How to put together a cheap DIY soccer net
Four years have passed since the last time the world gathered to witness the beautiful game play out for a month on countless television sets. The World Cup, soccer's biggest tournament, is back again and it is everywhere. If your child wants to kick the ball into the net between games, but your net is broken or nonexistent there are ways to solve the problem without the need to spend too much money on a pre-manufactured net. And even better, building a net is such an easy task that the kids can get involved as well. Here are instructions on how to put together a soccer net for your child with simply some PVC pipe and wild life netting.
Required supplies
Lowes recommends purchasing the following in order to build the net:
100' x 7' wildlife netting
Four 10' PVC pipes
Six inch PVC elbows
Four inch PVC tees
PVC cement
8" cable ties
A hacksaw
A tape measure
Sandpaper
Wildlife netting can run around $20. A 10 foot section of PVC pipe will cost less than $4, according to Home Depot. The PVC cement should be priced at around $7.
Lay out, mark and cut the pipes
Next lay the PVC out and begin marking it. Be sure to mark two five foot sections, two four foot sections, four three foot sections and four one foot sections, according to This Old House. After you have marked the pipes begin cutting them with the hacksaw. Make sure your first cut mark is hanging off the edge of the mark you made. Use that first piece as a guide for the rest - you should end up with one left over six foot piece. After cutting everything down to size, use the sandpaper to make sure there are no dangerous sharp edges.
Dry fit the pieces
This is to make sure that everything fits together before you begin making permanent adjustments. In case this gets confusing, Lowes has provided an illustration of how the PVC sections should be connected. Start with the base. Grab an elbow and attach a three foot piece to a one foot section. Do this again to make the the two corners. On the other end of each one foot section place a tee, then connect those with the other three foot section. This will create the base of your frame.
Repeat for the top of the goal, except attach four foot sections at the elbows instead of three foot pieces. You should end up with two vertical four foot sections opposite each other, one forming the right post and the other the left. The base of each four foot section should be attached to an elbow which on the other end leads to a three foot piece. The three foot pieces will be of the initially constructed base. They extend from the left and right posts into the elbows in the back, bottom corners of the net.
Use the tee sections to extend the two five foot pieces from the top bar to the base of the goal diagonally, reinforcing the frame.
Make sure to keep track of each connection, so any necessary reassembly doesn't become a guessing game.
Glue the joints
This is why you marked each connected section. Take apart the joints one by one and wipe the outside and inside of each end with PVC cement. Once the edges have been coated, quickly line up your markings and put the joint back together. Hold it in place, it should take mere seconds to set.
Add the netting to the frame
Now take the frame outside and unroll the wild life netting. Make sure there is enough to cover both the sides and the back of the net. Also leave some slack in the net so it will catch the ball, and then attach it using zip ties or cables. Finish by cutting off the excess netting.
After this your net should be finished. It is time to take it into the backyard, test it out and start training your own World Cup team for the next time around.