Football Overview
Football, also called Soccer, is a team sport where two teams play against each other and try to score points by kicking a ball into a goal. In this guide we will try to explain the basic Soccer rules in an easy to understand way.
No one knows exactly where Football originated, with versions of the game having been played in Ancient China, Ancient Greece and even by Native Americans.
Football is the world’s most popular sport with around 3.5 billion fans, more than a quarter of Earth’s population. FIFA is the world governing body of the sport, and hosts the biggest Football event, the FIFA World Cup.
Aim of the Game
The aim of the game of Football is to score goals by kicking a football into your opponent’s goal, while trying to defend the opposite team from doing the same.
Playing Field
Football pitches can vary in size. In the UK a standard football pitch is 110 by 70 yards. However, Football is game that can really be played on any kind of field or surface with two goals. You can even use bags or jackets to create makeshift goals, making Football a very accessible sport.
Players and Equipment
Each team has 11 players on a field at any time. The number of substitutions you can make depends on what league or competition you’re playing. This Includes 10 outfielders and a goalkeeper. These 11 players can be set up in different formations depending on how you strategically want to play the game. The 11 players consist of one goalie and ten outfield players.
For example, you could have the formation 5-4-1 with 5 defenders, 4 midfielders and 1 forward, if you wanted to play defensively heavy. Or you could play 3-2-5 with 3 defenders, 1 midfielder and 1 forward if you wanted to play more offensively.
Scoring
According to the Soccer rules to score a goal you need to shoot the football into the opposing team’s goal. You can use any body part except for your hands and arms. To be counted as a goal, the entire football needs to cross the whole of the goal line. Modern games use VAR (video assistant referee) to accurately see if the whole ball has crossed the goal line.
How To Win
The winner in Soccer is the team with the most goals at the end of the game. If there is a draw, overtime is played. If there is still a draw, the game goes to penalties.
Football/Soccer Rules
- A game played with two teams of 11 players taking the field at any one time.
- In Football you’re allowed to touch the ball with every part of your body except your arms and hands.
- The main way to move the ball is to kick the ball to a teammate. This is known as a pass. You can also run with the ball whilst controlling it with your feet, this is known as dribbling.
- When the ball is in the air players can head or chest the ball as well.
- Teams will usually orchestrate passes and dribbles so that the ball travels up the field so that they can score.
- The defending team will try and stop you by tackling and can intercept passes, block shots or try and kick the ball away from you. Also, they can move the ball in the other direction so that they can score themselves.
- A defender must be careful here as if the referee decides that they made contact with the player without touching the ball or made contact without trying to win the ball he can award a foul against them.
- Fouls usually lead to free kicks but can also lead to a yellow card, which is a warning, or a red card where you are sent off the pitch. Fouls in the penalty area can lead to penalties.
- Two yellow cards equal one red card.
- The game is played in two halves of 45 minutes for a total playing time of 90 minutes. There’s a 15 minute break at half time.
- Unlike most other sports, in Football when there is a stoppage in play the clock does not stop. Instead, a referee will add the amount of time all the stoppages last for. They will play this as added time at the end of each half.
- The team with the highest score at the end of 90 minutes plus added time wins.
- Football is a really simple game and that’s basically it but there’s a few more Soccer rules that you’ll need to understand before playing or watching a game.
- substitution : A team can change up to three players during a match. To do this they must inform the official of who they want to take off and who they want to put on. Only in a stoppage of play can a substitution be made. A team cannot change a player if he’s already been sent off.
- handball : If you happen to touch the ball with an arm, forearm, elbow or hand and the referee calls a handball against you then a freekick or yellow card is issued. If you commit a handball in your own penalty box the other team will be awarded a penalty kick.
- penalty kick : If a defender handles the ball in the penalty box or brings down an attacker with a scoring chance in the box, the referee will award a penalty kick to the other team. The ball will be placed on the penalty spot and any attacking player can try and score with one kick against the goalie.
- If the penalty shot is scored it counts as a goal. If a shot is missed and it goes out of play, then it’s a goal kick. If a shot is blocked the ball is in play and anybody can touch it.
- If the ball leaves the field of play, the ball is awarded to the team who did not touch it last. If the ball leaves the sides of the field a throw-in is awarded to the other team. If you touched it last and it goes out behind your opponent’s goal line, a goal kick is awarded to the other team.
- If you touched the ball last and it goes out behind your own goal line, a corner kick is awarded to the other team.
- In the event of a foul a referee can award a free kick to the team who was fouled.
- offside rule : To put it in simple terms, imagine a line that extends from your opponent’s last defender, You cannot be past that imaginary line when a pass is being played towards you. if you are past the last defender before the ball is passed to you this is offside and will result in the other team being awarded the ball. For you to be on side you must be in front of or parallel to the last defender when a pass is being played towards you.
- Goals scored when offside do not count.
- Visit here to watch the video explanation of the Soccer rules.
