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).