Garden Fences that can withstand playing football in the garden

Garden Fences that can withstand children playing football in the garden


When children play football in the garden, it can lead to a range of issues. If it’s not causing neighbourly disputes about balls flying over the fence, you might find that the garden is being damaged by stray footballs hitting and destroying objects like windows, plants, and fences. 


Regarding the fencing, it’s unlikely that a professional metal football rebound fence will be installed in a garden. Instead, standard garden fence panels will need to endure the impact. When selecting the best wooden fence panels for a garden where children will be playing football, consider the following key factors: durability, strength, safety, and maintenance. 


In this blog, we will discuss some tips on the types, styles, and specifications of fences to consider, if you are thinking of buying a new fence that footballs are bound to accidentally hit. 


Football in front of a garden gate



Fence Panel Height

The best height for a garden fence where children play football depends on several factors, including the size of the garden, the age of the children, and how often the ball is likely to be kicked over the fence. Generally, a fence height of 6 feet (1.8 metres) is considered ideal for containing footballs while also providing safety and privacy. However, anything up to 2 metres is usually acceptable. Note that any fence over 2 metres will require planning permission. If a 2 metres high fence sounds too high and daunting, consider combining fence panels with a strong topper panel with a semi-solid construction. This can help maintain an effective barrier without making the fence seem too imposing.

Fence Posts

First of all, regardless of the type of fence post, if a ball constantly hits a fence, the posts need to be well installed and concreted into the ground. This is essential for any fence, but it’s worth highlighting here. Secondly, using wooden posts where the panels can be screwed into the posts will not only strengthen the overall structure of the fence against the impact of footballs but will also reduce the loud crashing noise. This is because the panels will be securely fixed and won’t rattle or move around in the slotted posts. If you’re unsure about the noise we’re referring to, check out this video for a demonstration.

Styles of Fence Panel That a Football Will Not Destroy

We will list some of the best fence panel styles and how they should be installed. When considering a fencing purchase, look for long guarantees as the last thing you want is the pales to be starting to rot in a few years, becoming weak and footballs going straight through them. Note, you will not find any manufacturer that will guarantee wooden garden fence panels against damage caused by footballs hitting them, but do look at the details as some will give a 5-year guarantee but state that they should be treated every year. Look for a fence that has something like a 25-year guarantee and requires no additional treating or staining.

Timber Acoustic Fencing with Tongue and Groove Joins

Timber acoustic fencing is built to reduce noise. This means the boards are thicker and there will be no gaps. In conclusion, the fence is stronger than other styles of fence and if you are serious about a fence that will withstand a ball hitting it then acoustic fencing is the best choice. In addition, because the fence has no movement, it will also reduce the noise when a football its it.

Featherboard (Featheredge/Closeboard) Fence Panels

Featherboard is a popular and robust type of garden fence known for its strength and durability. It consists of overlapping vertical wooden boards (featheredge boards) fixed to horizontal wooden rails, which are in turn supported by sturdy fence posts. This construction method creates a solid and continuous fence that offers privacy, security, and resilience against wind and impacts. Featherboard (Featheredge/Closeboard) is a strong fence compared to the likes of lap panels but is an entry level product for some of the higher end fence panels manufacturers. Important points to note with Featherboard (Featheredge/Closeboard) that will have footballs hitting the fence: Direction the fence panels are installed. Make sure that the fence is installed with the rails on the other side of the fence to where the footballs will be hitting it from. If the rails are on your side of the fence, the balls hitting the pales/fence? will slowly force the pales away from the rails. The more rails the better. Some manufacturers only use two rails on their panels and this increases the risk that the boards will split, crack or snap. Thicker pales. It is worth comparing the thickness of the pales. Manufacturers that don’t mention pale size often use thinner and cheaper pales.



Featheredge Pales forced off rails by a football
Example of Featheredge pales forced off rails after being hit by a football


Shadowline Fence Panels

Shadowline fence panels are a type of fencing system characterised by their sleek, modern appearance and the way they create shadows and lines but in addition they have thick and strong 26mm boards. Like Featherboard panels, it is important to make sure the rails are on the opposite side to where the footballs will hit the fence to reduce any chance the pales will be forced away from the rails over time. 


Fence Panels to avoid. 

Cheaper types of panels that have thin boards and lap panels should be avoided; s a few kicks of a football at the fence will often break straight through the pales, destroying the fence. 

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