Field goals and extra points in football must pass through the goal posts in order to be successful. Those goal posts change depending on the level of the football being played. Professional football, college football and high school football all have differences regarding the size and makeup of their goal posts.
NFL or Professional Goal Posts
The National Football League is the largest professional football league in the United States and its goal posts are governed by the most regulations. According to the NFL rules, goal posts must be 18 feet, 6 inches wide. The crossbar, the bottom horizontal post, must be 10 feet off the ground. The uprights that extend from each side of the crossbar must extend at least 30 feet above the crossbar.
College Width and Height
The NCAA is the governing body for college sports in the United States. The NCAA uses the same rules as the NFL regarding crossbar height. However, the uprights from each side of the crossbar are required to extend up at least 20 feet above the crossbar according to NCAA rules. The NCAA goal post width is also 18 feet, 6 inches, which is the distance between the uprights.
High School Rules
High school football rules are established by the National Federation of State High School Associations. High school goal posts must be 23 feet, 4 inches in wide. High school goal post crossbars also must be 10 feet off the ground, but according to NFHS rules, uprights on high school fields are only required to extend 10 feet higher than the crossbar for a total of 20 feet off the ground.
Other Regulations
NFL rules state that goal posts must be single-standard, off set from the end zone back line and painted bright gold. Single-standard goal means that the goal posts must have only one pole or base going into the ground. The NCAA requires its goal posts to have padding on the pole or base that extends at to at least 6 feet in height. Neither the NCAA or NFHS restrict the color of goalposts and neither amateur organization requires single-standard posts.
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