Monday, July 20, 2009

soccer quiz: medium difficulty, from World Cup winners to goal size

How much do you know about soccer? Below is a list of trivia questions

associated with the sport.
1. How many yellow cards can a player receive before he is

ejected from the game?
a.) 1 b.) 2 c.) 3 d.) 4

2. A goalie can always use his/her hands.
a.) true b.) false

3. How many players does each team field in an adult league

playing a full squad game?
a.) 7 b.) 9 c.) 11 d.) 12

4. A goal can be scored directly from the kick-off.
a.) true b.) false

5. How many ‘laws’ of Association Football are there?
a.) 9 b.) 10 c.) 15 d.) 17

6. One other player must touch an indirect kick before it enters

the goal.
a.) true b.) false

7. In what year was the first World Cup of soccer played?
a.) 1920 b.) 1925 c.) 1930 d.) 1935

8. Who won the first World Cup?
a.) Brazil b.) Argentina c.) Germany d.) Uruguay

9. On the first rebound, a regulation soccer ball must bounce no

lower than 50 cm and no higher than 65 cm when dropped from what

height to be considered suitable for play?
a.) 1 meter b.) 1.5 meters c.) 2 meters d.) 3 meters

10. How wide is a regulation soccer goal?
a.) 2 meters b.) 3 meters c.) 4 meters d.) 5 meters


Answers
1. b – 2 yellow cards equals a red card
2. b – false; there are situations in which a goalie may not play

the ball with his/her hands
3. c – 11 players on a full squad
4. a – true; a goal can be scored directly from the kick-off
5. d – there are 17 laws
6. a – true; a goal scored directly from an indirect kick without

another player touching the ball first will not be allowed
7. c - 1930
8. d – Uruguay defeated Argentina in the finals, 4-2
9. c – 2 meters
10. b – 3 meters wide

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Basic soccer: teams, goals, nets, rules, penalties

Soccer is the most-watched, most-played game on Earth. Join the world-wide obsession with the game and get out there and play! The official “Laws of the Game” are maintained by FIFA and can be found on their website; however, the rule book is lengthy and sometimes difficult to understand. A few of the basic rules of the game are outlined below to get you started.

Regulation soccer is played with eleven players on the field for each team, including one goalie although you can play with as few as 7 players per side. For distinction, the goalie should wear a different colored jersey than the rest of the team. Other positions include a sweeper, fullbacks, midfielders, forwards and a stopper.

A regulation game is 90 minutes long played as two 45-minute halves. The field, or pitch, should be between 25 and 42 meters long and 15 to 25 meters wide, but the field must be rectangular. The goals are set along the middle of the opposite long ends of the fields on the goal lines. Goals are 2 meters high and 3 meters wide and should be netted appropriately. A goal net hangs 80 cm in from the goal line at the top and lies 1 meter back from the goal line at the ground.

A coin toss is used to decide which team kicks off first and what goal that team attacks. The winner of the toss gets to choose which goal it will attack and the other team takes the kick-off. In the second half, teams switch sides and the team that won the coin toss receives the kick-off.

Players may dribble (kick) the ball towards the opposing goal or pass the ball to their teammates. The idea is to get the ball completely across the opposing team’s goal line (score a goal). The ball can be played using a player’s feet, legs, chest and head but not the arms. Any intentional ball contact with a player’s hands or arms is considered a foul and results in a direct kick.

Penalties are handed out by the referee for a sundry of reasons, including handball infractions, dangerous play that has the potential to injure other players, or infractions of other rules of the game. A verbal warning is the lightest reprimand and the opposing team may be rewarded with possession of the ball and a free kick. For more severe infractions, the referee can hand out a yellow card (warning) or a red card (ejection). Two yellow cards collected in one game is the equivalent of a red card and the player will be ejected. Teams cannot substitute ejected players and must play with lesser numbers.

For more rules, tips and facts about the game of soccer, visit FIFA’s official website (www.fifa.com).

Soccer goals and nets



Kwik Goal Junior Recreational Net

Did you know that a FIFA regulation soccer goal is 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall and 3 meters (9.75 feet) wide? That’s a lot of area to cover for one person; however, goals are still hard to come by in professional soccer. The team play aspect of the game means that defensive players and even offensive players on the defending team can come back and prevent goals from being scored by officious use of their bodies.

One of the things that make soccer so popular worldwide is that you need little in the way of equipment to play. The most basic game requires seven players per team and a ball. In lieu of a permanent goal, a makeshift goal can easily be made from PVC pipe and it should be fitted with a proper soccer net to keep the ball from leaving the playing area. The last thing you want is to have your kids running into the road each time a goal is scored to retrieve the ball.

Goal nets are made from polypropylene and come in a variety of sizes, constructions and gauges depending on your requirements. Nets with stretchable cords are available for slipping over a homemade PVC goal. Velcro straps also work well to secure the soccer net to the goal posts. Thicker cord material should be used at higher experience levels as the shot velocity increases. The netting gauges run from 2 to 6 mm. There are even various weaves used in soccer net construction so you can pick the one that suits your need or preference.