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About Soccer

This is a basic over view of the game of soccer. For complete rules/laws of the game, please visit the FIFA site for the most up-to-date regulations.

Click here for a printable version of this page.

The Players

Goalkeeper- A defense position. Defend his/her team's goal and usually stays close to his goal.

Defender- A defense position. Sometimes called Fullback. Along with the Goalkeeper, they have the primary job of stopping the opponents from scoring.

Midfielder- A defense and/or offense position. Mostly plays around the center third of the soccer field. Provides a link between defenders and forwards and "carries" the ball up the field.

Forward- An offense position. Plays closest to the opponents goal, and is the primary scorer of the game


The Playing Field

Field- Officially should be between 100 and 130 yds long, and between 50 and 100 yds wide. The length always has to be longer than the width.

Goal- From 4 feet by 6 ft to 8 yards wide by 8 feet high; depending on age group.

Length of game- From 2- 20 minute halves to 2- 45 minutes halves; depending on age group.

Sideline- Also known as the touchline. One of the two longer lines that are the boundaries of the field of play. The lines themselves are included as part of the field of play.

Endline- Also known as the goal line. One of the two shorter lines that form the boundaries of the field of play. The lines themselves are included as part of the field of play.

Playing the Game

Kick-off

A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play:

 At the start of the match
 After a goal has been scored
 At the start of the second half of the match
 At the start of each period of extra time, where applicable

A goal may be scored directly from the kick-off.

Ball out of play

The ball is out of play when:

 It has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air
 play has been stopped by the referee

Scoring

A goal is scored when the whole soccer ball wholly crosses the goal line between the posts and under the cross bar, as long as no infringements of the laws have been committed. Outfield players must not use their hands or arms at all, whilst keepers can only use their hands inside their own penalty area. The team who gets the most goals in a match wins.

Throw-In

A throw-in is a method of restarting play which is awarded to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball when the whole of the ball crosses the sideline, either on the ground or in the air.

Some things to remember during a throw-in:

 Both feet must be on the ground when the ball is thrown and part of each foot either on the sideline or on the ground outside the sideline.
 The throwing player's body must face the way they are throwing.
 The throwing player must hold the ball with both hands
 The ball is deliverer from behind and over the head
 The ball is thrown-in from the point where it left the field of play
 All opponents must stand no less than 2 yds from the point at which the throw-in is taken.
 After delivering the ball, the thrower must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player.
 A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in.

The ball is in play when it enters the field of play.

Goal kick

A goal kick is a method of restarting play awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the end line, either on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the attacking team.

A goal may be scored directly from a goal kick, but only against the opposing
team.

Some things to remember during a goal kick:

 The ball is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team
 Opponents remain outside the penalty area until the ball is in play
 The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player
 The ball is in play when it is kicked directly out of the penalty area

Corner kick

A corner kick is a method of restarting play awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the end line, either on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the
defending team.

A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick, but only against the opposing
team.

Some things to remember during a corner kick:

 The ball must be placed inside the corner arc nearest to the point where
the ball crossed the end line
 The corner flagpost must not be moved
 Opponents must remain at least 10 yds from the corner arc until the ball is in play
 The ball must be kicked by a player of the attacking team
 The ball is in play when it is kicked and moves
 The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player

Tip- If you're defending the goal and can choose whether to kick the ball out over the sideline of the end line, always choose the sideline! That will award the other team a throw-in from the point the sideline was crossed. A corner kick is a much bigger advantage to the other team than a thrown-in.

Cards and Disciplinary Sanctions

The cards are shown to the players who have committed a foul. The color of the card depends on the severity of the foul.

A yellow card is shown by the referee to indicate that a player has been officially cautioned.

A red card is shown by the referee to indicate that a player has been officially sent-off or expelled from the game, and must leave the field immediately and won't be able to play the rest of the game.

The referee can give as many cards as needed, the amount of card given is related to the number of offenses (requiring a card) during the game.

During one game a player can receive:

 1 Red card the player, and the player is expelled from the game and no substitute player can come in. 
 1 Yellow card (the player has been officially cautioned)
 2 Yellows card, which is the maximum allow, and it's equivalent to 1 red card and the player has to leave the match (and that's why the referee, after the second yellow, also shows the red card). And like a direct red card, the player can't play the next game for the team and no substitute player can come in.

The referee has the authority to take disciplinary sanctions from the moment
he enters the field of play until he leaves the field of play after the final whistle.

Cautionable offenses

A player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he commits any of the
following seven offenses:

 Unsporting behavior
 Dissent by word or action
 Persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
 Delaying the restart of play
 Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in
 Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee's permission
 Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission

A substitute or substituted player is cautioned if he commits any of the following three offenses:

 Unsporting behavior
 Dissent by word or action
 Delaying the restart of play

Sending-off offenses

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent-off if he commits any of the
following seven offenses:

 Serious foul play
 Violent conduct
 Spitting at an opponent or any other person
 Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
 Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving
towards the player's goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a
penalty kick
 Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
 Receiving a second caution in the same match

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

Offside position

Offside is a complicated rule but a good one. Without the offside rule, teams would be able to have a player stand down near the other team's goal and just wait for the ball to come.

Here's a good video which explains the rule well.

http://www.wimp.com/offsideconfusion/

To understand better, first a player must be on their opponents' half of the field. Then they must have either (1) control of the ball or (2) two players from the other team (the goalie counts as one) between them and the goal. Also, the offside rule applies when the ball is kicked, not when the player receives the ball.

If they don't have one of the two above things, they are offside.

A player is not in an offside position if:

 They are in their own half of the field of play (so not involved in the play)
 They are level with the second-last opponent or are level with the last two opponents
 If it's a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick.
 The other team kicks the ball to you.

The penalty for offside is an indirect kick for the other team.

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball
touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee,
involved in active play by:

 Interfering with play or

 Interfering with an opponent or

 Gaining an advantage by being in that position

Free kicks

Free kicks are either direct or indirect.

The simple difference between the two is this: On a direct kick you can score by kicking the ball directly into the goal.

On an indirect kick you cannot score. An indirect kick must be touched by another player before it can go into the goal - that is the kicker and a second person.

You can tell whether the kick is direct or indirect by looking at the referee. For an indirect kick, the referee will hold one arm straight up in the air until the second person touches the ball. No arm up, it's a direct kick.

There are many soccer rules around what causes a direct or indirect kick.

In general, a direct kick comes from a contact foul or hand ball. Everything else is indirect.

Both direct and indirect free kicks are taken from the place where the offense occurred.

Penalty Kick

A penalty kick results from a contact foul or hand ball by the defending team within the penalty area - the large box on either end of the field. So it's a type of direct kick also.

The ball is placed on the penalty spot, 12 yards in front of the center of the goal.

All players must remain outside the penalty area and the penalty arc until the ball is kicked. The goalkeeper must have both feet on the goal line until the ball is kicked.

If after the ball is kicked, it rebounds off of the goal or the keeper and stays on the field, the ball is "live" and anyone can play it.


  Enjoy!