How Many Acres Is A Soccer Field? Detailed Answer

Football, which is also called soccer in the US, is the world’s most enjoyable and passionate game. That’s why it’s known as the world’s number one sport. Many of us are familiar with its legitimate laws, but some may not know the size of a soccer field in acres. Although it’s not a difficult concept, there are still people who don’t know how many acres is a soccer field.

Have you ever wondered why soccer players search for the dimensions and size of a football field or pitch to understand how big a soccer field is? In order to get fit or build stamina for an official, school, or college soccer game, you must know about the different pitch sizes so that you can prepare accordingly.

Let’s Get Started Knowing How Many Acres is a Soccer Field or Pitch.

How Many Acres is a Standard Soccer Field?

You must be thinking, are soccer fields different in size?

The answer is yes, soccer fields are not the same size. They vary according to the level and age. FIFA standard soccer fields are 1.76 acres long, which is 76,665.6 square feet. The field is based on two touchlines and two goal lines, with each touchline required to be 90 to 120 meters (100 to 130 yards) in length. These touchlines are the lines you see on the sides of a football pitch.

The goal lines must be 45 to 90 meters (50 to 100 yards) wide. You can see these lines where the goals are located on each side. FIFA has specified very strict rules for the dimensions of an official football field. It must be rectangular in shape, and neither the goal lines nor the touch lines should exceed more than an inch over the other.

Youth Soccer Field Dimensions

It’s a burning question: How big should a youth soccer field be? Well, the answer is not easy, especially when we don’t know the age range of the youth we are talking about. That’s why we will discuss the recommended soccer field sizes for different age ranges of youth.

According to The Rules Of Youth Soccer, the dimensions of a youth football field vary according to their age range. The extreme limit of a youth soccer field should be 80 yards x 55 yards (73m x 50m), and the low limit of the field must be 25 yards x 15 yards (23m x 14m). In acres, we can say that the upper limit of the field should not exceed 0.2-0.12 acres. The minimum size of the field is 0.006-0.004 acres. 

Let’s Explain The Dimensions Of Youth Football Fields In Detail

The age range has been divided into three different stages: Under 6,7 and 8. Under 9,10, and the Under 11, and 12. According to this division, the US Youth Soccer Association recommends a few suggestions for the betterment of football players. The following are the recommendations of the Institute.

Rules for Under 6, U7, and U8.

• Each consists of four players
• There should be no goalkeeper 
• Use ball of size 3
• There is no expectation of offside.

The reason behind it is that 4×4 small teams need small sizes of the soccer pitch. Apart from that, there is no need for extra makings like Penalty Area and other small details. All these football pitches have goals at either end. The Penalty Area is also escaped from the design of the field as there is no goalkeeper. So, the ideal size of these soccer grounds ranges from 25-35 yards (23-32 meters) long and 15-25 yards (14-23 meters).

Under 9 and Under 10 Soccer Field Dimensions

This is the stage where youth soccer players start understanding the game. Their maturity reaches the next level. This is the level where the games begin to feel more similar to a regulation soccer game. So, the field dimension and rules and regulations for this age range are different from the previous level. 

Here are some protocols to follow by the teams at levels 9 and 10.

• The Under 9 and Under 10 level matches are played at the 7×7 team’s format
• The soccer pitch here is a bit bigger in size
• There are more details of the ground at this level
• Goal Line for each team specifies their area
• They play with a size 4 ball that is much heavier and bigger.
• They have to follow the rule of offside.

The number of players increases in each team; that is why these extra details like the Goal Line, Penalty area are added to the field which obviously results in increasing the size of the Youth Soccer field.

7v7 soccer field dimensions are a maximum of 65 yards (59 meters) long and 45 yards (41m) wide, and a minimum of 55 yards (50m) long and 35 yards (32m) wide. The penalty area of the soccer field is 24 yards (22m) wide and 12 yards (11m) deep. 

Under 11 And Under 12 Youth Soccer Pitch Dimensions

This is the highly mature stage of the youth soccer level. Once you reach the U11 and U12 levels, things get more challenging. The skill level of the players reaches the next level. They play with more strength. They can cover more space to play soccer. At this stage, they have the physical abilities to tackle the hurdles which they were not able to cover in the previous stages. 

Here are some of the rules to follow by youth soccer players that will help them in stepping into their professional careers.

• The teams play at this stage with a 9 x 9 teams format
• The remaining protocols are the same, which are applied in the U9 and U10.

9v9 Youth Soccer Field Dimensions are a maximum of 80 yards (73 m) in length and 55 yards (50 m) in width, and a minimum of 70 yards (64 m) in length and 45 yards (41 m) in width. The penalty area is 24 yards (22 meters) wide and 12 yards (11 meters) deep.

High School Soccer Field Dimensions

High School Soccer Fields Dimensions are nearly close to the professional soccer fields. At first look, you would not be able to find any difference between the two fields. But in reality, there is a huge difference between the two fields. In fact, High School Field is 15 yards narrower and 20 yards shorter than the professional soccer field. There are a few reasons behind that. So, let’s find out the factors why High School soccer fields are shorter in length and narrower in width. 

The governing body for high school soccer in the United States, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), has recommended specific dimensions for the High School Soccer Fields according to their recommendations;

“A high school soccer field width must be 55 yards to 80 yards, and its length should be 100 yards to 120 yards”. 

This is the recommended size of the high school football field from NFHS. Apart from the dimensions of the field, there are other details as well that should be taken into consideration. This is the age range where players play so much attention as it is the start of their professional career. So, there are other details to know about. These grounds have goal lines with the following dimensions. The goal area is 6×20 yards (5.5 x 18.3 meters), and the penalty area is 18×44 yards (16.5 x 40.3 meters).

Soccer vs. Futsal Field Size Comparison

Futsal

To understand the difference between the field sizes of both types of games, you have to understand it first. First of all, we will define Futsal. 

Futsal is the modified and modern form of soccer that is an indoor game played on a relatively small pitch with 5 players on each team. 

Dimension of Futsal Field

The standard futsal field size is between 38m X 20m and 42m X 25m. The pitch’s dimensions reveal that the field is relatively smaller than a soccer field. 

Soccer

Soccer is a well-known game that is played outdoors. At the professional level, each team plays with 11 players. 

Dimensions of the Soccer Field

The soccer field size is relatively larger as compared to Futsal. The standard size of a soccer field is 100 yards and 130 yards in length (90m to 120m) and 50 to 100 yards in width (45m to 90m).

Why the Size of a Soccer Field is matter

Space to Play

So let’s talk about why the size of the field matters so darn much. If you’re out on that green expanse, and whether it’s vast or compact can totally change the game!

So, imagine you’re on a big field. There’s acres of space to roam, right? Teams can stretch out, passing. Think of those European leagues with their massive pitches. For example, teams like Barcelona playing tiki-taka, passing the ball around like it’s a hot potato, finding gaps and exploiting them. It’s all about keeping possession and patiently building up the play.

Now, flip the script. Picture a smaller field, one where you can practically shout to your teammate without raising your voice. It’s like those intense South American games. The field’s tight, so it’s all about quick transitions, long balls, and very fast counterattacks. it’s all about hustle and muscle.

And hey, let’s not forget about the players themselves. On a big pitch, wingers can spread their wings, flying down the flanks with plenty of room to maneuver. But on a smaller field, everyone’s packed in like sardines. Midfielders gotta hustle, covering ground like their lives depend on it, while full-backs are practically sprinting from one end to the other.
See the difference?

Fitness 

Big field means u better have lungs like a racehorse to keep up the pace for 90 minutes. Small field? It’s like a non-stop sprint, testing your endurance and grit.

Conclusion:

How Many Acres Is A Soccer Field is a burning question. But all the soccer fields are not the same. It changes with age range. There is a different football field setup for Under 6 to Under 8 due to accordance to their age range. There are no additional details like the Goal Area, penalty area, and no goalkeeper.

The soccer field size changes for Under 9 and Under 10 with an increase in the number of players as well as the field. The Under11 and Under12 level is the most mature level in youth football. At this stage, players understand their game very well. They can run fast and are able to cover more distance which is why the youth soccer field is the biggest at this stage. 

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