One of the best things you can do for the community is creating a place where people can exercise. Open gyms, basketball courts and, you guessed it, football fields, all have their place there. It creates space for people to get rid of a lot of negative energy, to relax, to improve their bodies and soothe their minds. Not to mention how fun it is to actually watch people play. And building your own football field is not easy, nor is it cheap. But saying it’s a worthwhile effort is an understatement.
So, maybe you’re an investor who wants to give something back. Or perhaps your represent your local council that wants to keep the kids off the streets. Whatever it may be, setting up a football field is hard work, but you will not regret. Bellow you will see the costs of the most important parts of a field, and those that will actually set you back a pretty penny.
On the Field
First, on the field, we have our goal posts. You can’t have a proper game of football without goals posts, now can you? Indeed, having a good goal, a ball, a couple of your buddies, and you are good to go.
Still this ain't as easy as choosing the right ball. Goal posts range, by price, anywhere from 700 British pounds, to 2500 pounds. This depends on three things. Are they portable, do they have sleeves and, of course, the actual size of the goals. A three by two goals will obviously be much cheaper than a 7 by 2.5 meter one.
Decide what do you need. How big will your field actually be? Do you want to get serious with this field, or just keep it to your local community? What colour do you want, how durable do you want it to be.
Next, we have the actual field. You can decide whether you want an artificial grass or turf. A proper turf is there to keep your players safe, giving them manoeuvrability, and keeping the game going fast and smooth.
Still, you should decide what to do quickly. On one hand, you need to maintain grass turf, with mowing and weeding and all that stuff. On the other hand, artificial turfs also need to be maintained, otherwise, they will fall apart. However, the actual maintenance cost is actually the same.
Turf has its advantages in that you can choose the synthetic materials that are used for said turf. Then, on the basis of the materials, you can choose what suits your area and climate the best. The initial costs of turf can be cheaper, since it’s easier to have flat artificial turf that it is to flatten grassland. Note that turfs can also end up being much, much hotter than regular grassland.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to give a proper estimate of the cost of artificial turfs, since these depend on the quality and choice of materials, as well as the size of the entire project, the condition of the field where it’s supposed to be placed, etc… Essentially, it can range anywhere from 2 to 14 British pounds per square meter. Taking into account that the soccer pitch is 7.140 square meters, this can set you back anywhere from 14000 to 98000 pounds.
Grass seeds are even more complex, as they require more maintenance, extra local work, time, and upkeep. So unfortunately, if you want to have a real, brand new, grass football pitch, you will need to ask around your local area. Still, know that the final price will be similar to the one for artificial turfs, perhaps a tad cheaper.
Outside the field
Outside the field we have thing like stands, lights, fences… Know that you should not pinch pennies here, staying safe should be a priority, something that will be impossible to do without proper equipment and construction.
For example, having changing rooms for two teams, and some room for coaches and other officials, can set you back around 255 000 pounds, taking into account that these are around 75 square meters in size. For four teams, at 245 square meters, these will set you back 665.000 pounds. These are the facility costs set about by the Sports England association. There are other options of course, where you can have facilities with no shower, cheaper materials, and poorer isolation. It depends on what you want to achieve, and what your budget is like.
In sum
Figuring the cost of your football field can be challenging. All in all, the whole thing can set you back anywhere between 100.000 to 1.000.000 British pounds. You can get goal posts for 700 pounds a pop, a small, cheap turf, and the smallest changing rooms. Or, you can go all out and buy the finest you can find.
Of course, you can always find the right, healthy medium. Perhaps you can save up on grass if you already have a good flat terrain. Or maybe you don’t want to have a full-size pitch, but something a bit more humble.
