strength and quality of the goals. Cheaper goals are normally cheaper for a reason.

Steel Aluminium Goals

Welded Corners
A steel or aluminium football goal can have a welded corner or a bracketed corner. The goals with welded corners are the strongest and the corner is one rigid piece which will not come lose. Goals with bracketed corners are cheaper and easier to manufacture but do not make the goal rigid enough in the most important part, the corners and can come lose over time. If you are looking for a quality goal that will last always try to buy steel or aluminium goal with welded corners.

One Piece Cross Bar
Some goal manufacturers use cross bars made up of multiple sections on their Aluminium and Steel Goals. This saves them money on transportation. These goals are often imported from China and the crossbars cannot be shipped as a single length. Warning. Stay clear of these type of goals.
A 12ft, 16ft or 24ft wide goal should not have a cross bar made of multiple lengths joined together by brackets.
All of the metal goals made in the UK have single section cross bars and will give you the strength required on your goal.

Corrosion
Outdoor metal football goals have to withstand some pretty harsh weather conditions in the UK.
Aluminium goals offer the best resistance. The frames on Aluminium Goals should be powder coated to give the optimum protection. Steel Goals and the steel sections on Aluminium Goals should be galvanised or zinc plated to protect them from corrosion. Stay clear of goals that have painted steel parts as these will not last a season.
Football nets should be UV resistant to prevent them from rotting.

There is a lot to look out for when buying a football goal. In general terms you get what you pay for. If you would like any advice when buying your next football goal do not hesitate to contact our team of experts at The Soccer Store. You can contact us on 01270 257892