The Basic Rules of Soccer
Whether you have recently decided to join a local soccer team or if you have enrolled your child or children into the sport, it is important that you become aware of the rules. Although beginner teams for soccer generally provide an ample amount of guidance, you will want to make sure that you are also prepared. Soccer can become quite a complex game, but once you get to know the rules, you never forget them. Below are some of the most basic rules of soccer.
1. The Size of the Field
The only rule pertaining to the size of the field is that it needs to be rectangular. Generally the overall size of the field is left up to the interpretation of an individual. They will take the amount of players and the size of the goals into account when judging how large the field should be. As a coach, you will gain experience over the years to help you to understand how large your field should be.
2. Ball Size
Again, the size of the ball is generally influenced by a variety of factors but particularly the age of the players. For children under 5 years of age, you may want to consider having a size 3 ball. Size 4 is great for kids between the ages of 6 and 12 and 12 years+ should be playing with a size 5. In reality, a size 5 is the regular size for professional and adult soccer, though there are some countries that give size 5 balls to children when they are significantly younger.
3. Substitutions
In league-play or professional play, each team is only allowed to make 3 substitutions for the entire game. Though, depending on the rules, this can generally be manipulated. As an example, when playing with younger children, the amount of subs may not have a cap on them.
4. Making Goals
The whole objective of soccer is to make sure that you can get the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The ball will have to cross the goal line in order to even be considered a goal. So even if the ball is touching the goal line, it will not count. In fact, there have been numerous situations where professional players have dove across the goal line in order to prevent a ball from entering their net. Although the ball looked like it was in, it wasn’t.