Remember to use all equipment, not just goalposts, safely at all times
The Football Association, along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Health and Safety Executive and the British Standards Institution, would like to draw your attention to the following guidelines for the safe use of goalposts. Too many serious injuries and fatalities have occurred in recent years as a result of unsafe or incorrect use of goalposts. Safety is always of paramount importance and everyone in football must play their part to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.
- For safety reasons goalposts of any size (including those which are portable and not installed permanently at a pitch or practice field) must always be anchored securely to the ground
- Portable goalposts must be secured as per the manufacturers instructions
- Under no circumstances should children or adults be allowed to climb on, swing or play with the structure of the goalposts. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that if not properly assembled and secured, portable goalposts may overturn
- Regular inspections of goalposts must be carried out to check that they are properly maintained
- Portable goalposts should not be left in place after use. They should be dismantled and removed to a place of secure storage
- Nets should only be secured by plastic hooks or tape and not by metal cup hooks. Any metal cup hooks should be removed and replaced. New goalposts should not be purchased if they include metal cup hooks that cannot be replaced
- Goalposts which are "home made" or which have been altered from their original size or construction should not be used. These have been the cause of a number of deaths and injuries
- There is no BS/CEN or PAS standard for wooden goals and it is unlikely that wooden goals will pass a load or stability test. The FA recommends that wooden goals should be replaced when necessary with compliant metal or plastic goalposts
For reference, you should note that The FA and BSI developed a standard for future purchases of mini-soccer goalposts - PAS 36:2000. Most other size of goalposts are covered by BSEN 748 (1996). Copies of both of these standards are available from BSI.
The FA together with representatives from the industry, sports governing bodies and Government have prepared guidelines for pitch users and pitch providers together with technical parameters for goalpost manufacturers. It is anticipated that details of these will feature on the FA's website - www.thefa.com
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