Make goalpost safety a priority for your sports ground

Despite a number of high profile campaigns to prevent goalpost-related incidents, sadly injuries and fatalities still occur. Accidents happen for a number of reasons — children swinging on posts and weakening them, incorrect installation, poor maintenance, or goalposts collapsing because they've not been anchored down correctly.

Know your responsibilities

It’s the sports organisation’s responsibility to ensure the safety of players with regards to goalposts. Responsibilities include:

• Goalposts are appropriate for the age and size of the players, as well as appropriate for the game they are playing;
• Goalposts are installed, maintained and checked in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions;
• All free standing goals, regardless of size or type, are anchored when in use;
• Any socket-type goals are cemented into the ground; and
• Goalposts are checked before use to ensure they are safe and have not been tampered with or vandalised.

Your organisation must also conform to the relevant European Standards for sports equipment. These vary from sport to sport and if you need advice then we can signpost you to the relevant standard(s).

The importance of annual check-ups

In addition to the visual checks carried out before every game, you should also ensure that your goalposts have an annual check-up and risk assessment. These annual assessments should include tests for strength and stability as described in the relevant BS EN standard, for example BS EN 748 for playing fields or BS 8462 for youth football.

Although no one can put a price on safety, you may be surprised to learn that goalpost risk assessments are actually very affordable. Our service starts from just £99.00

For a no obligation quote or to find out more contact us today on 0844 251 0337 or complete the contact form.