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8 best football goals that are sure to score you some points with the kids

Whatever the skill level or garden size, we’ve got the right football goal to inspire your footy-obessed kids

Kat Storr
Thursday 01 August 2024 12:49 EDT
Footballs seem to be permanently attached to the feet of our tester’s, so, reviewing the best goals was no hardship
Footballs seem to be permanently attached to the feet of our tester’s, so, reviewing the best goals was no hardship (The Independent/Kat Storr)
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The Euros had the country gripped by football fever and, with a summer of Olympic games, there’s no shortage of inspirational sporting figures for children to look up to.

This means it should take little encouragement to get them outside for a kick-about in the garden or your local park. 

Football can be enjoyed by children of all ages, and it's great for developing their fine and gross motor skills. Not many of us have a garden the size of a football pitch but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some dribbling action in your outdoor space (mind the garden furniture).

Investing in a good quality football goal will give your budding sports stars something to aim their top bin shots at and will, perhaps, stop balls flying over fences or into your plants. Most goals are simple to assemble and can be fixed securely into the lawn, to stop them from toppling onto your children.

Whether your kids are just learning how to kick a ball, or are a bit older and have aspirations to be the next England captain, we’ve rounded up a range of football goals to suit.

How we tested the best kids’ football goals

Our mini tester in action
Our mini tester in action (The Independent)

Our tester’s seven- and five-year-olds are never far from a football, so, testing out the goals really wasn’t a hardship for them. In fact, it was probably a dream start to their summer holidays. Luckily, we had good weather in time for assembling the products and putting them through their paces. While the kids made us save their penalties as the goalkeeper, we considered how portable, stable and easy to assemble the goals were, and generally kept an eye out for those that offered good quality and value for money.

The best kids’ football goals for 2024 are:

  • Best overall – Forza football goal: £49.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best budget buy – Quickdraw mini football goal set for kids: £7.95, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best for practising skills – Opti target training pop-up football goal: £18, Argos.co.uk
  • Best for taking to the park – Opti pop-up football goal: £30, Argos.co.uk
  • Best for small gardens – Kipsta football goal kage: £27.99, Decathlon.co.uk

Forza football goal

Forza best football goal review indybest
  • Best: Overall
  • Size: 6ft x 4ft
  • Weight: 18.56kg
  • Why we love it
    • Highly durable
    • Easily assembled
    • Lots of size options

This goal can really take it all, including a pummelling by the weather and a constant stream of footballs fired at it by a seven-year-old and his buddies. It’s a really sturdy product that took less than 10 minutes to put together. The most tricky part is attaching the net to the PVC posts, especially with impatient onlookers. The goal also comes with U-pegs, so you can make sure it’s secure in the grass, which will give parents peace of mind that it won’t fall on anyone.  

At 6ft by 4ft, this goal is one of the smaller Forza options, and the brand says it’s suitable for those aged seven and under. It was the perfect size for our five-year-old, particularly when his older brother made him be goalie, but our seven-year-old would perhaps benefit from a larger size. Forza also sells goals in 8ft by 4ft, 8ft by 6ft and 12ft by 6ft, so there is an option to suit all lawn sizes.

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Quickdraw mini football goal set for kids

Quickdraw best football goal review indybest
  • Best: Budget buy
  • Size: 44cm x 31cm
  • Weight: 185g
  • Why we love it
    • Super affordable
    • Doesn’t take up much space
    • Easy to assemble
    • Great for toddlers

If you’ve got a young child who is just discovering their love of football (or even still learning to kick a ball), this could be the set for you. It certainly won’t break the bank or take up much space. It’s very easy to put together, and it comes with a pump and small ball.

Recommended for children aged three and up, this is a cheap product but we’ve included it because it is a perfect first goal for a toddler. At 44cm wide and 31cm high, it doesn’t take up much space, so you can use it in a small patio garden or even inside on a rainy day. It will help little ones develop their gross motor skills and burn some of that seemingly never-ending energy.

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Opti pop-up football goal

Opti best football goal review indybest
  • Best: For taking to the park
  • Size: 76cm x 122cm x 76cm
  • Weight: 1.65kg
  • Why we love it
    • Lightweight and portable
    • Great price
  • Take note
    • On the small side for older kids
    • Ball and pump included aren’t the best quality

If you’re planning a football match, obviously, you’ll need two goals, which is why these lightweight pop-up goals could be a great choice. They were super easy to put together as they pop open when removed from the bag and you just have to add the fibreglass pole and use the ground pegs to secure them in place.

Our five-year-old tester really enjoyed playing with these goals but we found them to be a bit small for our older son, who likes to practise his top bin shots. The goals come with a ball and pump but we found both of these to be quite poor quality, so we used our own ball instead. This set would definitely suit the two- to five-year-old age range best.

The biggest plus point about these goals is you can pack them up and take them anywhere. They’d be great at the park with some friends or at the grandparents’ house to keep the kids entertained during a visit. As with all pop-up products, we had some fun getting them back in the bag – it took two adults to do it - but perhaps we were just extra tired that day.

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Opti target training pop-up football goal

Opti target practice best football goal review indybest
  • Best: For practising skills
  • Size: 76.2cm x 106.68cm x 76.2cm
  • Weight: 1kg
  • Why we love it
    • Great for the true football obsessives
    • Easy to put together
    • Great price
    • Can be used inside and out, in theory
  • Take note
    • A bit flimsy

Our seven-year-old is obsessed with practising his skills and sometimes having a standard goal is simply not enough. This target training option went down a storm with him, as he could spend some time on his own just firing the ball at the hole in the net. The only issue was that he can kick the ball quite hard and the goal kept bending backwards with the force of each shot, as it is quite flimsy.

The goal was easy to put together and could work indoors as well as outdoors, if you’re happy to let your kids play football inside.

Included are ground pegs, a bag, a ball and a pump, which weren’t particularly good quality. However, this goal comes at a great price point and will keep focused young footballers busy, come rain or shine.

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Early Learning Centre pop-up football goal

ELC best football goal review indybest
  • Best: For toddlers
  • Size: 60cm x 86cm x 54cm
  • Weight: Unspecified
  • Why we love it
    • Very portable
    • Requires no assembly
    • Super fun and playful
    • Affordable

This is a great option for the summer holidays, because it’s really portable. Stick it in the boot of your car for a trip to the beach or even in your suitcase if you’re heading somewhere further afield. It’s another goal that requires no assembly, apart from securing it to the ground with the two pegs included. We took it over to the grandparents’ house for the afternoon and it was a huge hit with smaller members of the family.

The goal is designed for kids aged two and up and is colourful and fun to play with. It also felt really safe because there’s no net for little feet to get tangled in, if they’re still a bit unsteady when running around. This goal doesn’t come with a ball but, at this price, we didn’t mind. We discovered it also makes for a good tent when little ones fancy a rest.

  1.  £14 from Elc.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Kipsta football goal kage

Kipsta best football goal review indybest
  • Best: For small gardens
  • Size: 95cm x 70cm x 70cm
  • Weight: 2.5kg
  • Why we love it
    • Great value
    • Loved the size
    • Comes with a cover with a carry strap
  • Take note
    • Not weatherproof

This is a really good value, good-sized goal with features that make it a perfect choice for your garden. The kage is really easy to set up, too – all you need to do is clip on the corners, stake it into the grass, and you’re ready for the first whistle. The corners make a noise when they’re connected properly, which is a handy feature, and we felt it was a good size for our garden. It’s a bit less robust than some others in our line-up, and it definitely needs to be taken down when not used, as it’s not weatherproof. However, our boys loved the colour of this goal, and we loved the fact it was incredibly easy to put up and down. It also comes in a cover that has a carry strap, which is a bonus.

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Kipsta SG 500 size 5 football goal

Kipsta best football goal review indybest
  • Best: Sturdy football goal
  • Size: 70cm x 95cm
  • Weight: 4.5kg
  • Why we love it
    • Super sturdy
    • Easy to assemble
    • Hooks into the ground easily
    • Looks smart

This goal is the sturdiest on our list, thanks to its steel frame. We sampled the small version, which measures 95cm by 70cm. This was a great size for our five-year-old, as it meant no goalie was required and he could just practise firing shots at it. However, our seven-year-old would definitely prefer a larger size. He likes taking turns to be the goalkeeper, and this goal just isn’t big enough for kids his age to do that.

It was easy to put together, though – the only time-consuming element was threading the net into the hooks on each part of the frame. The goal comes with three U-hooks, so you can make sure it’s safely pegged into the ground.

Overall, this is an attractive product that would look smart in any garden. 

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Clementoni my first football interactive toy

Clementoni best football goal review indybest
  • Best: Interactive football goal
  • Size: 58cm x 46cm x 14.3cm
  • Weight: 500g
  • Why we love it
    • Makes for a great gift
    • Fun interactive sounds and lights

If your child isn’t quite up to taking shots in the garden yet, this interactive option could be the perfect gift. It’s a great introduction to football but also comes with lights, sounds and buttons to press, which will keep both small hands and feet busy. This is an indoors-only toy that’s suitable for little ones aged from 18 months.

The elephant goalkeeper figure in the middle moves left and right when the whistle is blown, and little ones can enjoy singing along with the sounds. It’s not the most sturdy of toys, however, so, an adult should always be present when it’s being used. A battery is included, along with a small ball.

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The verdict: Football goals

The Forza goal takes the winner’s trophy, as it’s made from strong PVC, so can withstand even the punchiest of penalty shootouts. It comes in a variety of sizes, too, to suit different gardens, and the net is good quality and easy to attach. The Kipsta kage is also a great choice if you’re looking for a goal you can take to the park. It’s portable, easy to assemble and comes at an excellent price.

Protect little ones from the sun’s rays while in the garden, with our pick of the best kids’ sunscreens

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