The FA have addressed the issue of young children jumping from a 7-a-side game played on a short pitch to playing 11-a-side football on a full size pitch with full size goals.
The introduction of the nine-a-side game will be rolled out for the under 11s and under 12s by season 2014/15. The 9v9 format will bridge the gap between mini soccer and youth football. This has traditionally been the period where the largest drop-out rates occur in football in the UK.
The new size goals for the 9-a-side game are to be 16ft wide by 7ft high. The Soccer Store have various options on these goals. The Samba portable goals are probably going to be the choice of most football clubs. These goals posts are portable, can be packed away in a carry bag and transported in a car for weekly matches.
They are a robust goal and can be set up in a relatively short time, preferably with 2 people. There are 2 variations, the multi-goal or the 16 x 7 match goal. The match goal complies to all of the relevant British Standards and is recommended for league use.
