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Understanding the Rules of the Game of Soccer: |
Soccer is generally played outdoors on a grass field, however indoor soccer and beach soccer are rapidly becoming popular as well. Each team has a net at their end of the field. The object of the game is to kick a soccer ball into the net. The number of players depends on the age group, older groups have 11 players, and only the goalie on each team can use his/her hands to handle the ball. The other players mostly use their feet, but can use all parts of their body except their hands and arms to pass the ball to teammates and set up scoring attempts. The team that scores more goals than the other team wins. |
| The Start and Restart of Play: |
There are 8 reasons for which the game can be stopped and similarly, 8 ways to restart it:
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| Advantage: |
A decision by the referee to allow play to continue, despite witnessing an act of foul play, when doing so would benefit the fouled team. |
| Corner kick: |
A corner kick is awarded to the opposing team when the ball goes out of bounds behind the end line and was last touched by the defending team. The ball is placed in the corner arc nearest to where the ball went out. Keep in mind also that as soon as the ball is touched it will be considered as being in play.
The same rules as a direct free kick apply, in that the opposing players need to be at least 10 yards (9.15 meters) away from the corner arcs.
The corner kicker may score directly from the corner kick, however, the kicker cannot touch the ball a second time until another player from either team has touched it. |
| Cross: |
When the ball is kicked from the right or left side of the field to the other side of the field or toward the area in front of the goal. In effect, "switching the field" of play. While a cross can be made to a specific person, often it is kicking of the ball to space to a less congested area. It is a good tactic, especially in front of the goal, to open up scoring opportunities. The expectation is that one or more teammates will be there to take it further down the field or to put it in the net. |
| Drop ball: |
A method of restarting a game after the referee stops the game for no penalty situation (an injured player, ball becoming defective or the interference of an external factor). The referee drops the ball from shoulder height between 2 players facing each other who then battle for possession. The ball is dropped where it was last in play or at the nearest point outside the penalty area. |
| Duration of the Match: |
Ordinarily a match lasts 90 minutes, two halves - 45 minutes each, separated by a 15 minutes break. This is not the actual time of play, since this 90 minute clock ticks even when the ball is out of play, during substitutions, injuries and so forth. In order to try to balance this timing a bit, the end of each half also brings a few minutes of "stoppage time".
In some cases, when the match must have a winner, two extra mini-periods of 15 minutes each, with no break between them are added. If the match is tied at the end of extra time as well, the players go on for a penalty-shootout that will eventually decide the winner.
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| Field: |
Also known as the "Pitch" and can be as large as 120 yards long by 70 yards wide. Click to view the "Pitch" |
| Free kick: |
A kick that is awarded by the referee for a foul committed by the opposition. The kicks can be either direct or indirect. |
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- Indirect free kick: a free kick that is awarded at the spot of the infraction for lesser fouls that are judged not to be serious such as obstruction, dangerous play (high kicking, playing while lying on the ground, or playing the ball while it is in the possession of the goalkeeper) or charging (non-contact fouls), as well as for offside. An indirect kick needs to touch another player (either team) before the ball goes into the net in order to score.
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- Direct free kick: a free kick that is awarded at the spot of the infraction for a physical contact foul such as tripping, holding, pushing, tackles from behind, jumping into an opponent, or for hand balls. The direct kick means a ball can be kicked directly into the goal for a score. It does not have to be touched by anyone other than the kicker.
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| Foul: |
An illegal action intended to sway advantage to one’s team. In FIFA’s "Constitution", Laws of the Game, a foul is the act of kicking, tripping, jumping in/at, charging, striking or pushing an opponent.
Fouls in soccer are penalized by handing over the ball to the team that suffered the foul. If the foul has been committed outside a penalty area, depending on the nature of the foul a direct or indirect free kick is given, with the kick being taken from the spot where the foul occurred. In the offense occurs within the defending team’s penalty box, in which case the foul results in a penalty kick (PK), allowing a player to take a shot with just the opposing goalkeeper to beat and no defenders around him.
There’s a difference between fouls and misconduct that many people fail to understand. A foul can occur when a player tries to get the ball from his opponent and kicks him or pushes him away accidentally, whereas misconduct is an act deemed by the referee to be unsporting, reckless, violent, or flagrantly in violation of the laws and spirit of the game (for instance, a player willfully targets his opponent and punches, kicks or pushes him away).
Fouls can only occur when the ball is in play, but misconduct can occur when it’s out of play as well. Depending on the seriousness of the foul or misconduct, the referee (at their discretion) can penalize it with a yellow or red card in addition to a free kick or penalty kick. |
| Goal: |
The goal measures 8 yards wide and 8 feet tall. A goal counts when the ball has completely crossed, with its entire circumference, the goal line. Goals can be scored from action, from penalty spots and direct free kicks. |
| Goal kick: |
The goal kick is a means of restarting play when the ball crosses the end line (goal line) and was last touched by the attacking team. The defending team can set the ball up anywhere within their goal box and kick it out. The official soccer rules state that you have 6 seconds from placing the ball onto the ground to sending it out to the field. If you delay and take longer than the six seconds, the referee can give you a yellow card and/or award the other team an indirect free kick.
The ball must exit the penalty box before it can be touched by either team.
And, if a player is able to kick the ball hard enough to reach the opposing team’s goal and goes in, the goal would count. |
| Kick-off: |
The method of starting a game or restarting it after a team scores a goal. The ball must be passed in a forward direction from the middle of the center circle. Defenders must be as least 10 yards away from the ball prior to start or restart. |
| Obstruction: |
A foul in which a defensive player, instead of going after the ball, illegally uses their body to block and prevent an offensive player from playing the ball. |
| Off-side: |
When the player with the ball on the attacking team passes the ball to a teammate closer to the goal line than the opposing team. In other words, there is no defending player between the guy who receives the pass and the goalie. If the teammate is level or slightly behind the defending player, it is not off-side.
It is the moment that the ball is passed in their direction that triggers an off-side call not when the ball is received. (For instance, at the moment the ball was passed the player may have been on-side (behind the last defender line), and due to his speed, by the time the ball was received there is no defending player between him and the goalie and thus would not be considered off-side).
Players cannot be called off-side if they are in their own half of the field or if they receive the ball from a throw-in, corner kick, or goal kick. When a player is called off-side, the opposing team is awarded an indirect free kick. |
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| Penalty box: |
Measures 18 yards from the goal line and 44 yards wide. While in the penalty box, the goalie may touch the ball with his hands. The goalie has six seconds after he has picked up the ball to either throw or kick it out of the penalty box. In matches where one team desperately needs a goal, the penalty area can play host to some of soccer’s more theatrical performances as players look for a penalty kick. Favorites include "being shot by a sniper" and "Olympic freestyle diver". |
| Penalty kick (PK): |
When a defender or a goalie fouls an opponent in their own penalty box. The referee then awards a penalty kick, which is taken from the penalty spot (12 yards from the goal line) in the penalty box. Anyone on the team fouled can take the penalty kick.
The only two players in the penalty box are the penalty taker and the defending team’s goalkeeper (one-on-one against the goalie). Everyone else must sit outside the box and can only move towards the ball once it is kicked. If the shot rebounds off the goalkeeper or the ball strikes the bar and rebounds (in other words - a loose ball), either team’s player can run from the edge of the box and gain possession.
PK’s are also used as a tiebreaker to decide the winner of a some matches -- with some variances in the rules… see penalty shootout. |
| Red card: |
One of two cards that can be pulled by the referee on a player for fouls ranging from unsporting behavior, to trash-talking the ref, delaying the restart of play, etc. A direct or indirect kick is always awarded. The red card is given when a foul has been particularly brutal, or the player spits, hits, curses, etc. at another player or the referee.
The player carded is immediately sent off the field and, cannot be replaced by a substitute, meaning that his or her team must finish the match with one player fewer. |
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| Referees: |
The men/women in black, or now more often than not in green, yellow or red, who have final say on player conduct during the game. Their role is to enforce the official rules of soccer.
The center referee is accompanied and helped by two assistant referees, who patrol the sidelines (one on each side of the pitch) and call the offside, which team gets a corner kick or throw-in, and notify the head referee of substitutions.
Actually, the assistant referee has no decision power, he can only signal a game issue (an offside, a foul, handball and so forth) but it’s up to the central ref if he’s or she is going to take up the assistant’s advice. |
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| Regulation time: |
Each half lasts 45 minutes. The clock ticks without stopping throughout the entire half. At the end, stoppage time is often awarded if the referee has taken note of stoppages in play due to injury or incident. |
| Stoppage time: |
Playing time added to the end of each half to compensate for playing time lost due to penalties, injuries, substitutions, etc. Typically around 3 minutes. Also called "Added time" or "Injury time". |
| Substitutions: |
Replacement of one player on the field with another player not on the field. Player substitutions can only occur when the ball is out of play according to the rules for the game of soccer.
In a professional game, a list of possible substitutes must be handed to the referee before the game. One team can only make a total of three substitutes plus the goalkeeper in each game, including during overtime play. In youth soccer, a coach can fit in as many players as he/she wants on the bench and usually can also make as many substitutions as needed. |
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| Technical Area: |
The technical area extends 1 meter (1 yard) on either side of the designated seated area and extends forward up to a distance of 1 meter from the touch line.
This is the area in which the coach is allowed to pace nervously, and issue instructions to players. If the coach/manager strays from the area, he can be cautioned and, in extreme situations, "sent off" to watch the rest of the match from the stands. |
| Throw-in: |
A throw-in is awarded when the ball goes out of play on the side lines. The team that did not touch the ball last gets to take the throw-in.
The throwing method has to follow some rather strict rules, if done inproperly the throw-in is turned over to the other team. The player throwing the ball must do so with both hands, and the actual throw must be executed with the ball passing over the head, and with both feet firmly on or inside the sideline.
A goal may not be scored on a throw-in, unless it touches another player first. |
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| Yellow card: |
One of two cards that can be pulled by the referee on a player for fouls ranging from unsporting behavior, to trash-talking the ref, delaying the restart of play, etc. A direct or indirect kick is always awarded.
Two yellow cards in one game equal a red card and the player is immediately sent off the field and also, is out for the next game as well. |
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We’re not just another Soccer Camp…
We’re B.E.S.T. ~ "For all your Soccer needs!" |
Contact B.E.S.T. today to discuss the development of your soccer club, team or players.
usabestsoccer@gmail.com
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