About Indoor Soccer Fields Made for High School Competitions

Soccer is a favorite pastime for many high school students interested in intramural sports and organized athletics. Indoor soccer facilities allow high school athletes to play the game in a safe environment away from the weather. Specialized equipment used to create indoor soccer fields allows high school students to enjoy competition-quality areas.

Indoor soccer is played according to rules very similar to those of outdoor soccer. One of the only real differences is that the ball can be kicked off a wall instead of going across a line. The result is a faster-paced soccer game that can be played, watched and enjoyed without the worry of inclement weather. The layout of an indoor soccer field corresponds to the design of outdoor soccer fields, and high school athletes can savor the feeling of competing in pretty much the same type of athletic event they would play outdoors.

High school indoor soccer fields use artificial turf instead of real grass. For high school administrators seeking to provide students with a quality playing field, artificial turf is more cost-effective and easier to maintain, the most appropriate choice for an indoor competition environment. Artificial turf that does not require professional installation allows high schools to change the surface of a floor easily and use limited amounts of indoor space for multiple purposes. While high school students playing on artificial turf can use regular cleats, some opt for turf cleats.

The soccer goal is an important fixture in terms of competitive indoor high school soccer, and an indoor soccer goal can be a bit different from one designed for outdoor use. An outdoor soccer goal is usually a more permanent unit; goals designed for indoor use weigh a great deal less than outdoor goals, and are often designed to be portable. A portable indoor soccer goal can weigh as little as 20 or 30 pounds.

As in outdoor play, white lines mark the playing field for indoor soccer. Indoor competitive high school soccer requires that the center circle, halfway line and penalty areas be marked according to certain specifications. Paint is usually used to mark the turf, because tape can cause student athletes to trip.

Other components of an indoor high school soccer field include seating for spectators, lighting and benches intended to seat the coaches and teams. Most spaces in high schools intended for use in athletic competitions already have these elements, but when converting areas originally intended for other purposes into indoor soccer arenas, lighting and seating sometimes need to be added. Agility trainers, cones, hurdle cones, rebounders and other training equipment can be used on an indoor soccer field to help high school athletes build their soccer skills in the same way they are used outdoors.