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To line a soccer field, fix the one corner that cannot move, run the first touchline with a 600 ft cord, square that corner with a 3-4-5 triangle, set the other corners and check both diagonals before any paint goes down. A full-size 11v11 field under the FIFA Laws of the Game is 100-130 yd long and 50-100 yd wide, marked with lines no more than 5 in wide (4 in is the common US width), an 18 yd penalty area, a 6 yd goal area, a penalty mark 12 yd out and a center circle with a 10 yd radius. A 110 yd x 70 yd field needs about 2,300 linear ft of line, which is close to what one 5 gallon pail of athletic field striping paint covers.
Before you measure anything, confirm which rulebook your field answers to. FIFA Law 1 gives wide ranges so that many existing fields comply. NFHS (high school), NCAA (college) and US Youth Soccer each narrow those ranges for their own competitions. The table below shows the outer dimensions and the matching goal size for each level.
| Level | Length | Width | Goal size |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Laws of the Game, 11v11 (general) | 100-130 yd | 50-100 yd | 8 ft high x 24 ft wide |
| FIFA international matches | 110-120 yd | 70-80 yd | 8 ft x 24 ft |
| NFHS high school | 100-120 yd | 55-80 yd | 8 ft x 24 ft |
| NCAA college (recommended) | 115-120 yd | 70-75 yd | 8 ft x 24 ft |
| US Youth Soccer 9v9 (U11-U12) | 70-80 yd | 45-55 yd | 7 ft x 21 ft |
| US Youth Soccer 7v7 (U9-U10) | 55-65 yd | 35-45 yd | 6.5 ft x 18.5 ft |
| US Youth Soccer 4v4 (U6-U8) | 25-35 yd | 15-25 yd | 4 ft x 6 ft |
Two rules apply at every level. All lines must be the same width, and no line may be wider than 5 in (12 cm). In the US most fields are painted with a 4 in line. The goal line is the same width as the goalposts and crossbar, which is why goals are set with their posts on the line rather than behind it.
Small-sided youth fields use the same outer-rectangle approach, but the interior markings such as the penalty area and goal area vary by league and age group. Check your association's field diagram before painting anything inside the touchlines on a 4v4, 7v7 or 9v9 field.
Every interior mark on an 11v11 field is measured from a handful of reference points: the inside of each goalpost, the midpoint between the posts, the center mark and the four corners. The table lists each marking with the dimension you will lay out.
| Marking | How it is measured | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Halfway line | Joins the midpoints of the two touchlines | Full width of the field |
| Center mark | Middle of the halfway line | Single spot |
| Center circle | Radius 10 yd (30 ft) from the center mark | Full circle |
| Goal area (6-yard box) | 6 yd from the inside of each post along the goal line, 6 yd into the field | 20 yd wide x 6 yd deep |
| Penalty area (18-yard box) | 18 yd from the inside of each post along the goal line, 18 yd into the field | 44 yd wide x 18 yd deep |
| Penalty mark | 12 yd from the midpoint between the goalposts | Single spot |
| Penalty arc | Radius 10 yd from the penalty mark | Drawn only outside the penalty area |
| Corner arc | Quarter circle, radius 1 yd (3 ft) at each corner | Four arcs |
| Optional corner-kick marks | 10 yd (11 m) from each corner arc, off the field | On the goal line and touchline |
| Corner flagposts | At least 5 ft (1.5 m) high, non-pointed top | One at each corner |
| Goal | 8 yd (24 ft) wide x 8 ft high, centered on the goal line | Posts on the line |
The penalty arc is the marking crews most often get wrong. Swing the 10 yd cord from the penalty mark and paint only the portion that falls beyond the 18 yd line. The corner arc is a quarter circle inside the field, so the 3 ft cord swings from the corner point across the playing side only.
Most fields are limited by what surrounds them, not by the rulebook. Start by identifying the edge that cannot move, such as a fence, a running track or a neighboring field. That edge becomes your first touchline, and every other dimension follows from it.
Leave room for the marks and equipment that sit outside the lines. The optional corner-kick marks go 10 yd (11 m) from each corner arc, off the field along the goal line and the touchline, so you need at least that much clear turf beyond the corners if you plan to use them. Corner flagposts are at least 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and stand at each corner, so their bases need solid ground that does not overlap the corner arc. Goals are set with their posts on the goal line, so an 8 yd (24 ft) wide goal and its full depth extend behind the goal line into the run-off. The rulebooks summarized here do not set a single run-off distance behind the goal line or beyond the touchline; it varies by league and facility, so ask your association before you commit the corners.
If space is tight, use the ranges in the first table to your advantage. A FIFA-compliant 11v11 field can be as short as 100 yd and as narrow as 50 yd, and an NFHS field can be 100 yd x 55 yd. Choose a length and width inside your level's range, then confirm the rectangle fits by checking its diagonals. For a 110 yd x 70 yd field each diagonal is about 130.4 yd (391 ft); for a 120 yd x 75 yd field it is about 141.5 yd (424 ft). If those diagonals do not fit with clearance, shrink the field within the allowed range rather than crowding the corners.
Field crews follow the same order every time because each step depends on the one before it. Stringing before squaring, or painting before stringing, is how fields end up with a crooked penalty area that has to be scrubbed and redone.
Short grass lets the cord lie flat and the paint reach the blades instead of sitting on top of them. Mow the day you mark, or the day before, and remove clippings from the line paths.
Choose the corner next to the fence, track or other fixed boundary. Drive a marker there, then pull the 600 ft cord along the touchline direction and set the far touchline corner at the chosen length.
From the anchor corner, measure 30 ft along the goal line direction and 40 ft along the touchline you just set. Move the goal-line end until the diagonal between the two points reads exactly 50 ft. Now pull the cord along that squared goal line to the full width.
Set the third and fourth corners from your length and width, then measure corner to corner both ways. Equal diagonals confirm a true rectangle. Use the reference values above for a 110 yd x 70 yd or 120 yd x 75 yd field to sanity-check your tape.
Put a ground marker at every corner, at both ends of the halfway line, at the center mark, at every penalty area and goal area corner, and at both penalty marks. A 25-marker soccer kit covers all of these points on a full-size field.
Stretch the cord tight between two markers and run the striper with its wheel or guide against the string. Keep the same line width, usually 4 in, on every line so the field stays legal.
Tie a 30 ft (10 yd) cord to the center marker and swing it in a full circle while walking the striper at the end of the cord. Repeat from each penalty mark, painting only the part of the arc that lies outside the 18 yd line.
Use a corner stencil or swing a 3 ft cord from the corner marker. A stencil gives four identical arcs and is faster once the field is stringed.
Place each goal so the posts sit on the goal line and the goal is centered on it. Anchor every goal before anyone plays. Unanchored goals are a tipping hazard.
Because the markers stay in the ground, weekly re-marking is just a matter of re-stringing and repainting. Between full markings, touch up faded spots with aerosol cans.
Any of the methods below will produce legal soccer field lines. The choice comes down to how many fields you mark, how often, and how sharp the line needs to look.
Dry-line markers drop chalk or powder through an adjustable gate. They are the least expensive option and need no cleanup. The Jaypro Easyliner 10 lb ($174) lays a 2 in line and covers about 200 yd per fill, which is not enough for a full field without refilling. The Easyliner 25 lb ($257) and 50 lb ($508) switch between a 2 in and 4 in line, and the 50 lb model rides on pneumatic tires. The Newstripe NewLiner Heavy Duty 50 lb and 100 lb ($534-$594) are built for daily use. Dry lines wash out with rain, so plan to re-mark after weather.
Aerosol cans are the touch-up tool. Jaypro GL-101 white ($138 per case of twelve 20 oz cans) has a universal spray tip, and the same line comes in royal blue (GL-107), yellow (GL-108) and red (GL-110). Pair the cans with the Jaypro Field Line Marking Wand ($137) or the FME-501 Economy Paint Marker ($251), which adjusts from a 2 in to a 4 in line. Aerosols are practical for penalty marks, corner arcs and repairs, not for painting a whole field from scratch.
Low-pressure stripers spray bulk paint from a 5 gallon capacity tank. The Newstripe EcoLiner Standard ($1,601) and EcoLiner Plus ($1,952) run on a 12 V 18 Ah AGM battery with a 1.8 gpm pump and include a detachable spray gun for stencils. The gas EcoLiner LT ($2,668) uses a Briggs and Stratton EX 550 engine and weighs 82 lb, and the self-propelled EcoLiner SP ($3,869-$3,969) removes the pushing on larger complexes. These are the workhorse choice for a school or club marking one or two fields every week.
Airless units atomize paint at 0-3,000 psi for the sharpest line edge and use less paint per foot. The Newstripe 4250 ($3,195) delivers 0.34 gpm from a 5 gallon tank, the Newstripe 4400 ($4,153) steps up to 0.44 gpm with a Honda GX 120 engine, and the Graco FieldLazer S100 ($3,805) is the comparable option from Graco. Choose airless when the field is on camera or when you want a crisp line on a tight paint budget.
For a complex with many fields, the LineRider Lite ($5,950) mounts on a UTV and carries 10 gallons in two 5 gallon buckets, while the riding NewRider 1700 ($15,208) carries a 25 gallon tank. Both cut the walking out of marking day.
Add up the line segments to estimate paint. The table uses a 110 yd x 70 yd (330 ft x 210 ft) field with standard markings.
| Line segment | Linear feet |
|---|---|
| Perimeter (two touchlines and two goal lines) | 1,080 ft |
| Halfway line | 210 ft |
| Center circle | about 188 ft |
| Two penalty areas | 480 ft |
| Two goal areas | 192 ft |
| Two penalty arcs | about 111 ft |
| Four corner arcs | about 19 ft |
| Total | about 2,280 ft (call it 2,300 ft) |
A 120 yd x 75 yd field comes to about 2,400 linear ft. Newstripe Athletic Field Striping Paint in the 5 gallon pail ($126 white, $142 super white, $163 extreme white, $148 for any of 15 colors) is water-based and non-toxic and covers up to 2,250 linear ft, so one pail marks a full-size field once at a 4 in width. The concentrate ($256 per case of 4 gallons) dilutes 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water, giving 5 gallons of usable paint per gallon of concentrate and covering up to 450 linear ft per diluted gallon. For artificial turf, Newstripe Synthetic Turf Striping Paint ($141 white, $163 colors, 5 gallon) is temporary: it resists rain but washes off with moderate water pressure and goes on by brush, roller or machine.
A layout system replaces the yearly re-measure with permanent ground markers. The Newstripe ProLine Field Layout System ($79-$377) comes as a 12-marker baseball kit, a 25-marker soccer kit or a 50-marker football kit, each with a 600 ft cord, so the field is measured once and re-marked from the same points every season. The Jaypro ProLine 25-piece soccer set FM-LM2 ($274) uses polypropylene locators, a starting tool and 600 ft of cord. Either kit covers every reference point in the checklist above.
For the arcs, the Newstripe Soccer Field Corner Stencil ($67) paints a 36 in radius corner arc and is cut from 1/8 in PolyTough plastic with a lifetime warranty. Center circles and penalty arcs are still swung from a cord.
Match the goal to the format: 4 ft x 6 ft for 4v4, 6.5 ft x 18.5 ft for 7v7, 7 ft x 21 ft for 9v9 and 8 ft x 24 ft for 11v11. Set the posts on the goal line, center the goal between the penalty area lines and anchor it. For corner flags, the Jaypro DCF-251 set of 4 ($146) uses 60 in tall x 1 in PVC poles on stationary bases, the Jaypro premium set ($331) has rubber bases, and the First Team FT4025TF set ($151) uses weighted bases. All of them clear the 5 ft minimum height and have a non-pointed top.
Field dimensions and marking rules in this guide follow the FIFA Laws of the Game, Law 1 (The Field of Play), the NFHS soccer rules for high school competition, the NCAA soccer rules for college competition, and the US Youth Soccer small-sided field standards for 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9 play. Product specifications and prices come from the JoySport Store catalog. Where those sources do not fix a value, such as run-off distance or small-sided interior markings, it varies by league.
Browse line striping and marking machines for battery, gas and airless paint stripers, dry-line field markers and chalkers for chalk and powder lines, layout systems, string lines and starter tools for permanent markers and 600 ft cords, stencils and field layout tools for corner arc stencils and marking wands, and soccer goals in every size from 4v4 to 11v11.
Under FIFA Law 1 an 11v11 field is 100-130 yd long and 50-100 yd wide. International matches use 110-120 yd x 70-80 yd, NFHS high school uses 100-120 yd x 55-80 yd, and NCAA recommends 115-120 yd x 70-75 yd.
All lines must be the same width and no more than 5 in (12 cm) wide. In the US fields are commonly painted with a 4 in line.
Use a 3-4-5 triangle. From the corner measure 30 ft along the goal line and 40 ft along the touchline; the diagonal between those points is exactly 50 ft when the corner is square. Then confirm the whole rectangle by measuring both diagonals, which must be equal.
The penalty area is 44 yd wide x 18 yd deep, drawn 18 yd from the inside of each post. The goal area is 20 yd wide x 6 yd deep, drawn 6 yd from the inside of each post. The penalty mark is 12 yd from the midpoint between the posts.
A 110 yd x 70 yd field has about 2,300 linear ft of line, and a 120 yd x 75 yd field about 2,400 ft. One 5 gallon pail of Newstripe Athletic Field Striping Paint covers up to 2,250 linear ft, so one pail marks a full-size field once.
The center circle has a 10 yd (30 ft) radius. Tie a 30 ft cord to the center mark and walk the striper at the end of the cord. Penalty arcs use the same 10 yd radius swung from the penalty mark, painted only outside the penalty area.
US Youth Soccer sizes are 4 ft x 6 ft for 4v4 (U6-U8), 6.5 ft x 18.5 ft for 7v7 (U9-U10), 7 ft x 21 ft for 9v9 (U11-U12) and 8 ft x 24 ft for 11v11.
