How to Build Your Own 5-a-Side Football Pitch
Football fans often dream of having their own 5-a-
Image: sportsandsafetysurfaces.co.ukHow to Build Your Own 5-a-Side Football Pitch
Football fans often dream of having their own 5-a-side pitch in the back garden. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a place where you could play matches and tournaments with friends and family? A pitch that you could use whenever the mood took you, without worrying about other people hijacking your field or dogs leaving nasty presents behind. If this is your dream and you want to make it a reality, here is what you need to know.Do You Have Enough Space?
Firstly, you need to work out whether you have the space to build a 5-a-side football pitch. The majority of families are not blessed with a garden spanning several acres, so if your garden is an average size, it is unlikely to be large enough to convert into a football pitch.Football pitches can be indoors or outside. To accommodate a 5-a-side game, the pitch needs to be around the size of a tennis court. It’s not huge, but check your dimensions before progressing further.
Turf or Artificial Grass
An all-weather artificial turf pitch is the ideal scenario, as you can then play whatever the weather, without ruining your playing surface. You can also clean the pitch with a hosepipe and remove any traces of your dogs, if necessary. However, be aware that laying artificial turf is by far the most expensive option, so if you are operating on a tight budget, go with grass.With grass, you have two options. The first (and cheapest) is to prepare the area, making sure the soil is flat, free of stones, and gently raked over, before sowing grass seed. The second, much faster method, is to prepare the area in the same way and then lay turf. Turf takes a while to bed in, but it can be used more quickly.
Goals
Of course, you need goals and nets. This is likely to cost several thousand pounds, as posts and nets need to be secure. It can be done more cheaply if you elect to use plastic or homemade goals, but they probably won’t be large enough and will need to be put away at the end of each session. Go for 7-a-side goals, as they are larger.Kickboards and Pitch Marking
Kickboards make life easier by preventing the ball from running away each time someone kicks if far and wide. Your pitch will need markings, or it will be difficult to enforce the off-side rule. Paint your lines using an aerosol can or rent/buy line marking machines to make the job a lot easier.Flood Lighting
Without lights, you are restricted to playing in daylight. Most people work during the day, so that leaves only the weekends to play, which is not much good if you have spent thousands creating an all-weather 5-a-side football pitch. And besides, come winter, the days are too short to do much playing anyway. The solution is floodlights, but you will need planning permission and the services of a qualified electrician, so factor this into your budget.Expect to pay around £35,000 for an all-weather 5-a-side football pitch with floodlights. Is it worth the expense? You betcha!
