Pop Up Football Goals – Portable Sports Coach

Top 3 Best Pop Up Football Goals (Foldaway Football Goals) Coaching kids is hard work and there are days when you probably feel more like a bouncer and zookeeper than a coach! Keeping parents happy, kids organised, and emergencies at bay is enough of a challenge for anyone to deal with. Add bad weather, bad moods and broken, missing or unwieldy equipment into the mix and you can almost feel your heart sinking. When you’re faced with an early morning start in cold drizzling rain, the very last thing you want to be worrying about is your equipment. But shoddy equipment can be an additional source of stress in an already challenging job. Recognise any of the following problems? Limited budget for supplies? A crazy, hectic schedule? The constant need to improvise? A lack of suitable equipment? You’re not alone! But there are a few things that can make your life far easier, while saving you time, money and stress! Pop-up football goals. Pop up football goals provide the solution to all of the above in one small package. They’re ready to use whenever and wherever you need them. You can be ready to play anywhere, anytime with portable pop-up football goals One of the best things about football is its universal appeal. Wherever you go, you will meet fans of the great game and the phrase ‘fancy a kickabout’ will be met with eager nods. ‘Jumpers for goalposts’ were great when you were kicking a beaten up ball with a few friends in the street outside your house, but when you are coaching you need something a little bit more formal. ‘As a football coach, you really need to know that the equipment you use is up to the job. ‘ Heck, there’s a whole rule book developed by the FA for goal posts alone! Pop up football goals present the best of both worlds if you’re a hard-working coach. They come in a range of sizes, suitable for all age groups, and are easy to erect and pack up at the beginning and end of each session. Best of all, they can be used anywhere – ideal for impromptu practise and great for the coach that has to make do with different locations each week. The best pop up football goals are - Portable: Stick them in the boot of your car and they will be ready to use anywhere. Durable: Choose your portable goal well and you will find that you have a set of goalposts that last for many, many years. Professional: At last, you can hold your head up with pride in the knowledge that your team is well equipped and ready to play. Versatile: Use the goals for regular training sessions, match days and impromptu games in the local park. Easy to use: No more struggling to break down a multi-piece goal ten minutes after the downpour started. Pop-up goals pop down and pack away in seconds. So, are you ready for a fold-away pop-up football goal that can be used anytime, anywhere? Below I have researched and got the top 3 portable football goals on the market. I’m sure many of you have probably heard of each brand around the ‘circuit’ so they should be somewhat familiar to you. If you haven’t I’ve gone into much greater detail so you can make the best decision for your players development. In the reviews I have specifically focused on 6 key areas: Ease of Use Weight/Portability Storage Durability Value for Money Top Tips Top 3 Best Pop Up Football Goals PUGG Pop-Up Goals If you are looking for the best football goals, you can’t do much better than PUGG. PUGG goals are available in 4’ and 6’ (link on Amazon) Come in a choice of colours to suit your teams Kit include pegs to secure the goal to the ground Comes with a handy carry case for easy storage Ease of Use/Assembly PUGG pop up goals are very easy to erect – just hold the corners and they pop up with a quick twist of your hands and you’re ready to go. Plastic pegs are included in the set so you can peg them down to the ground if you’re using them outside. When it’s time to take them down they collapse neatly into 1 inch thick oval and slide back into their handy carry bag. The first time you take the goals down you might find that you struggle to turn them back into that neat oval you pulled out of your car a few hours ago! Have no fear though! There’s a knack to it but, fortunately, it’s very easy to learn. Once you’ve mastered them you’ll find that you can pack up in second, no problem. Weight/Portability The goals pack away into a handy carry sack for easy storage. They are light enough for one person to handle easily and transport without trouble. I will say however, if you’re getting your players to carry them make sure you don’t get little 7 year Jimmy to take the 6 footers! Apart from being highly amusing to watch, it can cause a safety concern. As a rule of thumb I never really allow any players under the age of 10 to touch any of the goals. There’s just too much net for a little pair of clumsy feet to get caught and I’d rather avoid the likelihood of having to talk to Jimmy’s parents about the huge lump on the side of his eye! Value for Money PUGG goals are a little more expensive than the others we have looked at but, if you can afford to spend the cash now, you will be rewarded with a high quality product that lasts for years. The added extra is, if you grab a couple of goals in each size category you can rotate the goals depending on the players you’re working with. Resulting in them lasting even longer. Top Tips Be sensible really. Take care when you’re packing them and storing them away and you’ll find they’ll last far longer. Grab a set of small sandbags if you’re looking to use them indoors. Mitre Foldaway Pop Up Football Goals Mitre is a well-known brand in the UK. Their pop-up goals do offer great value for money, however before you go ahead and buy a set, you need to think for a second and ask yourself; ‘What age group will be using these goals?’ I’ll explain why in a second. These pop-up goals come in two sizes so if you practice indoors and space is tight you could consider buying the smaller set. They are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The smaller size, great for younger kids and indoor use, is 121 x 81 x 81 cm and the larger set measures 182 x 106 x 106 cm. Ease of Use/Assembly These are really easy to put up; they just pop into shape right out of the bag. The goals are freestanding but their lightweight build could mean that you see some movement when the ball hits them. Like the PUGG goals, they can even flip over and are better anchored to the ground. Plastic pegs are included in the kit and they do the job well enough, but you might like to supplement them with metal pegs for dry or harder ground and sandbags for indoors. All depends on your personal preferences and circumstances really! Weight/Portability At just over 1.5 kilos, the goals are very manageable. They come with a handy carry case for easy handling and tuck away very nicely into the boot of your car. Durability As the reviews here on Amazon suggest, these goals sets are not as durable as the PUGG goals, but this is balanced out to some extent by the much lower price. They are quite lightweight and, unfortunately, prone to breaking is handled roughly. If you take care of them they will wear well and should last a season or two. They work best when anchored well and used with lightweight balls. Probably better to be used with younger age groups. Value for Money Reviews of this set are largely positive and overall they seem to be a good buy for the price. But you do get what you pay for and if you want goals that will stand up to heavy use it might be worthwhile spending a little more. Some customers had trouble folding these goals back into their carry bag and a few managed to snap them while trying to put them back in the bag. The good news is that folding them away takes seconds once you have the knack. If you anticipate packing up in a hurry at the end of your first session with these then it’s definitely worth having a practice run – unpacking and repacking them – beforehand. Again, as I mentioned before, these goals are probably better for younger age groups who by nature will cause far less stress on the goals than older players would. Top Tips Buy some metal pegs and store them with the goals for days when the ground is hard. Grab some sandbags too if you’re looking to use them indoors Practice folding the goals away before you need to do it in a hurry. Precision Training Pop Up Training Goals Available in sizes: 80cm x 45cm (Small) 110cm x 80cm (Medium) 180cm x 110cm (Large) Ease of Use The Precision training goals are very simple to put up and fold away neatly after use. Their small size and light weight makes them a great choice to pop in the boot of the car or carry from game to game. Durability The goals will stand up to repeat use at a bargain price. These are ideal if you can trust your players to use them properly and not be overly rough with them. Again, probably better for younger players. Value for Money These goals are cheaper than the other two listed. This is great news if you are working with a very limited budget. The fact that they come in several sizes means that you can invest in some of each without breaking the bank. Top Tips Buy a set in each size if you often work with different age groups. Make sure the goals are secured with pegs or weight before you start playing. And, like the others, if you’re using them indoors you might want a set of sandbags too PSC Overall Opinion As you can see, fold away pop-up football goals are a great investment for any football coach who wants a simple solution to the problems of transporting equipment to each match they attend. A portable goal will make your life as a coach easier and more enjoyable, allowing you to leave behind equipment worries and focus more on what you’re good at! In all of the portable pop-up goals I’ve gone through today the PUGG pop-up goals offer the best value for money and if you’re looking for a set of goals to last you a good while then they would probably be your best option. If however, you need a set of goals for younger players and you need to be a little tighter on budget then one of other two; The Mitre and Precision Training pop-up goals are probably a better option. What Matters Most Whichever goal you do end up going with, make sure that the goals not only suits your needs a football coach, but also supports your players development. Having goals too big for example can have huge negative effects psychologically on a player. Don’t be that coach. Choose a goal that supplements your coaching, from your own stress levels right down to where it matters most– your player’s development.