WHAT'S THE BEST SOCCER GOAL OR NET FOR KIDS? A HELPFUL GUIDE TO FINDING BUDGET-FRIENDLY GOALS!

There is a wider range of goals available, and like professional goals, they are not all made to the same standards.

How Affordable Can a Quality Goal Be? What Should you Consider when looking for a Sports Goal for Home and Recreational Use?

Key article points

• What makes a good portable goal for kids and families? Keep it simple.
• Bownet or budget - What is it the right choice for your budget soccer goal?
• Tear drop/half dome goal - The goal to choose for kids or on a budget.
• Recommendations on goals

Ease of use, simple and fun should be the hallmarks of a good home portable goal

Usually, cost is a factor and can be a reflection of the construction and purpose. Most of the time, home goals are for juniors to practice or for fun games. Because of this, there is a wider range of goals available, and like professional goals, they are not all made to the same standards.

It is possible to get a good quality budget goal, but you need to know it will come with limitations. Usually they will be fairly simple (which can be a positive), with parts that are made to a budget. You wouldn't want to be using these types of goals if you are strong kicker, good player or pro. They are more for a junior player 10 and under. The 2 pillar fastnet can be used for under 12's, but it is still a recreational style goal and should be used accordingly.

Make sure you are aware of your age group and size needed when purchasing a goal. This will go a long way in helping you consider the right goal as you don't want to go budget if you are going big. Best to keep with Bownet. If you want to know what the right goal is for your age, then learn all about goal sizes here.

Yes, you can use a Bownet at home, but is it right for you and your budget? So what is the right choice for home portable goal?

If you are looking to extend your game and know it is going to get regular use, then this will be the best option. Usually this would be for the more experienced player looking to level-up their football game. For the everyday player, there are few other options on the table – tear drop goals, pop up goals, two pillar flex goals (Fastnet) and metal goals.

Below is an example of the portable two pillars flex soccer net - fastnet portable soccer goal. You can find this soccer goal here or in Big W. With good reviews and 1 year guarantee it is a solid goal for kids and backyards. Not as quick to put up as a pop-up goal or tear-drop goal, it makes up for its more robust construction. This is the baby version of the Bownet style of goal, but is cheaper due to the lighter construction and use of only 2 vertical poles. We don’t recommend this as a professional goal, you would need to go to a Bownet goal, but for backyard games for up and coming players, it is a great choice.

Aluminium folding goals are the next step up in quality, durability, ease and cost. A serious goal for any player, they can take a beating when used regularly for football practice and backyard soccer games. We go as far as saying that these are a great club training tool as well. The price is a step up, but when you see the huge aluminium posts and large hinge points, you can see why soccer clubs are using them. Easier than the 2 pillar goal for set up and fold down, they are very easy to store away out of weather (something we highly recommend for any portable goal), they are limited in size due to the construction. So if you need larger goals, we again recommend going with Bownet goals.

Tear drop goals - the best goal for kids in Australia

The Tear Drop Goal is a great choice for the home as it is widely used for kids/juniors at soccer clubs. This is a great starting point as they are not expensive, fairly strong and easy to use. It takes just seconds to have them ready to play and can be moved by kids into place. Their biggest limit is in size, as they don’t get much bigger than 2 meters wide. This is because the materials will not allow them to get much bigger without cost or strength issues due to the shape of the connected mounting.

Recommended portable soccer goals:

• Teardrop goals - perfect goal for kids under 10.
• Fastnet 2 pillar goal - 0.9m x 1.5m (3x5') - take your junior goals to the next level.
• Premier pop up target goal - looking for the perfect beach or park goal? Or just want to practice your skills?
• Aluminium folding goals - Strong, and great for serious younger footballers. Used by clubs and schools tells you how tough they are.
• Bownet - serious players, adults and pros - Need the best portable goal. Then this is it. Used by the worlds best football teams when they need a portable goal. Prices from medium to high.