ASTM F1938-98

Guide for Safer Use of Movable Soccer Goals

SCOPE
1.1 This guide presents directions for the installation, use, and storage of full-size or nearly full-size movable soccer goals. It is expected that these guidelines can help prevent deaths and serious injuries resulting from soccer goal tipover.
1.2 These guidelines are intended for use by parks and recreation personnel, school officials, sports equipment purchasers, parents, coaches, and any other members of the general public concerned with soccer goal safety.
1.3 These guidelines are intended to address the risk of movable soccer goal tipover.

General Information

• Status: Historical
• Publication Date: 09-Nov-1998
• ICS: 97.220.10 - Sports facilities
• Technical Committee: F15 - Consumer Products
• Drafting Committee: F15.43 - Soccer Goal Safety

Relations

• Replaced By: ASTM F1938-98(2004) - Guide for Safer Use of Movable Soccer Goals
• Effective Date: 01-Jan-2004

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
Designation: F 1938 – 98
Guide for
1
Safer Use of Movable Soccer Goals
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 1938; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
There are approximately 225 000 to 500 000 soccer goals in the United States. Many of these soccer
goals are unsafe because they are improperly designed, manufactured, or installed (unstable and are
either unanchored or not properly anchored or counter-balanced). These soccer goals pose an
unnecessary risk of tipover to children who climb on goals (or nets) or hang from the crossbar.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) knows of four deaths in 1990 alone and
at least 21 deaths during the past 16 years (1979–1994) associated with movable soccer goals. In
addition, an estimated 120 injuries involving falling goals were treated each year in U.S. hospital
emergency rooms during the period 1989 through 1993. Many of the serious incidents occurred when
the soccer goals tipped over onto the victim. Almost all of the goals involved in these tipovers
appeared to be “home-made” by high school shop classes, custodial members, or local welders, not
professionally manufactured. These “home-made” goals often are very heavy and unstable.
The majority of movable soccer goals are constructed of metal, typically weighing 150–500 lbs. The
serious injuries and deaths are a result of blunt force trauma to the head, neck, chest, and limbs of the
victims. In most cases injuries or death occurred when the goal tipped or was accidentally tipped onto
the victim. In one case, an 8-year-old child was fatally injured when the movable soccer goal he was
climbing tipped over and struck him on the head. In another case, a 20-year-old male died from a
massive head trauma when he pulled a goal down on himself while attempting to do chin-ups. In a
third case, while attempting to tighten a net to its goal post, the victim’s father lifted the back base of
the goal, causing it to tip over, striking his 3-year-old child on the head, causing a fatal injury.
High winds also can cause movable soccer goals to fall over. For example, a 9-year-old was fatally
injured when a goal was tipped over by a gust of wind. In another incident, a 19-year-old goalie
suffered stress fractures to both legs when the soccer goal was blown on top of her.
1. Scope 2. Design and Construction
1.1 This guide presents directions for the installation, use, 2.1 While a movable soccer goal appears to be a simple
and storage of full-size or nearly full-size movable soccer structure, a correctly-designed goal is constructed carefully
goals. It is expected that these guidelines can help prevent with counterbalancing measures incorporated into the product.
deaths and serious injuries resulting from soccer goal tipover. 2.2 The common dimensions of a full-size goal are approxi-
1.2 These guidelines are intended for use by parks and mately 24 ft (7.3 m) in width by 8 ft (2.4 m) in height, and
recreation personnel, school officials, sports equipment pur- depth equal to or exceeding the height of the goal (see Fig. 1).
chasers, parents, coaches, and any other members of the 2.3 The stability of a soccer goal depends on several factors.
general public concerned with soccer goal safety. 2.3.1 One effective design alternative uses a counterbalanc-
1.3 These guidelines are intended to address the risk of ing strategy by lengthening the overall depth of the goal to
movable soccer goal tipover. effectively place more mass further from the goal’s front posts
(more mass at the back of the goal).
2.3.2 A second design selects light materials for the goal’s
1
This provisional standard is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F-15 on
front posts and crossbar and provides much heavier materials
Consumer Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F15.43 on
for the rear ground bar and frame members. This design tends
Soccer Goal Safety.
to counterbalance the forces working to tip the goal forward.
Current edition approved Nov. 10, 1998. Published March 1999.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
F 1938
2.3.3 Another design uses a heavy rear framework and folds 3.4.6.3 One type (see Fig. 5) of semipermanent anchor
flat when not in use, making the goal much less li
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