High School Soccer Field Layout

One of the most popular sports around the world is European football, which is more commonly known in the United States as soccer. As this sport grows in popularity throughout the country, hundreds of thousands high school athletes take to the soccer field each year. High school soccer is played in all 50 states by both boys and girls with thousands of fields in use throughout the United States. Read on for information about high school soccer field layout.

Rules for high school soccer are set forth by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS), which also has criteria for field dimensions and layout. According to NFHS rules, a high school soccer field must be between 100 yards to 120 yards long and between 55 yards to 80 yards wide. In addition, there also must be room on one sideline for areas for both teams, each of which must have a 20-yard-long bench area that must have a 10-foot setback from the spectator area, and a 10-yard-long officials' area, which also must have a 10-foot setback from the fans.

A high school soccer field must have clearly defined boundaries with end lines and sidelines. The field is also marked with a halfway line, which runs from sideline to sideline at the midway point of the field's length, dividing it into two equal halves. Each half of the field is marked with an 18-yard-by-44-yard rectangular box, containing the penalty area, goal area and goal cage. This box, which is called the penalty area, is measured 18 yards out from the end line and must be 44 yards wide regardless of the field's width. Within this box, there is a 6-yard-by-20-yard box, the goal area, which is also measured out from the end line and contains the goal cage.

At the center of a high school soccer field there is a face-off circle, which has a 10-yard radius from the halfway line. Also at the midpoint along the halfway line there is a nine-inch spot, which is where teams take possession after a goal, to begin the game or begin the second half. A high school soccer field also has corner kick area marked in each corner. These area are marked by arcs with a one-yard radius from the perpendicular intersection of the sideline and end line. These areas are indicated by flags sticking out of the ground.

According to NFHS rules, there is no one prescribed surface for high school soccer fields. These fields are traditionally natural grass; field turf, which is a synthetic grass-line surface; or artificial turf, a carpet-like surface commonly known as AstroTurf. For natural grass surfaces, the field lines are markings applied with white paint or a non-caustic athletic field marking chalk. Regardless of the method used, these lines must be reapplied as they wear off due to field use or whenever the grass is mowed. For non-grass surfaces, including field turf or artificial turf, the field markings are typically permanently painted on the surface and do not require reapplication.

In high school athletics, it is common to have multiple sports using the same field. Often high school soccer fields will double as high school football fields; in such cases, special layout rules apply. The sidelines of the soccer field will run from the back line of each end zone, which will be the end lines of the soccer field, for a total distance of 120 yards, but the field's width will be wider than that of a football field, which is required by rule to be 53 1/3 yards wide. In this case, hashed lines will mark the sideline boundary of the soccer field. Rules also allow for the soccer markings, such as the penalty area, goal area and face-off circle, to be painted a different color to avoid confusion with the football lines.

Not all high school soccer fields will strictly adhere to NFHS rules. Some fields, particularly those in rural areas or small schools, might not meet the rules for width or length, or fields doubling as football fields might not have all the required lines and markings. The decision as to whether these fields can be used lies with each state's governing body of high school athletics. While the exact rules vary from state to state, the general principle used by NFHS is that fields not conforming exactly to layout rules cannot be used for postseason contests.