The Best Soccer Nets to Train for Your Next Season

Finding the Perfect Soccer Net: A Buyer's Guide

Rocks, poles, buckets, even car tires; boys will make a goal out of anything. Soccer is a sport that connects fans across the world as the internet connects us with our devices. The same skills and tricks implemented in the US apply all across Europe and Africa. One thing is for sure; the right gear will get you from fan to pro in no time. If you are looking to brush up your skills or you love to play five-a-side with friends in the backyard, then this is your chance to dress your field up with a league-leading soccer net. There are only a few pieces of equipment as crucial to soccer as soccer nets. With our reviews, you will see that soccer nets come in various sizes and shapes. Still, there’s a soccer goal fit for every athlete.

How Do You Identify the Best Soccer Net From the Sea of Options on the Internet?

You can step into any sports store and find a soccer goal that looks good and feels solid at first, but in a few weeks, the net begins to loosen, the frame will become weak, and you’ll begin to wonder if your shots are too hot to handle. Don’t be deceived, your shots may be hot, but that has nothing to do with the damages you’re seeing. Buying a soccer net is easy, but finding one that will last a long time is the hard part. The goal is to choose a goal with the right structure, material, dimensions, and type of netting. These qualities and characteristics should be considered before making a final decision because they affect your performance and that of the goal. Below is a more detailed rundown on how to identify the best soccer net from the sea of options when making your purchase.

What Frame Should You Choose for Your Soccer Net?

The frame of the soccer net is the singular most important consideration before you buy. Even when their parts don’t exist anymore, a good frame will remain strong. Some people even pass frames down to their children. That’s why you find a lot of soccer frames without the nets on sale on online shopping sites. The two major frame materials used in constructing soccer goals are plastic and metal.

Plastic

When choosing a soccer net, staying within a budget could be an arduous task because sellers will upsell many accessories to you. Choosing a net with a plastic frame will keep you within or at the lower end of your budget. They come at very affordable prices, so you still stay within budget even after adding all the accessories that make your soccer net become a professional level choice. That’s not all. Plastic is lightweight and flexible, making it a good choice for making soccer net models that are portable and easy to carry.

If you want to treat your friends to a friendly match in the backyard, give your kids a chance to score, or train your feet in specific goal techniques, plastic soccer goals are a great choice.

Metal

The lightweight and foldable properties of plastic make it an excellent option for soccer rookies, but developing players sometimes prefer something more solid. Metal becomes the go-to frame material because of its added weight and increased stability. Most of the high-grade soccer nets you see on football training fields are made of aluminum materials. Other metals may make an appearance, but aluminum is the most common. They offer more permanent usage because of their durability, but some metal soccer goals are still lightweight enough to bring from place to place without much hassle.

Metal soccer nets are an excellent choice for competitive training and all soccer in general. You should know that they come at a higher price than their plastic counterparts. Always make sure you get a soccer net with a durable frame. Remember, you can always change the net, but a sturdy frame lasts forever.

What Should the Dimensions of Your Soccer Net Be?

Whether lightweight plastic or metal frame material, soccer nets come in various sizes, and these dimensions matter. They are not specific to anyone though; kids, pros, and enthusiasts can use goals of any size. Generally speaking, players who are younger and new to the sport or who want to perfect their scoring accuracy alongside other kicking drills will benefit from playing with goals of smaller dimensions. More giant soccer nets give you that competitive in-game feel during training. They are also the recognized goal size for competitive soccer, so you can use them to play the standard soccer pitch 11-a-side matches.

You can check for a soccer goal size chart online to use as a guide before making a final purchase. The chart will help you determine whether or not you can use the soccer net you plan on buying for competitive or league play. Field size and player age are also important considerations influencing your final decision. If all of these seem a bit overwhelming, just ask your coach or any league official for advice. They are in the best position to tell you what soccer goal dimensions best correspond with your competitive needs.

How Much Goal Depth is Best?

Goal depth is how much room your soccer net has, and it dramatically affects the structure’s performance. There are three main goal depth styles popular in today’s markets: no depth, depth, and box frame.

No depth

Loved by attackers and despised by defenders, no-depth soccer nets have a relatively simple design. They are an excellent option for those who prefer portable and pop-up goals. The design involves a net joined to the front crossbar that descends directly at a sharp 45-degree angle to the ground bar on the rear side, leaving little to no room for maneuvering within the goal. These are usually less expensive, but might not be as high quality.

Depth soccer nets

A soccer goal with depth has a more complex design than one with no depth. Two bars sticking out from the front crossbar and two sidebars falling towards the ground at a 45-degree angle help this style of net stay strong against high velocity kicks. Thanks to their trapezoidal side view, which is distinct from the triangular side shape of no depth goals, you can identify these soccer nets anywhere. These goals allow for more maneuvering due to their depth but only have a few portable options available due to the added bars.

Box frame

Those more giant, rectangular soccer nets you see on training grounds and football stadiums are all of the box frame variety. These structures allow as much space as possible inside the net, and most of them are made of high-grade metal. They are popular in professional football and, to a large extent, are the standard for organized soccer clubs. If you are getting a box frame goal, you must be ready to sacrifice portability because these goals are designed to remain permanently in one position for years.

What Netting Makes a Goal Great?

On a final note, it is essential that you consider the netting of a goal before making a buy as it is vital to its performance. A goal without a net is only a frame and nothing more. The quality of netting is dependent on the net material and knot style. Most nets are made from either high tenacity polypropylene (HTPP), polyethylene (PE), or nylon. The latter two are more popular because of their variety in size and knot style.