How to Paint a Soccer Field

Whether for a children's recreational league, a competitive tournament or an upper-level match, a high-quality, painted soccer field adds a professional touch to the game. The dimensions of the field vary, but every soccer field requires the same lines and markings. You can tackle the job by hand with spray paint or with the aid of a lining machine. Either way, painting a soccer field requires attention to detail and up to an hour of your time.

Determine the type of method you want to use for painting the field. Painting by hand will take longer and require more attention to detail, but it is also a cheaper option. Field line marking machines make the job easier. Load the white paint into the machine's holster and set the width of the spray. The paint should be a non-caustic, water-based aerosol or bulk paint. For a soccer field, lines should be four inches wide.

Create the perimeter of the field. The optimum size for a soccer field is considered 75 yards wide and 120 yards long, but smaller or larger fields may be necessary depending on the age of the players. Roll the lining machine along the field. If proceeding by hand, stand to the side of the line and hold the can close to the field while spraying. Move the can away from the field until the paint creates a four-inch-wide line. Walk along the field slowly as you spray the lines.

Create the half-field line that splits the field horizontally into two halves. This line goes from one sideline to the other.

Spray a center spot that lies directly in the middle of the field. From this center spot, spray a circle with a radius of 30 feet. Grooves where these lines should be will likely be on the field and will simply need to be coated with paint.

Spray a 6-yard box, penalty box, penalty spot and penalty arc in front of each goal. The 6-yard box is a rectangle that stretches from the goal line 6 yards past each goal post and 6 yards out toward the center of the field. The penalty box uses the same principle with 18 yards. The penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal line in the center of the penalty box. The penalty arc is a half-circle on top of the penalty box. The radius for this arc is 10 yards from the penalty spot.

Spray a curved line in each corner of the field where corner kicks are to be taken. These lines are 1 yard in from the corner on the goal line and on the sideline.

Tips

Shake the spray paint cans often to ensure an even spray. Clear the nozzle with a key or screwdriver if paint becomes backed up. Alternate directions in which you paint to coat the blades of grass as evenly as possible. This helps your paint job last longer. Many companies make a paint specifically designed for sports fields. Paint an optional hash mark along the goal line about 11 yards from the corner and sideline. This line marks the spot that defenders must stand behind on a corner kick.