How to Build a Soccer Goal With PVC Pipe

A whopping 24.7 million U.S. viewers tuned into America's matchup against Portugal in the 2014 World Cup, outdrawing the same year's NBA Finals and World Series, both American-born sports. Soccer's popularity is surging and you can bring that passion to your neighborhood. Just build a few PVC soccer goals to get the game started.

Cut 12 pieces of 1 1/4-inch PVC pipe with a hacksaw -- two, 5-foot sections; two, 4-foot sections; four, 3-foot sections; and four, 1-foot sections. Use a tape measure and pencil to measure and score the cut marks. Smooth each cut end with 80-grit sandpaper.

Assemble the back corners of the base by inserting two, 1-foot cut pieces of PVC into separate 90-degree elbows. Push two, 3-foot pieces of PVC into the opposite ends of the elbows.

Pop two, 1 1/4-inch PVC T-joints onto the open ends of each corner's 1-foot pieces. Join the back corners by inserting a new 3-foot piece of PVC piping into the open lateral ends of the T-joints. The entire base of the goal should now be laid out on the ground.

Erect the side posts of the goal by attaching two, 4-foot pieces of PVC pipe to two separate 90-degree elbows, popping the other ends of the elbows onto the 3-foot pieces of the base. Bridge the side posts by popping two, 90-degree elbow joints onto the the top of the posts and inserting two, 1-foot pieces into the elbows' other ports. Complete the crossbar by fitting two T-joints onto the 1-foot pieces and bridging them with the insertion of a 3-foot section of PVC pipe.

Reinforce the goal with two, 5-foot pieces of PVC pipe. Insert both ends of each piece into the open ports of the T-joints, connecting the back of the base to the crossbar.

Push all connections in tight. Draw a short, straight line across all connections, using a permanent marker to map how all the pipe sections fit into one another.

Take apart one of the corner joints. Brush PVC cement onto both ends of the pipe and press the joint back together for a few seconds, making sure to line up the score marks. One by one, do this with each joint of the frame.

Unroll the deer netting and lay it over the frame. Pull the netting tight over the back of the frame. Use utility scissors to cut the netting to size, leaving a few extra inches on all sides.

Attach the netting using zip ties every few inches along the frame. Start from the base and work your way up, wrapping the net around the frame. Cut the loose ends of the zip ties and any excess netting using utility scissors.

Tips

PVC piping is light. If you kick a high-velocity soccer ball, then you might want to load up the back ends of the goal with sandbags. Or you can fill the PVC pipes that make up the base with sand during construction for a heavier goal.