Football Basic Rules

Here are some basic rules for the sport of Football, also known as soccer in many parts of the world, which is undoubtedly the world's most popular sport.

A match is played in two 45 minute halves, by two teams of eleven players each. The game begins with the toss of a coin, and the winning captain decides which goal to defend or to take the first kick off.

All players must use their feet head or chest to play the ball. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use their hands, and only within their designated goal area. The aim of the game is to score a goal, which is achieved by kicking or heading the ball into the opposition team's goal.

If the ball touches or crosses the side line, it is thrown back in by the team that was not the last to touch the ball.

The game is controlled by a central referee, and two linesmen. They award free kicks and penalties when rules are broken. For continual breaking of rules or for a bad foul, the player may be sent off.

The Basics of Soccer - The World's Most Popular Sport

by Peter Valentine Soccer is perhaps the world's favorite spectator sport, popularly known as "Football" in Britain and other European countries. This game can be as frustrating as golf, as physical as football and hockey, as erratic as baseball, and as exciting as basketball. No simple word can describe the popularity of the game, with a global television audience of 49 billion people for the 2002 World Cup alone (I know that's more than the world's population, this figure is an 'accumulated' audience, meaning if people watched

more than one game, which most people did, they were counted each time).. The game is exciting and highly addictive to watch and play. Professional game rules require 11 players per team, 10 playing the field and one goalkeeper. With the use of a round ball, the match is played with the two teams wearing shirts of different colors with distinctive soccer patches. The game is divided into two sets, each for 45 minutes long with the referee adding "extra time" based on time being wasted or play being stopped during the original 45 minutes. Usually, the extra time will be about one-to-three minutes. A maximum of three substitutes may be used in any match played in an official competition organized under the auspices of the World Governing body Federation International Football Association (FIFA), the confederations or the national associations. However, in other competitions the rules must state how many substitutes may be nominated, from three up to a maximum of seven. The decision regarding a match ending with a tie score usually depends on the actual type of game being player. There are times when the just simply ends in a tie score after the regular 90 minutes game plus any added time. On the other hand, a game ending with a tie score may lead into an overtime with an allotted time of extra play leading to penalty kicks, this usually occurs during a deciding game of a tournament. Each team is given five attempts to score on the opposing goalkeeper, the team with the highest score wins the game. During a game, players are only allowed to wear soccer equipment and are prohibited to wear anything that may harm him as well as the other. This includes any kind of jewelry and other accessories. The basic soccer equipment of a player include a jersey or shirt with their distinctive soccer patches; shorts, if thermal under shorts are worn, it has to be the same main color as the shorts; stockings; and footwear, soccer shoes, boots, cleats. There are instances that players may use extra equipments such as shin guards and headgears. The shin guards protect the leg below the knee and are completely covered by the stockings. These are either made of rubber, plastic, or similar substances. While the head gear are available to protect younger players when heading the ball. For

goalkeepers, they must wear a color that separates him from the other goalkeeper, players, the referee and the assistant referees. There are four important details that one should know about the game before he is ready to play soccer. The first is that only the goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands, and this is only within the confines of the marked-off area surrounding the goal. When a player uses their hands on a ball, the opposing team gets a free kick from the spot of the violation. The second vital information that you should remember about the game is that players are generally penalized for rough or unfair play with the use of cards. A yellow card is considered a stern warning, while a red card signifies a serious violation. Once a player receives a red card it means that he had been ejected from the game and cannot be replaced and that leaves the player's team with less players. Meanwhile receiving two yellow cards will equal to a red card, meaning the player will receive the same penalty.

Soccer is the World Game, and is the one and only Football in many parts of the world. It is played in all corners of the world and its popularity is shown by the big stage of The World Cup held every four years. It is played with a round ball (traditionally with black and white checks), which is only kicked by the feet. This excludes the goal keeper, who can use hands only in the goal area. A goal is scored when an attacking player kicks the ball into the opposition net. Games are usually low scoring. There are 11 players on the field, with some substitutions coming late in the game. If a player is substituted off they can not come back onto the field. The game consists of 45 minute halves, with a half time break. Players are not allowed to come off the ground during playing time.

Training and Competition

Training can be once a week to full time for professional players. Games are played once a week, for a regular season competition. Tournaments, like the World Cup, will cover

several weeks, with teams playing more regularly at the start, and progressing further if they win games. Recovery time of 47 days is allowed between games. The game involves long bouts of running with short bursts of high intensity sprints. Energy expenditure can be very high, with the inners and forwards covering slightly more ground than defenders. The goalie does minimal running during a game, and needs to move sharply to save the ball from entering the goals. However, energy expenditure for all players can be high due to training loads.

Common Nutrition Issues

The game requires a combination of speed, agility along with strength. High carbohydrate levels are required for the high aerobic workload of training and competition. Low body fat levels are an advantage to assist with speed and agility. Hydration is also a concern for players given the game format doesn't allow for regular player changes, or on field drinks. The training diet Soccer is predominantly an aerobic activity, requiring some strength and power. Energy requirements will vary between players depending on their position on the field and the phase of the season. The training diet for a player should be high in nutritious carbohydrate foods, moderate in protein foods and low in fats. The most important aspect is to meet carbohydrate requirements. A higher training load along with games will increase the carbohydrate requirements of players. This will range from 5-8 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram body mass. Regular consumption of carbohydrate foods at all meals will allow refueling of muscle glycogen stores. The most important times are after training and games which helps with recovery from each session. One game of Soccer will go close to fully depleting an athlete's glycogen stores, if a whole game is played. If an athlete starts with a full supply they will minimise fatigue towards the end of a 90 minute game, but if the daily diet provides inadequate amounts there may be difficulty in performing optimally. Be sure to regularly include in the diet good carbohydrate sources such as bread and cereals, rice, pasta, fruit and flavored low fat dairy products.

Hydration

Fluid intake is a critical aspect of Soccer. Given the lack of substitutions allowed during the game, and the fact that players are not given drinks on the field, there is a high risk of dehydration over the course of a game. Soccer is often played over the winter months, when sweat losses are lower than the warmer months, however this is also a time when consumption may be low due to reduced thirst. Pre-hydration is crucial to ensure players are over hydrated before they start matches so there is less emphasis needed on fluid consumption during a game. Half time should be a strategic time to maximise fluid intake. Sports drinks will be valuable, providing both fluid and carbohydrate, especially for players involved in more of the game such as the midfielders. Drink bottles, if possible could be left on the side of the field, or behind the goals to sneak a drink during breaks in play, especially on hot days.
What is the most popular sport in the world? - by Nathan

Home / Articles / Sports

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Organized soccer is played in 144 nations, with nearly 20 million players participating. Soccer`s final match of the World Cup, held every four years, is televised around the world and always attracts over a billion viewers. Soccer stadiums such as the Maracana Stadium in Brazil, Stadio Olimpico in Italy, Stade de France, Nou Camp in Spain which has held crowds of more than 200,000, are built to accommodate the multitudes of spectators who enjoy the game. Soccer has experienced extraordinary growth in the United States since the 1970s. Soccer's essence is its simplicity. Known as football in much of the world, it is still a game for the masses, speaking a language that knows no international barriers. The object of the game is to ge t the ball, by any means except using the hands or arms, into the rectangular goals at each end of the field. The team scoring the most goals is the winner. Soccer, which evolved from centuries of different ball games, did not always allow only the goalkeepers, or goalies, to use their hands to touch the ball. Formal rules and distinctions among players of the game did not emerge until the late 19th century. Rugby and U.S.-style football developed out of the division that came with decisions to prohibit certain actions in soccer, such as handling the ball, tackling with the arms, and hacking. Soccer's dimension fields must conform to certain limitations, but need not be uniform. The length may vary from a minimum of 100 yards to a maximum of 120

yards (91,110 meters). The width of the field must never exceed the length. The field is divided in half crosswise by a centerline. At the middle of this line is the center spot, from which point the game is initially started and then restarted following goals. The center circle has a radius of 10 yards (9.1 meters) from the center spot. The field is bordered by touchlines on the sides and by goal lines on the ends. Soccer is played at a professional level all over the world, and millions of people regularly go to football stadia to follow their favourite team, whilst billions more avidly watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum of seven players are required to constitute a team. There are a variety of positions in which the outfield players are strategically placed by a manager/coach, though these positions are not defined or required by the Laws. One player on each team must be designated as that team's goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is the only player allowed to handle the ball with his hands or arms, but is restricted to doing so within the penalty area (also known as the "box" or "18 yard box") in front of his own goal. The basic equipment players are required to wear includes a shirt (or jersey), shorts, socks (or stockings), footwear and adequate shin guards. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player (including jewellery or watches). A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum substitutions permitted in international games and in national level leagues are three, though substitution numbers may be varied in other leagues. The usual reasons for a player's replacement include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or to waste a little time at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in the match. At each end of the field is a goal 24 feet (7.3 meters) wide and 8 feet (2.4 meters) high, consisting of two uprights joined by a crossbar. In front of each goal are two rectangular boxes. The smaller box, measuring 20 yards by 6 yards (18.3 by 5.5 meters), is the goal area, in which the goalkeeper cannot be charged and where the ball is placed for goal kicks, which are taken by the team defending the goal area. The larger rectangle, measuring 44 yards by 18 yards (40.2 by 16.4 meters), is the penalty area. It designates the area where the goalkeeper may use his or her hands to touch the ball without being penalized, and within which any one of the nine directfree-kick offenses committed by a defensive player will result in a penalty kick. A

penalty kick is a free shot at the goal from the penalty spot, 12 yards (11 meters) from the center of the goal. Soccer's laws of the game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The world's first football league was founded in England in 1888 by Aston Villa director, William McGregor. The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and the North of England. Soccer's World Federation is called The Federation Internationale de Football Association FIFA, the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the rules laid down by the IFAB. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. Today the board is made up of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.