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The Game of Hockey

ISSUE 00110 AUG 2026WINDSOR, NS44°59′N 64°08′W

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Field manual · elevations

Field Hockey Goal Dimensions

A field hockey goal is 3.66 metres wide between the inner edges of the posts and 2.14 metres high to the lower edge of the crossbar — 12.01 ft by 7.02 ft, or twelve feet by seven in the measure the game grew up with.

3.66 m wide

2.14 m high

Front and side elevations

Both drawings are in metres at one unit per metre, with the dimension rails describing the drawing rather than labelling it from outside.

Front elevation of a field hockey goal The goal seen from the field: 3.66 metres of clear width between the inner edges of the posts, 2.14 metres from the ground to the lower edge of the crossbar, with the 460 millimetre back-board visible through the mouth and the net behind. 3.66 2.14 BACK-BOARD 0.46
Front As the striker sees it. The dimensioned width is between the inner edges of the posts, and the height is to the underside of the bar.
Side elevation of a field hockey goal The goal seen from the side: the post and crossbar at the left, the net running back a minimum of 0.90 metres at the crossbar and 1.20 metres at ground level, and the 460 millimetre side-board along the base. 0.90 MIN 1.20 MIN 0.46
Side The enclosed space behind the line: at least 0.90 m deep at the crossbar and at least 1.20 m at the ground, so the net rakes away from the goalkeeper.

Every figure in the goal specification

Goal, board and net dimensions
Measurement Metric Imperial Where it comes from
Clear width, inner edge to inner edge of the posts 3.66 m 12.01 ft Rule 1.5d. The same 3.66 m as the straight section of the shooting circle.
Height, ground to the lower edge of the crossbar 2.14 m 7.02 ft Rule 1.5d. Measured to the lower edge, so the bar itself sits above the figure.
Post and crossbar width, in cross section 50 mm 1.97 in Rule 1.5b. White, rectangular in section, and between 50 mm and 75 mm deep.
Net depth at the crossbar 0.90 m minimum 2.95 ft Rule 1.5e. The enclosed space behind the goal-line, measured at the top.
Net depth at ground level 1.20 m minimum 3.94 ft Rule 1.5e. Deeper at the bottom than at the top, which is what gives the goal its rake.
Side-boards 460 mm high, 1.20 m long minimum 1.51 ft × 3.94 ft Rule 1.6a and 1.6c. Fixed at right angles to the back-line, behind the posts, without widening them.
Back-board 460 mm high, 3.66 m long 1.51 ft × 12.01 ft Rule 1.6b and 1.6d. Parallel to the back-line, fixed to the ends of the side-boards.
Net mesh 45 mm maximum 1.77 in Rule 1.7a. Attached to the back of posts and crossbar at intervals of no more than 150 mm.

Where the goal meets the pitch

The goal is not an accessory placed near the back-line; it is part of the geometry of the field. The two arcs of the shooting circle are struck from the inside front corners of the posts, which is why the circle has a straight section exactly as wide as the goal mouth, and why a goal set 100 mm off centre puts every circle line struck from it wrong as well.

The goal-line is not painted separately either. It is the part of the back-line that runs between the posts, which means the paint that defines a goal is the same 75 mm band that defines the end of the field.

How the circle is set out from the posts

Checking a goal before a match

  1. Measure the mouth between the inner edges of the posts, not between their centres: 50 mm of post either side is the difference between a legal goal and a narrow one.
  2. Measure the height to the lower edge of the crossbar at both posts. A goal on an uneven back-line can be right at one post and wrong at the other.
  3. Check the goal is centred on the back-line by measuring from each post to its own corner flag, not by eye from the halfway line.
  4. Confirm the posts sit on the outer edge of the back-line so the goal-line — the part of the back-line between the posts — is where the rules put it.
  5. Check the net is loose and secured all round: a ball must not be able to rebound off it into play, nor pass between net and boards.
  6. Check the boards are dark on the inside and undamaged. A split board is both a rebound problem and an injury one.