Kick rugby season off properly in your backyard

Whether you are a rugby union or rugby league fan, you'll no doubt be excited for the beginning of footie season this summer.

While it might be excitement enough for some fans to catch a big game live or host a rugby party at home, there is another way to take your love of the game to the next level: Why not grow your own mini rugby pitch?

To create the perfect spot for a game of backyard rugby you will need a few things, such as a big lawn and goalposts.

Lawn

Do some garden DIY  to ensure your grass is looking thick, lush and perfect for those little - or big - feet to run around in without causing them pain or injury.

Make sure you are feeding your lawn with plenty of water to help it grow strong and fertilise carefully.

You may also want to cover in any holes where youngsters could trip. Simply add compost to these areas and plant more seedlings overtop or fill them in with dirt.

Goal post

It would be impossible to play a game of outdoor footie without the help of a goal post. Luckily it is easy to create your own from a bit of PVC piping, four  T-shaped slip-style connectors and two 90-degree slip-style elbow joints.

Measure the PVC pipes and cut to fit - the size you want depends on the size of your lawn and age of your children. You will need roughly four two-foot pieces, two six-foot pieces, two eight-foot and two ten-foot long pieces.

Rejoin a two-foot and an eight-foot piece using one of the T-shaped connectors and repeat, making sure the perpendicular connectors are facing up. These will act as the footing for the goal post, with the two-foot long sections extending in front of the upright.

Then place an elbow connector on the other end of the eight-foot pipe and connect the two sections with a ten foot PVC pope in the end of each elbow connector, providing support for the upright and completing the base of the goalpost.

Next, you will form the uprights. Insert two more four-foot pipes into the T-shaped connectors, so they are perpendicular to the ground, then connect the other two-shaped connectors to the tops of the four-foot ling pipes  and the six-foot ling popes to the other side of the connectors.

The last step is to insert the last 10-foot popes into the T-shaped connectors to make the bottom of the goal post.