The images were taken via satellite and they show the rather oddly shaped football pitches that seem to be built wherever possible – the desire for playing the game has clearly surpassed and ignored the limitations of natural topography and FIFA’s laws of the game. According to the official rules, you would not be allowed to play football on any of these fields. However, the careers of many of the world’s best football players began on these very same fields despite their askew angles, odd proportions, misshapen border lines and pitch markings.
From Joachim Schmid’s book O Campo: Brazilian Football Fields. Via Anna.
That was quick.
Cue joke about England team training on one of these… 🙂
It’s best not to have the goals actually facing each other.
I was doing a casual glance through Google Earth and spotted several slightly weird football pitches here in the UK. Nothing as spectacular as the examples shown, but more small things like non circular centre circles and penalty areas that would have reached the sidelines if they were a yard wider.
But as I used to play football on the street, I can only say the important thing is to simply play where you can. FIFA and their regulations are nothing to do with having fun.
The actual rules seem very liberal with the size of the pitch, although it does specify “rectangular”.
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame%5f2010%5f11%5fe.pdf
Dimensions
The length of the touch line must be greater than the length of the goal line.
Length (touch line): minimum 90 m (100 yds), maximum 120 m (130 yds)
Width (goal line): minimum 45 m (50 yds), maximum 90 m (100 yds)
Does this mean you count have a nearly square 101×100 yd pitch ? If so it explains all those matches with jumpers for goalposts in the park where the ball strays way off to the side without ever being called as a throw in.