The net may not be the first thing that comes to mind when we are playing or watching the game, but that changes when you oversee ground maintenance. Whether you are the all-in-one manager and coach of your team or the person put in charge of ground and equipment maintenance, here are a few key facts about football nets that should help in choosing the right net.
Matching the Right Goalpost with the Right Football Net
All goalposts consist of two vertical posts, connected by a crossbar. When the structure is properly netted, it becomes a goal. As there are several different versions of football, dimensions of the goalpost will vary depending on the game. For example, FIFA standards state that:
The first suggestion is to check your goals’ dimensions before ordering any new football nets for them. Make sure that the nets are listed as being suitable for the intended goalposts’ specific dimensions.
The D-Bracket
There are three main mechanisms that are used for attaching a football net to the goalpost. It’s important to make sure that the football nets ordered are made for the kind of net fixture that your goalposts have at their back. Let’s start with D-Brackets, as they are quite common and popular.
D-bracket fixtures are called so because the top runbacksmake goals look like the capital letter D when looked at from their left side. Any football net suited for the D-bracket is likely to be listed as a standard D-bracket football net, but preferably with more details about how it attaches to the brackets, the posts, and the ground.
The Box Net
The box net is the most common goal structure we usually see on television nowadays, as they have become the standard for high value matches across the world. Even if the field does not play host to televised matches, it may still have fixtures for box nets, if there is a sizeable stadium around it. The name box net originates from two factors.
Box nets can only be fixed on goalposts that have twosupportive beams fixed at the back of each vertical post. Compared to the corresponding vertical goalposts, each support beam will be taller and the two will have a much wider space between them. However, both beams must be of equal height and placed at an equal distance from their corresponding vertical posts on both ends.
The net will have multiple points of attachment on both sides, securing it to the goalpost, the ground, and the support beams.Box nets last longer because of the additional support and the extra allowance for powerful shots. The shots lose some of themomentum and speed before they can stretch the net to its full length and elasticity, which also makes these more reliable when it comes to actually holding the ball in.
Straight Back Football Nets
Straight back nets are basic football nets used for netting barebone goalposts on the field and have no fixtures at their back at all. They present a few unique disadvantages, so you are less likely to see them being used in a match of significant importance. As mentioned, there are no support structures at the back, so the net relies solely on the pegs that fix it to the ground behind the goalpost to keep balls in.
Fix the pegs too tight and the ball may bounce back too fast, leading to confusion and unnecessary arguments. Fix them too loosely and the ball may go through the net, leading to similar arguments. Unless there is access to replays and the referees decide to wait for the replays every time, wrong decisions are likely.
Note that straight back football nets are fine for practice and informal matches. Also, it’s easy and inexpensive to upgrade a barebone goalpost to something more reliable by attaching D-brackets. Now that you have a rundown of the different football nets and goalpost fixtures, go through your options, and choose based on the budget and your specific requirements.
