Football Goal safety. Protecting Kids, Players, Clubs and Schools when playing

IS MY PORTABLE GOAL SAFE & WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR WHEN PURCHASING A SPORTS GOAL OR NET?

Safety of a goal should be considered first when purchasing a portable goal. Understanding the government rules and regulations will help you work out if the goal you are looking at is safe for you, your club or school.

Questions on safety when purchasing a goal or net are usually considered last, or not at all. Quickly learn everything you need to now here.

What are the government rules about goals? We reduce the confusion to cut through to what you need to know. To quote ACCC they say:

“Under the Australian Consumer Law, mandatory consumer product safety standards (also known as mandatory standards) are introduced when considered reasonably necessary to prevent or reduce the risk of injury.”

The document that is directly responsible for goals is called the Australian Standard AS4866.1-2007, Playing field equipment—Soccer goals—Safety aspects, published by Standards Australia.

The link to this document can be found here

Be safe with the right football goal. Government standards are there to keep everyone safe. SUMMIT and Bownet goals are good to go!

SUMMIT and Bownet goals all fall within government standards. When you purchase one of our goals, you can be assured they are safe and ready to use. All our goals fall under the minimum weight, have correct connection points and are not considered an issue around cross-bar dangers.

We suggest that your read all our documentation about correct safety and set up of your goals. It is important that you have all goals correct set up and held in place.


To summarise these rules, there are a few things that you should be considering:

    1. Is the goal 28kg or more?

    If so, then you will need to follow every part of the guidelines. The company that you are purchasing the goal off HAS TO HAVE them approved and labelled with WARNINGS of potential injury or death. If the goal HAS NOT had this applied, the manufacturer is selling you a goal that is not compliant. There could be issues with insurance if goals are deemed unsuitable for use.

    Portable soccer goals over 28kg must have:

      • Two side ground bars and a rear ground bar
      • An effective ground anchor system with at least one anchor point on each side of the rear ground bar and instructions on the use of the system
      • Crossbar and support bars

      2. Never allow people to climb or hang on goals

      3. Always anchor down goals

      Some things to keep in mind when considering a safe goal

        PVC Soccer Goals - Say NO to to dangerous goals

        There is NO place where PVC goals are an advantage to clubs or players, especially when there are better goals available. PVC goals take a long time to put up and can deteriorate, sag and be affected by weather. But crucially, they can be dangerous and may not pass Australian standards. Read more about moveable soccer goals product safety laws.

        Old and ragged soccer goal. PVC goals can be unsafe for kids and players. There are rules you need to know about from FIFA and Australian government. Make sure you know about goal safety and dangers when purchasing soccer goals.

        Why is weight of a goal so important?

        Heavy goals are dangerous and can cause injury or death – see PVC goals. All goals that SUMMIT Sport sells fall under the minimum weight for Government rules on soccer goals (28kg+ ). This means that safety is paramount and the chances of goals causing injury is lower than what the government standards have set out. The heaviest goal we have in the range is the Bownet 8x24 full sized portable soccer goal at 20.80kgs.

        Cross bar dangers

        Watch a game of junior sports where there is a goal, one of the things you will notice is how kids will lean-on, pull and hang off the goal. This is a major danger and has caused serious injuries and deaths leading to government imposing rules and regulations to portable goals. If you have not so already, please read about the importance of goal weight and the dangers of PVC Goals.

        All goals supplied by SUMMIT fall within the rules laid out by these documents. Added to this, Bownet goals don’t have a solid cross bar. The flexible material makes it an incredibly difficult to pull done especially once properly secured down. Even under the extreme case of one falling over, the lightweight and soft material of the goal is considered well under the threshold of government required weight. The SUMMIT aluminium folding goals has a rigid cross bar, but is also well under weight and comes with metal securing pegs.

        kids using portable aluminium soccer goal. Safety of goals and what you need to know when purchasing portable goals

        For clubs, schools or parents purchasing goals, we suggest that you read all the details from Australian Standards. For more information you can go to these sites:

        https://www.productsafety.gov.au/about-us/publications/moveable-soccer-goals-supplier-guide

        https://footballfacilities.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/10/Goalpost-Safety-Notice.pdf

        https://www.productsafety.gov.au/product-safety-laws/safety-standards-bans/mandatory-standards/moveable-soccer-goals

        https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/moveable-soccer-goals-brochure

        Make sure you are aware:

        Metal or steel net hooks are not permitted on goalposts. In accordance with Australian Standard AS4866.1. Nets should only be secured by tape, velcro, plastic net clips or another safer alternative.

        Goal on soccer field displaying dangerous hooks. Be aware of the rules for soccer goals. Australia has laws about what goals can be used. Kids and adults need to be safe when playing sport

        IFAB Laws: All football goals that are installed as a permanent structure on a football pitch must be properly secured, installed at the regulation width and height, as per the IFAB Laws of the Game, and should have no sharp edges protruding that may cause injury. https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/get-involved/refereeing/resources

        All goals (including portable goals) must be firmly secured to the ground.

        The mandatory standard applies to free-standing and moveable soccer goals that weigh 28kg or more.

        If a Club uses portable goals for competition, it must ensure that the goals conform to the current Standards Australia Handbook

        Make sure your kids are safe with SUMMIT and bownet portable goals. Australia's largest and best range of portable goals for clubs, schools, players and fans. Approved by Football Australia for portable soccer goals, we are the leading supplier of goals, nets and rebounders. Be aware of the dangers of sports and goals for kids and adults. Setting up and having the right goal is important for your family, club or school.

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