DIY: Soccer Goal/Kicking Practice Wall

When my boys started playing soccer almost two years ago, a friend of mine suggested the boys use a soccer wall to practice their kicks against. Her husband had constructed a hefty kicking wall in their own back yard, and I was impressed.
Sinking posts in cement and screwing a well-built wall to the posts would have been ideal. But to be honest, I didn't have the money for the supplies, and wasn't sure how much the boys would use it.
So, I simply used what we had on hand to try out the idea.  You can see the finished project below.
Here was my plan:

• First, find a good spot that can take stray balls sailing through.
• Use a string line to make sure the three posts will be aligned enough to attach the wall.
• Drive three or four large metal fence posts into the ground, spaced around 4 feet apart, along the line.  (We had fence posts on hand from an old cattle fence we took down.)
• Attach an eight foot by six foot section of privacy fence using large wire ties at top and bottom of each post. A wall with thicker slats would probably take more aggressive play.  But, I simply used a section we had taken down from another place in the yard.
• For a finishing touch, we used a few upright logs from the woodpile to help return wide kicks.

2011 Update:  What do we think after almost two years?
It has held up remarkably well, and has turned out to be the most-used feature in our yard!  Our whole family enjoys playing there. 
Soccer goals can be expensive, and frankly, this DIY Soccer Goal is working great!  The kids can still practice their kicking accuracy.  Plus, they can work on their reaction skills, even if they are practicing alone.   I like that.
Sometimes, it even gets used as a backstop for their base ball games!
I think it was a project well worth my time and effort!

May 10, 2012 Update:  We loved the wall so much, we just replaced it with a beefed-up more permanent version.  You can check out what we did here!

Since time is short (because of soccer, of course!), I’m letting this favorite (and updated) family project do double duty. I’m linking it up to Kimba’s DIY projects as well as Works For Me Wednesday.  (That is, if I remember to come back and link it up!  Lol!) 
Have fun with all the tips and projects!