One of the newest emerging sports is beach soccer. A variant of soccer that is played on the sand, or on a beach, beach soccer was first recognized by FIFA in 2005, and due to its growth, this sport now has the potential of becoming an Olympic sport by 2020. Also known as sand soccer, beach football, or beasal, beach soccer strongly emphasizes agility, skill, and endurance. More so than traditional soccer especially, because playing on the soft, irregular sand leads to a different style of play. The difference is also due to the size of the field and the net, since both are smaller than that of regular soccer. However, this makes for a much more exciting game since the players can score from anywhere on the court, leading to more scoring chances and impressive goals.
If you are looking for a way to build your own Beach soccer field, check out this helpful guide to get you started.
Configuration
If you don’t want to run into sun visibility issues, make sure your sand soccer court is running lengthwise north to south. Also, avoid (if you can) making the court run east to west due to the sun glare.
Suggested Dimensions
There are no minimum land requirements required for non-professional games. As long as you have a decent amount of room, one that is free of any obstructions, you should be good to go! However, the dimensions of a sand soccer court typically range from 114’6” x 85’3” to 121’3” x 91’6.”
Excavation
Before you go ahead and begin constructing your sand soccer field, it is crucial that you check your proposed area for underground utilities and power lines before you excavate the area. If the land looks clear and you are ready to begin, mark the outlines for the court to help guide you during the excavation process. Use a Bobcat or a front-end loader to excavate the area up to several feet in depth. Typically for high-quality fields, optimum depth is about 16 inches, but anywhere from a foot to three feet is ideal, depending on the land.
Drainage
Having a drainage system setup is required to help prevent water buildup. A drainage ditch needs to be set up so that it runs towards the lowest point of the land. Placing the closed end of the pipe at the highest point and the open end at the lowest point (the drainage ditch), set perforated drainage pipes across the middle of the field. Just make sure you wrap the pipe with some landscaping fabric before you set the pipes in place. You also want your perforated pipes wrapped to help prevent sand and dirt from clogging the pipe.
Fill It In
Before you put any sand down, make sure you spread small drainage gravel uniformly across the base of the field and drainage pipe. If you dug down only a foot, you only need about four inches. If you excavated three feet, you only need about a foot of gravel. After you have this layer down, then cover it with landscape fabric to help prevent the gravel and sand layer from mixing together, but still allowing water to flow through to drain. Then, fill in with your choice of sand and then spread it evenly across the field.
Suggested Sand Type
Even though you want the game to move as fast as its fastest players, the sand can slow down the game a bit. This is why it’s important to try to keep the game flowing as fast as it possibly can by making sure you are not using sand that is too finely packed or sand that is too shallow. For the perfect size, invest in sand that offers medium granules to prevent the ball from rolling too fast.
Beach Soccer Goal Size
Goal nets for beach soccer can vary in size, but they usually range from 6’ x 12’ to 7’ x 18’, depending on the age group. To help keep the goals in place, the goalie net is secured to the sand at the baselines.
Set Your Lines and Enjoy!
Once your field is ready, use rope affixed to the sand to mark your sand soccer field perimeters. If you like, beach soccer fields usually use a standard corner flag to mark the corners and use a colored flag or disc on each touchline at midfield.
If the idea of building your own sand soccer field seems like a daunting task, one too big to undertake alone, let us help. At Sand Court Experts we are highly trained and qualified in building the sand court of your dreams. We can turn your vision into reality, and we do this by creating you a beach soccer field from start to finish. If you are interested in having a temporary or permanent sand soccer court installed, contact Sand Court Experts today.
