Field goal posts makers aren't happy about extending posts, say 'It won't be easy'

All NFL goal posts will be five feet taller starting in 2014. (John W. McDonough/SI)

During the NFL meetings in Orlando, Fla., the league decided to add five feet to the field goal uprights next season in order to make the process of determining whether or not a field goal went through the posts easier than before, with kickers booting the ball higher than in past years.

While it sounds like it won't be a hassle, the people in charge of making the changes don't appear to be thrilled.

David Moxley, director of sports construction sales at goal post maker Sportsfield Specialties, told Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic that the process of changing the uprights from 30 feet to 35 feet will not be easy, and it also increases the chances of the posts blowing over in windy conditions.

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“It’s actually pretty significant,” Moxley said. “It isn’t as easy as putting 5-foot extensions on each side.”

Another man involved in the process, Neil Gilman, who is president of Gilman Gear, also said that extending the field goal posts would not be as simple as the NFL seems to imagine.

“I think the NFL thought, ‘Just weld on five more feet and everything will be cool,’” Gilman said. “That’s not the case.”

While adding the extra five feet to the field goal posts will make the referee's job easier, it won't be a simple process for the folks who will actually be putting in the work to make the changes decided on by the Competition Committee become a reality. And with the apparently heightened risk, it's a good thing the league banned dunking on the field goal posts.

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