How Long is a Soccer Field For Professional and Youth Matches

It’s really hard to get an idea about the actual size of a soccer field, especially if you’re watching the game on your TV. You might see it is large, but what is the exact width and length of the soccer field? How long is the soccer field overall? This article will give you all of the details you need.

So How Long is a Soccer Field?

Official standards state that the soccer field has to be between 50 and 100 yards (40 to 90 meters) wide and 100 to 130 yards (90 to 120 meters) long. These numbers will only change for international matches. The size of the pitch during an international match will have to be 70 to 80 yards (64 to 75 meters) wide and 110 to 120 yards (100 to 110 meters) long.

You might also like my articles on the size of a football field and the meaning of offside in soccer.

The governing body that is in charge of setting and changing the rules in soccer, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), says that the soccer field has to be rectangular and have continuous lines as markings. The full size of the yard will be 100 to 130 meters long with a width of 50 to 100 meters.

Bundesliga soccer field dimensions

The DFL Rules for the Bundesliga stipulate inside Article 37, Section 6 of Annex VI that soccer fields have to be 115 yards (105 meters) long and 74 yards (68 meters) in width. There are a couple of amendments, however, that enable these dimensions to be reduced to around 110 yards (100 meters) and 70 yards (64 meters) respectively.

Dimensions of a Professional Soccer Field in International Matches

The table below sets out the soccer field size requirements and shows how large a football field can be.

Keep in mind that all lines will have to be of the same width, and this width shouldn’t be more than 5 inches 12 cm.

FIFA Laws Of The Game (source)

The table above features measurements that will be taken from the outside of the lines, because the actual lines are considered a part of the area they engulf. The target line will also be smaller than the touchline.

High School and Middle School Soccer Field Sizes

Below you will find the recommended sizes for soccer fields intended for youth games. The measurements will be in yards. These dimensions will usually depend on the age of the players.

• Fourteen or more: 110 to 120 yards x 70 to 80 yards.
• Twelve and under: 85 to 100 yards x 40 to 55 yards.
• Ten and under: 60 to 70 yards x 40 to 50 yards.
• Eight or less: 30 to 40 yards x 20 to 25 yards.
• Ages six and under: 25 to 30 yards x 15 to 20 yards.

The smaller soccer fields will be for leagues of younger players, that don’t have the same stamina as adults. The smaller the pitch is the more players will actually be able to score, touch the ball, and be a part of the overall game.

If you know that the field will be used by players falling inside multiple age groups, I recommend that the field is big enough to accommodate the oldest age spectrum. This means that you should have a field of 110 by 70 meters if you have players between eight and fourteen years of age.

The Soccer Field and its Markings

As for moth sports played on a market field, these markings will create the boundaries for the position of either the player or the ball on the football field. It’s not enough for the field to be rectangular, it also has to have clearly marked continuous lines that will be in no way dangerous to the play.

As long as the overall surface is not hazardous artificial play surface materials can be used for the field. While some play areas will be made with real grass or even specialty grass made especially for sports playing, others might go for artificial turf or even astroturf surfaces.

The center of the field – The midfield mark

You will find a midfield mark at the mid-area of the halfway line. This is a circle with a radius of 9.15 when marked around it, or 10 yards in total. This is where the game will start and restart after each goal is scored. One team will kick the ball, while the other one will have to stay outside of this circle until the ball is touched.

The field lines

As said above, all of the lines will have to be the same width, 12 centimeters or 5 inches to be exact. The goalpost and crossbar should also be the same width as the lines.

The Goal Post Areas of a Soccer Field

The football field will have to have two rectangular boxes around each of the goals. The smaller one will be known as the goal area.

The actual size of the goal area is determined by two lines that are perpendicular to the goal line, 5.5 meters (6 yards) from the inside of each post. These lines will extend towards the field and will be connected by a line that will be parallel to the goal line.

The size of this box is what got it to be known as the 6-yard box.

Rules for the goal posts

The standard goal will be made from two vertical poles that are situated at an equal distance from the corner flags. A crossbar will connect them at the top. Rules also state the approved materials for these posts. Their shape should be elliptical, rectangular, or square in shape and as safe as possible.

These posts should be arou8nd 8ft in size from the ground to the edge of the crossbar and situated at a distance of 8 yards one from another.

Both goals will have to be situated exactly in the middle of the scoring lines.

They also have nets that are attached by the goal itself and the ground behind it. These nets have to be completely supported and they shouldn’t obstruct goalkeepers in any way.

The goal should be completely white, with a width of a maximum of 5 inches.

The Penalty Mark of The Soccer Field

The goal is also surrounded by a second, larger rectangular box, which is called the penalty area. The size of this penalty area will be determined by drawing two lines perpendicular to the goal line, 16.5 meters (16 yards) long, from the inside of each goalpost towards the middle of the field. These lines will be connected by another line that would be parallel to the goal line.

The measurements are why this box is often called the 18-yard box.

When a penalty has to be taken, it will be taken from a spot 11 meters (12 yards) from the midpoint between the goalposts. From the center of the penalty points, an arc will be drawn outside the penalty area with a radius of 9.15 meters (10 yards).

The Flagpoles on a Soccer Field

If it’s your first time watching a football game, you surely ask yourself what those flagpoles are and what are their utility in a game. So let’s try to go over the flagpoles and their meaning as well.

Soccer fields will require corner flags to be placed at each quarter circle of the field. These shouldn’t be pointed on top, to prevent injuries, and should be a maximum of 1.5 meters (5 feet) high.

You will notice that in some games flagpoles are also placed at both ends of the halfway, although this isn’t a must.

Flags that are planted at the ends of halfway will have to be 1 meter or 1 yard from the line.

Conclusion

This article should be enough for you to understand the dimensions and general terminology around the soccer field. I`ve added measurements both in yards and in meters for an easier understanding. If you have any other questions about the soccer field or the game in general, write in the comment form below and maybe I can make another article with answers to the questions I get here.