The secret lives of Russian goalposts outside of football

In the run up to the World Cup tournament, Reuters photographers have travelled the country taking pictures of neglected football pitches

A cadet holds a model of a sword as he trains at the stadium of the General Yermolov Cadet School in Stavropol, Russia (Reuters)

Never mind Russia's state of the art World Cup stadiums, Reuters photographers have been capturing the eclectic settings of communities' spartan goalposts and pitches.

The sometimes ramshackle goalposts were photographed in Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, giving a glimpse of life away from the fervour of a tournament that will be watched by fans from around the world.

Young Russians do pull-ups from the crossbar and run around on pitches in the shadow of golden onion domes, old Soviet concrete walls and modern high-rises.

Locals also find alternative uses for the rusty, netless posts that have seen better days. One man ties his goat to the upright, children take a dog for a walk, and a man gallops past another on horseback.