A guide outlining the dimensions of a regulation-size soccer field, including diagrams with the correct length and width measurements.
Are you a soccer fan with a big enough backyard to create a regulation-sized soccer field with the correct dimensions and layout?
Believe it or not, on my previous property, I did actually build a soccer field that I used quite regularly to play matches with friends and family.
In this article, I am going to outline what an official soccer pitch looks like, with diagrams containing all the elements and markings that make up the field.
Note that soccer is called football outside North America, but in this article, I will be referring to the sport as soccer.
| Soccer field size quick guide: | |
|---|---|
| Soccer field length (touch line): | 100 to 130 yards (90 to 120 meters) |
| Soccer field width (goal line): | 50 to 100 yards (45 to 90 meters) |
| Soccer field shape: | Rectangular marked with lines |
Soccer Field Size
This guide follows the guidelines and laws set by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the international governing body of association football, otherwise known as soccer.
The boundaries of a soccer field consist of two touch lines (the two longer lines) and two goal lines (the two shorter lines). The field is divided into two halves by a line in the middle, the halfway line, which is the same length as the goal lines.
Standard vs International Size
FIFA differentiates between a standard regulation-size field and a field for international matches.
Countries will have their own rules and guidelines, and the international soccer field dimensions exist so that matches between teams from different countries will always be played on fields of similar sizes.
Most official club soccer fields around the world will fall within the parameters of the FIFA international matches soccer field size.
Standard soccer field size:
| Min (yards) | Max (yards) | Min (meters) | Max (meters) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length: | 100 yds | 130 yds | 90 m | 120 m |
| Width: | 50 yds | 100 yds | 45 m | 90 m |
International soccer field size:
| Min (yards) | Max (yards) | Min (meters) | Max (meters) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length: | 110 yds | 120 yds | 100 m | 110 m |
| Width: | 70 yds | 80 yds | 64 m | 75 m |
The standard soccer field dimensions are very flexible.
In theory, based on the above dimensions, it would be possible to create a square soccer field, measuring 100 x 100 yards. However, one of the FIFA rules dictates that a soccer field must be rectangular shaped.
Also interesting to know is that the surface of a soccer field must be green and can be either natural or artificial grass. The lines on the field must not be more than 12 cm (5 inches) wide and must all be the same width.
Here is a diagram of a standard soccer field:
Soccer Field Layout
The layout of a soccer field can look quite complex at first glance, but once you understand what the different areas mean, it all starts to make a lot of sense.
Within the boundaries of the soccer field touch lines and goal lines, there are four key areas:
- Goal area
- Penalty area
- Corner area
- Center circle
Let’s go through these four areas in more detail, with diagrams to illustrate their correct dimensions.
1. Goal Area
The most important area on a football pitch is the combined goal and penalty area. That is obviously where goals are scored, and that is also where the markings and rules are quite complex.
The goal area consists of two parallel lines drawn from the goal line into the field. These lines are 6 yards (5.5 meters) long and are joined by a line parallel to the goal line.
This third line is 20 yards (18.3 meters) long. The two parallel lines are drawn at a distance of 6 yards (5.5 meters) from each goal post. The goal itself is 8 yards (7.32 meters) long.
Here is a diagram of the goal area:
2. Penalty Area
The penalty area consists of two parallel lines drawn from the goal line into the field. These lines are 18 yards (16.5 meters) long and are joined by a line parallel to the goal line.
This third line is 44 yards (40.2 meters) long. The two parallel lines are drawn at a distance of 12 yards (11 meters) from each goal area line, and 18 yards (16.5 meters) from each goal post.
Penalty Mark
The penalty mark, also referred to as the penalty kick mark or penalty spot, is located 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal line.
This spot is where players do their penalty kicks from.
Penalty Arc
The penalty arc is drawn outside the boundaries of the penalty area with a radius of 10 yards (9.15 meters) from the penalty mark.
The purpose of the penalty arc is to keep players at a certain distance from the ball during a penalty kick.
Here is a diagram of the penalty area:
3. Corner Area
A soccer field logically contains four corner areas.
A corner area consists of a corner arc in the shape of a 1/4 circle with a radius of 1 yard (or 1 meter). The corner arc is where players need to do their corner kicks. A flag is placed in each corner.
In addition, two optional marks can be placed 10 yards from the corner arc, one on the touch line and one on the goal line. These optional marks are there to keep players at a certain distance from the ball during a corner kick.
Here is a diagram of the corner area:
4. Center Circle
As the name suggests, the center circle is located right in the center of the soccer pitch.
The circle has a radius of 10 yards (9.15 meters) and contains a mark in the center where the kick-off for a match happens.
Here is a diagram of the center circle:
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are quite a lot of elements, lines, and markings that make up a soccer pitch. But I hope this guide has cleared up any questions you may have had.
To conclude this article, it might be interesting to see the soccer field dimensions of various big football teams around the world.
Almost all major football clubs in Europe (Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, AFC Ajax, Manchester United) maintain the following size for the playing fields in their stadiums:
115 × 74 yards (105 by 68 meters).
The stadium where LA Galaxy plays its home games has the following pitch size:
120 × 75 yards (110 × 69 meters).
The stadium where New York City FC plays its home games has the following pitch size:
110 × 70 yards (100 × 64 meters).
If you plan to build a soccer pitch, I recommend using the dimensions 115 × 74 yards (105 by 68 meters) as the baseline. If you then want to make a pitch that is twice as small, simply divide those dimensions by two.
