Goal construction - Netting

[Jeff Cottrell]

Our club is currently building new goals for the 2001 Australian Interclubs in Sydney and one of our members works for a business that makes dam and silo liners and has offered to make us some goal nets out of shade cloth sowing all the corners, sides and ball exit whole with webbing and eyelets so it can be held in place with shock cord and not tare. However most of the nets I have seen are made of a see through netting and the shade cloth will not be see through. The shade cloth is more rigid then netting and so will be able to be cut to a specific shape and it will hold that shape. This is important because the shaping of the net has to be carefully designed as it will be difficult (not impossible) for the goal keeper to see where the ball is in the net if he or she need to help it out of the net.

This will mean the referee will not be able to see the ball after it enters the net until it drops out the bottom. If it passes the other side of the net it will go straight past the goal and not come out the ball exit.

Had anyone used a net that you could not see through before and were there any problems Or can any one see any problems with it?

[Mareese]

The problem I have seen is that if you are playing out doors, a solid material net will blow about in the wind. Even if the goal is anchored top and bottom, if there is any strong wind, it will definitely blow about much more than a net one.

[JB!]

Couldn't you use netting in the bottom part of the goal cos this part doesn't take the force of the shot but would still allow the ref, goalie and anyone else to see where the ball is. Just use the cloth for the back of the goal where it takes the most abuse?....