How Football Goal Posts Got Their Look

With its history found in cultures around the world – China. Egypt, Japan, Greece, Mexico - football (soccer) is truly an international game, however its modern beginnings are found in England. While records of the gruesome use of the severed heads of defeated foes as kickballs stem back to the 8^th Century AD, the first description of a football match in England wasn’t written until 1170. The game was destined to flourish as aristocracy repeatedly outlawed it from the 14^th through to the 17^th century! But its adoption by exclusive English public schools heralded the beginning of the modern era of football with documented evidence from 1747 of it being played at Eton and the first set of rules established at Cambridge University in 1848. Much has changed since then, with the goal posts undergoing an extreme makeover to develop the structure we now associate with the sport.

History of Football (Soccer) Goal Posts:

500BC

The Chinese developed a sport know as ‘cuju’ that required players to kick a leather ball into a net stretched between 2 goal posts.

1660

English records indicate that at this time players attempted to get the ball into the opposition goal.

1801

In his book, “The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England”, Joseph Strutt described the game of football, including this quote about goal posts: “The goal is usually made with two sticks driven into the ground, about two or three feet apart”.

1848

The first rule of the first written rules of football stated: “a goal is scored whenever the ball is forced through the goal and under the bar, except it be thrown by hand”. The original uprights were flag posts and the crossbar a string between them.

1857

The Sheffield Football Club, believed to be the first football club in the world, developed its own set of rules and added a solid crossbar to the goal posts.

1862

Cambridge University updated its rules and specified the dimensions of the goal posts for the first time – 12 feet across and up to 20 feet high.

1863

The Football Association was established to create a single unifying code for football and determined that “the goal shall be defined by two upright posts, eight yards (24 feet/7.32m) apart, without any tape or bar across them”. It also stated that “a goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal posts or over the space between the goal posts (at whatever height)”.

1872

The FA published an updated set of rules that included: “a goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal posts under the tape”, with tape used for the crossbar at the first FA Cup final.

1882

The crossbar became compulsory and the height of 8 feet (2.44m) from the ground was established.

1892

Nets became compulsory to reduce the number of disputes as to whether the ball had passed between the posts.

1895

A painting of the game played between Sunderland and Aston Villa depicts box net football goal posts that most resemble the goal posts we would recognise today.

PILA produces FIFA compliant football goal posts in several shapes and sizes including senior semi-permanent goals with box nets and net supports suitable for international competition level, portable football goal posts suitable for club level, and futsal goal posts. Contact PILA on 13 PILA (137452) or info@pilasport.com.au