In soccer, the field usually has two very distinct boxes right in front of the net. The first is the large box which is popularly called the penalty area.
This area is very important in soccer, as it is in this area that the defending team could be penalized with a penalty kick for fouls. The other area is the small inner box which is also called the goal area.
In the goal area, fouls here usually attract penalties.
Most people usually ignore the significance of the small box in the game of soccer. This article will expose you to the size of the small box (goal area) in soccer fields in acres, feet, and meters.
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How big is the small box in soccer?
The small box in soccer is also known as the goal area, and it is right inside the penalty area. FIFA rules state that the distance from each goalpost to the lines parallel with the touchline should be 5.5 meters, 0.00136 acres, or 18.0446 feet.
When the standard goal size is added, the distance between the lines becomes 18.32 meters, 60.104987 feet, or 0.00453 acres.
The goal area is also measured 6 by 20 yards from the front of the goal. It runs from the length of the goal line, then extends 6 yards to either side of the goal. Again, the measurement is from the inside edge of the posts.
From the post, the area extends 6 yards to the field. This is why this area is popularly called the 6-yard box. A 20-yard line connects these lines at the end to complete the box.
Soccer players can place the ball anywhere within this box for goal kicks. When defenders also get a free kick in the box, they can play the ball from anywhere within the box. The above is an exception to the norm where a free kick is played from the spot where the foul was committed.
When an offensive team gets an indirect free kick in the goal area, the kick is taken right on the 20-yard line of the area on the opposite side of the goal. Here, the kicker has to line up parallel from the foul spot.
There are various types of soccer fields other than the usual soccer. These soccer fields include; beach soccer, street soccer, indoor soccer, and Futsal.
Beach soccer as the name implies is a type of soccer that is played on any fine sand beach. The area is usually marked with markers or training cones to show the playing area. Beach soccer is played barefooted.
FIFA defines the standard field dimension as 26 to 28 meters in width and 35 to 37 meters in length.
The penalty box is the small box or goal area in beach soccer and it is anything that is within 9 meters or 29.5276 feet of the goal. It is usually marked with a yellow flag.
The halfway line is marked with tie red flags at either side of the pitch. The goal of standard beach soccer is 5.5 meters or 18.0446 feet wide and 2.2 meters or 7.217 feet from the sand to the crossbar underside.
Another type of soccer is street soccer.
Street soccer describes every informal variation of soccer. It is closer to association football than Futsal or beach soccer. The basic setups just involve the ball and a wall which is used as the goal.
The courts of street soccer are 72 feet or 21.9 meters long by 52 feet or 15.84 meters wide with the goal size being 4 feet or 1.21 meters tall and 12 feet or 3.65 meters wide.
The goal area is the penalty or goalkeeper area which is a semi circle that is 10 feet or 3 meters in radius.
Youth soccer fields measure between 3,375 and 39,600 square feet. The size of the field is also dependent on the player’s age and the available space.
The length of youth soccer fields usually ranges between 23 meters – 73 meters ( 25 and 80 yards) while the width of youth soccer fields usually ranges between 14 meters – 50 meters (15 yards and 55 yards) wide.
Indoor soccer is a type of soccer also called floorball or showball, fast football, indoor football, or arena soccer. It was developed in the United States and Canada as an option for playing soccer during winter.
The penalty area of indoor soccer which has a small box is usually 6.5 yards (19.5 feet) or 5.94 meters from the goal line and the goal is 3 yards (9 feet) or 2.74 meters wide.
For indoor soccer fields in the US, the recommended size is usually 67 yards (0.0138 acres, 201 feet, 61.265 meters) long and 28 yards (25.603 meters, 84 feet, 0.00579 acres) wide, with the penalty mark being 8 yards (0.00165 acres, 24 feet, 7.315 meters) away from the goal.
For indoor soccer, the touchline (length) usually ranges from 58 yards – 70 yards while the goal line (width) ranges from 25 – 33.
Another type of soccer is Futsal. Futsal fields are usually rectangular, similar to soccer. In Futsal, the length of the touchline is usually greater than the goal line length.
Futsal is a type of soccer played indoors, usually on a small court. Since the field is usually smaller, the game of Futsal is usually intense and fast paced with a lot more opportunities for scoring goals.
Futsal court includes longer lines called sidelines and shorter lines called goal lines. All lines are usually 8 centimeters wide.
The field is divided into two equal halves with a center line and a center dot denoting where the game starts from. The spot is circled with a three meters ring.
The penalty area represents the semi circle with a six meter radius from the goal line. The penalty spot is also placed six meters from the goal line in the center of the goal bars. There is also a ten meter spot that is placed ten meters from the goal line
A major difference is the number of players, while soccer is 11 members per team futsal makes use of only 5 players per team.
Conclusion
The small box in soccer is also called the goal area and often called by many as the six yard box because of the size. It serves various purposes. It primarily serves as the location where goal kicks are taken and also the goalkeepers area.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!