How to mark a football
pitch
The answer…?
MATHS!
• Remember all that
maths you did in
high school? Well
now is where it
FINALLY becomes
useful!
• Pythagoras’s
Theorem 
• Zzzz……
• Now I know you all just
inwardly groaned and started
switching off
• BUT SWITCH BACK ON AGAIN!!!
• That’s better 
How to mark a football
pitch…
WITHOUT posts
Without posts…
• Establish your pitch size and position
• 90 – 120 m long , 45 – 90 m wide
• Position and mark the first touchline
• This is where the maths comes in…
• 3,4,5 the touchline to find the goal
line
5
4
3
5
4
3
Then…
- Check the length of the goal lines
- Mark the centre of the goal lines, position and
mark in the goals
- Mark in the penalty spots, and the centre spot
- Find the halfway point of the touchlines, and join
up through the centre spot
5
4
3
5
3
4
So at the moment you’ve got…
- Now what you want to do is probably have a cup
of tea… but after that…
- Measure out the 6 yard and 18 yard box positions
on both goal lines and put a string across between
the two corresponding points
- Measure down the string line to find the depth of
the 6 and 18 yard boxes and mark in and join up
Now…
- Using a tape measure and a white aerosol, trace the
centre circle (10 yards in diameter) using the centre spot
as the middle and mark in
- Using the same method, trace the D’s, using the penalty
spots as the centres, (10 yards in diameter) and mark in
- Again with the same method, using a 1m diameter, trace
in the quadrants and then mark in
WITH posts…
It’s very similar however…
- string across the back of both goals the required
distance and mark in
- then simply join the goal lines up to create the
touch lines and mark in (no maths!)
- then use the same methods for marking without
goal posts, for the centre spot and penalty spots,
halfway line, 6 and 18 yard boxes, D’s, centre circle
and quadrants.