The corners
Corner A is where you start. The near side runs from A to B (the field's length, L); the field's width is W. The other two corners are C (opposite A) and D (across from A). A rectangle is square when both diagonals are equal, and each diagonal of an L by W rectangle is √(L² + W²). For a 110 by 70 yard field that is 130.38 yards, or 391 ft 2 in. That is the number you swing from A to find C.
For a quick check of a single corner, the 3-4-5 rule works at any scale: 30 ft along one side, 40 ft along the other, and the two marks are exactly 50 ft apart when the corner is square.
Every other point
Each mark has a position: how far along the near side from A, and how far in from it. The sheet gives two ways to find it.
- Along and in. Walk the "along" distance on the near side, then square in by the "in" distance.
- Two tapes. Hold one tape on each corner at that point's end of the field (A and D for end 1, B and C for end 2). Where the two readings cross is the point. Each reading is the straight-line distance √(along² + in²) from that corner.
Arcs are drawn with a string: tie it at the arc's centre point and hold it at the radius. A penalty arc is the part of a circle around the penalty mark that lies outside the penalty area; its ends sit where that circle meets the area's front line.
Line and paint
Line length is the sum of every straight line plus the length of every arc (radius × angle). Spots and cones are not lines and are not counted. The can count is line length × coats ÷ the coverage you type from your can's label, rounded up. We never assume a coverage figure: cans, nozzles and line widths differ.
Park plans
Every field is grown by half the gap on each side, and the open area is shrunk by the margin less half the gap. Packing the grown fields without overlap then guarantees at least the gap between any two fields and at least the margin to the edge. The packer tries four orders (as typed, largest area first, longest side first, largest perimeter first) and two placement rules, and keeps the plan that places the most fields, then the most field area, then the tightest corner. It is a good plan, not a proof that no better one exists.
Sources for the standard sizes
- Soccer: The International Football Association Board (IFAB), Laws of the Game, Law 1 (The Field of Play). Goal 7.32 m (8 yd) between the posts; goal area 5.5 m (6 yd); penalty area 16.5 m (18 yd); penalty mark 11 m (12 yd); centre circle and penalty arc radius 9.15 m (10 yd); corner arc radius 1 m (1 yd). Length 90-120 m (100-130 yd) and width 45-90 m (50-100 yd) for 11 v 11.
- Ultimate: USA Ultimate, Official Rules of Ultimate, 11th edition (2017, since replaced): section III and Appendix 1. USA Ultimate now publishes the Official Rules of Ultimate 2026-2027, where the field is Section 4 (cones 4.H, team and equipment lines 4.I) and the field diagram is Appendix A; check the sizes against that diagram before a season. Playing field proper 64 m (70 yd), width 37 m (40 yd), end zones 18 m (20 yd), brick mark 18 m (20 yd) from the goal line, midfield 32 m (35 yd); cones at the corners of the playing field proper and end zones; lines recommended 3 m and 5 m outside the perimeter.
Leagues set their own sizes for youth and small-sided play. Every number on the form can be changed: when your league's rules differ, theirs win.