February 11, 2004
- Teams & Officials– Two teams of 11 players each
i. Offense – Whichever team has the ball and is trying to score a goal is considered to be on offense.
ii. Defense – Whichever team is trying to protect their goal from the opposing team is considered to be on defense.
iii. Three to four people referee each match. There is one referee in the center of
the field, and one on each sideline. The center official is the main official for the match and the sideline officials are the assistants. (When there is a
forth official present, they usually stay on the sidelines in-between the team benches and manage the substitutions)
- Positions –
i. Forward/Striker - (Anywhere from one to three players per team)
Usually play most of the game in the opposing teams half of the field,
closets to the opposing teams goal. Their job is to score goals.
ii. Midfielder/Halfback – (Anywhere from three to five players per team)
Usually play in the center of the field, in-between the forwards and the fullbacks. Their job is to help direct the ball up to the forwards and assist
the defenders when the other team is trying to score. The outside
halfbacks tend to take a very offensive roll, while the center halfbacks
tend to help a little more on defense. Their ultimate job is to help control
and direct the ball and ultimately the tempo of the game.
iii. Fullback/Defender – (Anywhere from three to four players per team)
Usually play in the area closest to their own goal; their job is to keep the opposing teams forwards from scoring.
iv. Goalkeeper – (One per team) This is the person that stands in the goal and
is the only person on the field that is allowed to use their hands within
the goal box area. This person is a purely defensive player whose only
job is to keep the opposing team from scoring a goal.
- The Soccer Field –
i. Regulation size soccer fields are typically from 50-100 yards wide and 100-130 yards long. Depending on the age and skill level of the players, the field can measure any combination within the above measurements. (An international match will measure 110-120 yards in length and 70-80 yards in width)
ii. The field itself is a grass surface, sometimes an Astroturf material will be used, however Astroturf is not well liked by many players.
iii. The midfield line separates the field into halves, with a goal on each end line. There is a circle around the center point of the field, which measures 20 feet in circumference and is called the Center Circle.
iv. There is an 18 x 44 yard box around each goal called the Goalkeepers Box, the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with their hands as long as they are within this area. If they go outside this box, they cannot use their hands.
v. The Penalty Kick spot is 12 yards out from the center of the goal
- Scoring & Substitutions–
i. A goal is scored when one team puts the ball into the opposing teams goal.
ii. Any player on the team can score a goal. Even if a defender accidentally
puts the ball into their own goal, the other team will receive the score
(This is referred to as an “own goal”).
iii. One goal is equivalent to one point, the team with the most goals at the
end of the game wins.
iv. Each team is allowed a certain number of subs per game (depends on the tournament or league rules). The coach will alert the officials that they
want to take a player off the field and replace with a new one. When the play
has stopped, usually the ball has gone out of bounds or a foul has been
called, the center referee will waive on the sub and the exiting player will
leave the field.
- Fouls –
i. When a foul is called, the referee whistles the players to stop, and the
team that was fouled will receive a free kick at the spot where the foul
occurred.
ii. Tripping, pushing or kicking a player is not allowed and should be whistled
by the referee.
iii. Touching the ball with your arms and hands is not allowed, unless it is
the goalkeeper and they are within the goalkeepers box (see diagram).
All other body parts including the head, thighs, chest and back can be
used.
iv. Slide tackling is when a player slides (similar to a baseball player sliding
into second base) across the grass and pushes the ball away from the
player that currently has the ball. This is a very technical maneuver that if
done correctly can be very productive, however if done incorrectly and the
sliding player takes out the player with the ball, a foul will be called.
v. Grabbing another player’s jersey, even though this often times occurs,
is a foul.
vi. If a player commits a “Hard Foul”, meaning they jeopardize the safety of
another player, they can be given a warning by the referee, this is noted by
the flashing of a Yellow Card to the player by the referee. (Two Yellow Cards
in one game equals an automatic Red Card and the player is ejected)
vii. If a team loses a player to a Red Card, the team cannot bring another player
into the game to replace the ejected player. The team must play one player
short for the remainder of the match.
viii. If the player commits an absolute dangerous play, such as slide tackling a
player from behind on a breakaway or is involved in a fight, the player is
given a Red Card and ejected from the game immediately.
- Regulation and Overtime-
i. Regulation soccer matches consist of two – 45 minute halves, a total of 90 minutes.
ii. Halftime is one 15-minute break between the two halves.
iii. If the teams are tied after the 90-minute regulation period, they will go into a 15-minute sudden death overtime; which ever team scores first, wins.
iv. If tied after the sudden death overtime period, Penalty Kicks will decide
the game. Each team gets five Penalty Kicks against the other teams
goalkeeper. If still tied after each team takes five kicks, each team takes
another kick until one team makes it and the other misses.
- Common Terminology –
i. Corner Kick- The ball goes out of bounds along the end line (behind the
goal) and is last touched by a defensive player. The offensive team gets
to kick the ball from the small circle in the corner of the field.
ii. Goal Kick – The ball goes out of bounds along the end line (behind the
goal) and is last touched by an offensive player. The defensive team gets
to kick the ball from the 6-yard line in front of their goal.
iii. Throw in- The ball goes out of bounds along the sidelines, the team
that was NOT the last ones to touch the ball will be granted a throw in.
iv. Direct Kick- When a foul is called, the team that is awarded the free kick,
if close enough, can shoot for the goal without anyone else needing to
touch the ball before it goes in.
v. Indirect Kick- When a foul is called, the team that is awarded the free
kick can shoot on goal, however at least one other player on the field,
offensive or defensive, must touch the ball before it goes in the goal.
vi. Penalty Kick - If a foul is called on the defense inside the goalkeepers
box, the offensive team will elect one player to take a shot from the
Penalty Kick spot, against only the goalkeeper. All other members of
both teams must wait outside the goalkeepers box until the kick has
been taken.