Understanding Soccer Pitch Dimensions: A Complete Guide

If you’re as crazy a football fan as us, you may have wondered at least a few times about how huge a football field is. And in doing so, may have even researched a little about soccer pitch dimensions to appease your curiosity. But most of the information you’ll get on this query is either too complex or too lengthy to make it easy to understand. Therefore, we’ve made this easy guide.

FIFA soccer field guidelines dictate that pitch sizes need to be customized according to the age, as well as the number, of players on a team. So whether you’re a coach, a fan, or a parent aiming to build a dummy practice pitch. This guide is all you’ll need to understand soccer pitch dimensions in Australia.

Soccer Pitch Dimensions - According to Age

As recommended by FIFA, children’s football fields are significantly smaller than those for adults. Therefore, most professional clubs have training grounds with multiple fields of various sizes to fit the needs of their different teams, from adults to their youth divisions.

Below, we’ve listed the different areas according to yards and meters followed globally.

Age 6

Players aged 6 are in early childhood, so the following field guidelines are recommended for them.

• The field should be 25–35y in length and 15–25y in width.
• In meters, the soccer pitch dimensions should be 22.9-32.0 meters long and 13.7-22.9 meters wide.
• Furthermore, in feet, it should be 75–105 feet long and 45–75 feet wide.
• The number of players should be 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4.
• The ball should be a size 3.
• The goal size should be 6 x 4 ft.

Ages Under 7 and 8

The playing area set for ages under 7 and 8 are common for senior 5-a-side matches too.

• 5 vs 5 matches.
• The ball should be of size 3.
• The post’s measurement should be 12 x 6 feet.
• The recommended pitch dimensions are 40 x 30y, i.e. 36.58 x 27.43 m.
• The penalty box for these games is 9y, or 8.23m, from the post and 16y, or 14.63m, long.
• Mark the penalty spot 7 yards from the center of the post (i.e., 6.40m).
• There should be a run-off area of 3 yards around the perimeter, i.e. 2.74m.

Under 9 and 10

• Matches should be 7 vs 7 players.
• The soccer pitch dimensions should be 60 x 40y (54.87m x 36.57m).
• A size 3 ball is recommended to use, while the post should be 12x6ft in measurement.
• The penalty spot is marked 8y from the center.
• The box is 18 x 10 (16.46m x 9.14m).

Ages Under 11 and 12

• A 9x9 player format is common and recommended.
• While the goal is 16 x 7 feet and the ball must be size 4.
• The pitch measurements should be 80 x 50 (73.15m x 45.72m).
• The penalty spot is 9y out (8.23m) from the center of the post.
• The penalty area should be 32 x 13 (29.26m x 11.89m).
• The post area should have a 4 x 14 dimension (3.66m x 12.80m).

Ages Under 13 and 14

• These should be 11-a-side matches.
• Goal post measurement is 21 x 7 ft and the ball size is 4.
• Ground measurement should be 90 x 55 (82.3m x 50.2m).
• Moreover, the box should measure 14 x 35 (12.80m x 32.00m).
• The penalty spot should be 10 yards from the center of the goal (9.14m).
• Goal area measurement is 5 x 16 (4.57m x 14.63m).

Ages Under 15 and 16

• The play area should measure 100 x 60 (91.44m x 54.86m).
• A size 5 ball and full-sized goals (24 x 8ft) should be used.
• The penalty box should be 18 yards and the penalty spot marked 12 yards from the center of the goal.
• 6 x 20 (5.49m x 18.29m) should be the goal area.

Ages Under 17-18 and Seniors

While these are the age groups when full-sized grounds come into play, the dimensions vary. Especially at the amateur level, with IFAB (International Football Association Board) regulations stating measurements between 100 and 130 in length and 50 to 100 in width.

According to the FA, the playing area should be 110 x 70 (100.6m x 64m). While IFAB suggests they should be 110–120y long and 70–80y wide. Furthermore…

• Top-level football fields in England and Spain tend to be around 115 by 75 (105m x 68.8m).
• Full-sized for ages 17 and above have penalty boxes measuring 18 x 44.
• Their goal areas are 6 x 20, and the ball used is size 5.
• The penalty spot is marked 12y from the center of the goal, and goals measure 24 x 8 ft.

Measurements According to Team Size

According to regulatory bodies…

• 5 vs 5 matches should be 40 x 30 (36.5m x 27.5m).
• 7 vs 7 matches should be 60 x 40 (54.87m x 36.58m).
• 9-a-side football fields should measure 80 x 50 (73.15m x 45.72m).
• 11-a-side games should be 110 x 70.
• However, measurements vary according to leagues and player ages.

Moreover, a typical FIFA soccer field measures 115 x 74 (105 x 68 meters). While the answer to, “What are the dimensions of the Olympic soccer field?” are the IFAB’s measurement guidelines, i.e. between 100 and 130y in length and 50 to 100y in width.

This is all you need to know from our expertise about how soccer pitch dimensions are set. If you have any questions or confusion, feel free to visit TX Football and read through our guides for more information.