Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by UDC Sports
When planning to build a soccer field, the first question that usually comes up is how much land is needed. While it may seem like a straightforward answer, the size of a soccer field can vary significantly depending on its intended use, the level of competition, and compliance with official standards. A full-sized regulation soccer field typically fits within a specific acreage range, but slight adjustments are common in real-world projects.
Regulation Field Dimensions
According to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), a regulation soccer field used for international matches must be between 110 and 120 yards long and 70 to 80 yards wide. The most common configuration used is 115 yards by 75 yards.
This translates to:
- Field area: 115 yards × 75 yards = 8,625 square yards
- Square feet: 8,625 × 9 = 77,625 square feet
- Acres: 77,625 ÷ 43,560 = approximately 1.78 acres
If you add in space for sidelines, team benches, technical areas, fencing, and optional buffer zones, the total land requirement increases. Planning for at least 2 to 2.25 acres ensures proper spacing and compliance with safety and functional standards. (For context, an American football field, including end zones, covers roughly 1.32 acres. A soccer field takes up noticeably more room despite the two often being casually referred to by the same term.)
High School and Recreational Fields
Non-professional or high school fields often have more flexibility. While still guided by standards such as those from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), these fields might be slightly smaller or scaled to fit pre-existing lots. A typical high school field may measure closer to 110 × 65 yards.
This would require:
- Field area: 110 × 65 = 7,150 square yards
- Square feet: 64,350
- Acres: about 1.48 acres
Again, with clearance around the field, the practical footprint still reaches around 1.75 to 2 acres.
Small-Sided and Youth Fields
Smaller fields for youth soccer (such as U-6, U-8, or U-10 leagues) are much more compact. A U-10 field might be 70 yards long by 45 yards wide:
- Field area: 3,150 square yards
- Square feet: 28,350
- Acres: about 0.65 acres
In these cases, even with space for sidelines and goals, the total requirement often stays under 1 acre. This makes it possible to place multiple youth fields side by side on the same property.
Artificial Turf and Multi-Field Complexes
When developing sports complexes with multiple soccer fields, efficiency of layout becomes a major factor. Synthetic turf fields may need less clearance between playing areas since they are flat and designed for heavy use. Drainage and maintenance facilities also occupy less space. Still, developers typically allocate:
- 2 to 2.5 acres per full-sized turf field, including runoff, walkways, and seating
- Up to 3 acres per field if permanent structures, scoreboards, or stands are added
Zoning, Setbacks, and Land Viability
Acreage alone doesn’t determine whether a piece of land can support a soccer field. Most properties are subject to setback requirements that limit how close you can build to roads, fences, neighboring lots, or existing structures. These rules vary by municipality, but they consistently reduce the total footprint available for actual development. On a two-acre lot, a 25-foot setback on all sides could eliminate more than a quarter of the usable space before anything is built.
In addition to setbacks, many parcels are affected by environmental restrictions. Wetlands, protected tree zones, floodplains, or natural drainage features may be present on otherwise flat, open land. Even if these areas aren’t completely off-limits, they usually require special permits, engineered buffers, or mitigation plans that either consume space or shift the buildable footprint. For fields with lighting or irrigation, underground infrastructure and utility easements can further limit usable space or dictate field placement.
Drainage and stormwater rules can also take up land. Some counties require new sports fields to include runoff containment areas, retention ponds, or engineered swales, especially if the field is paved beneath synthetic turf. These systems don’t appear on field layout drawings but can occupy substantial acreage off to the side or at lower elevations on the property.
Even when the total acreage seems sufficient, site limitations like these often reduce the actual buildable area to the point where the project no longer fits without adjustment.
Additional Land Considerations
Several other factors influence how much land you’ll need:
- Spectator seating: Bleachers, walkways, and ADA access increase square footage needs
- Parking: Many zoning laws require a minimum number of parking spaces per spectator or participant
- Restrooms and amenities: Permanent facilities may need their own footprint or even septic systems in rural areas
- Land grading and drainage: Uneven terrain can limit usable field space unless regraded
- Buffer zones and fencing: Safety margins around fields are strongly recommended for organized play
Getting the Field Built Right
A single full-size soccer field typically requires around 1.75 to 2.25 acres depending on level of play, surface type, and supporting infrastructure. Smaller fields can often be built on less, while multi-field layouts or sites with parking, lighting, and seating may need more. The field itself is only part of the equation. Setbacks, drainage, grading, and local land use rules all influence how much land is truly usable and how the layout should be designed.
At UDC Sports Construction, we build fields that match real-world conditions. We work with clients to plan around site limitations, design functional layouts, and deliver durable, high-performance playing surfaces. If you’re ready to start a soccer field project, reach out to UDC Sports Construction and let us help you build it right.
