Solidafix updates goal lifter

ARTICLE

GARDEN AND PARK TECHNOLOGY

Johan Koning, Wednesday 8 January 2025

147 sec

'Trainer or player can do it themselves'

The idea is as simple as it is ingenious. Uplifting, we might even say. A few years ago, SolidaFix introduced the goal lifter. And now, there's the second generation of this device, which does exactly what its name suggests: lifting goals.

Dirk van Wanrooij explains that his company responded to a well-known issue in the sports world with the introduction of the goal lifter. Or actually, multiple issues with a single root cause. "Normally, a goal is far too heavy for one person to lift," he explains the first challenge many (amateur) clubs face: they need multiple volunteers to move a goal. "And you certainly can't expect youth teams to lug such a heavy goal around."

no more damage to field or goal

Even when multiple strong people are finally gathered, problems can still occur. "Often the goal turns out to be too heavy to lift and ends up being dragged. That sometimes happens out of convenience, resulting in damage to the turf. The goal itself can also suffer damage if it's frequently moved manually. The welds, for example, can become porous, with all the consequences that entails."

"We can provide custom solutions for every movable goal."

SolidaFix presented the solution to that problem back in 2022, with the first version of the goal lifter: a clever system that allows a goal to be moved easily by just one person from one place on the field to another. "A trainer can do it themselves, or a player, without effort."

One side of the goal is fitted with a system that allows two wheels to be mounted. The other side has a dolly with a single wheel. This allows the person moving the goal to easily roll it across the field to its new location. "Ideal for football clubs, but of course also for other sports associations," Van Wanrooij adds with satisfaction. "We can provide custom solutions for every movable goal."

Peter Schiks (Beuningse Boys): 'I no longer get complaints'

"We've been using the goal lifter for over a year now, especially for the large goals," says Peter Schiks. He is responsible for the field crew and operations at Beuningse Boys, a large club. "We have about 1,100 members; on a Saturday, we can have thirty matches in total. That includes matches for the little ones, who play on half-size fields."
The club has five fields, three of which are artificial turf. "We constantly need different goals, so it's great that we can use the goal lifter. We use it for the four adult-sized goals we have."
It's not just on match days that the goals get moved frequently. "On the two natural grass fields, we use mowing robots. A few times, they've gotten caught in the nets. Now we can quickly move the goals so the robots can continue working."
In Beuningen, they decided to mount the wheels on just one side. "Our volunteers can easily move the goals with two people. There's also a lift available for the lifting part on the other side. But we anticipated the issue of people leaving it lying around. Since it's still an investment, we decided against it. But everyone's satisfied this way; I haven't had any more complaints from the volunteers."

Wim Brandts (SV Angeren): 'It's a real relief for the back'

At SV Angeren, the goal lifter is used for a total of six goals. "We've installed it on the large and medium-sized goals. It's ideal for our volunteers: they can now move a goal on their own."
Brandts is responsible for sponsorship at this village club with about 450 members. Since retiring, he's also active as a volunteer, focusing on field maintenance. At first, he was a bit skeptical when he saw footage of the goal lifter. "I initially thought it was just a sales pitch. But I couldn't shake it off. I saw our people struggling with the goals; especially dragging them over artificial turf is not ideal. So I brought up the idea in a board meeting, and we decided to go ahead with the purchase."
"It relieves our volunteers, but also the team leaders. It's certainly a big purchase, but in the end, it pays off. It really helps protect people's backs. And it's easy, right? We recently replaced a few goals; you just unscrew the wheels from the old ones and attach them to the new ones."

This article was previously published on January 8, 2025, on the Fieldmanager website.

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