How to Play Soccer - Soccer Rules

Having said that, soccer rules are deceptively simple. The Laws of the Game, still heavily based on their forerunners from the 1860s, govern this sport worldwide, and although the intricacies can be complex you can learn the basics in literally minutes of watching the Beautiful Game.

It's important to note that soccer does not even have rules, but rather Laws. This officious term indicates that there is something very bookish about the game, even though the actual Laws document is just a few pages long compared to some other sports. These rules are available via FIFA for any player to read for free.

The first four of soccer's Laws of the Game relate to the mechanics. They describe the dimensions of the field (which can vary depending on whose stadium you're at), the ball (which can also vary between 27-28 inches in circumference), the players (eleven per team), and what the players can wear (soccer jerseys, soccer shorts, soccer socks, soccer boots/cleats, and mandatory shin pads.)

Laws five and six outline the powers and responsibilities of the referees and his assistants (the latter of which are not mandatory in all leagues, but are found in pro soccer the world over.) After that, how the game is started and halted (when the referee detects an infraction, or when the ball goes out of play, or when a goal is scored) are looked at in laws seven through ten.

Then comes soccer's offside rule, a Law so contentious it has its very own number: eleven. The offside rule in soccer can be hard to pick up, but the basics are this: if a player waits near an opponent's goal with fewer than two opponents between him and the goalline, and the ball is played to him, he is committing an offside offence. Practically speaking, this in 99% of cases means that if a striker has only the goalkeeper to beat when the ball is kicked towards him, he will be flagged offside. (Of course, if he receives the ball onside and then runs one-on-one with the 'keeper, he's done nothing wrong - and will probably score!)

Laws twelve right through to the final one - seventeen - explain why the game might be stopped for a foul, and what happens when this takes place (a free-kick, either direct or indirect, depending on the severity of the offence; or even a penalty kick one-on-one with the goalkeeper), and also how throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks work.

The best part is that you can read these laws in an afternoon and pick up the basics that quickly. But the best way of all is to watch a soccer game with the laws in your hand and refer to them as needed. You'll be a soccer expert in no time.

There are various forms of soccer, ranging from micro soccer (3 a side) to the standard game of 11 a side. FIFA are the worldwide governing body for soccer, and it is FIFA who control the laws of the game that dictate how to play soccer from a rules perspective, so visit the FIFA site to get a copy of the rules and start learning the rules.

Nigel Reed has been involved in soccer during the 60's, 70's and 80's as a player and has been coaching youth soccer in Australia since 2000.
Learn more on How to play soccer and take advantage of the Free Soccer Drills at Nigels website.
c 2007 Coaching Youth Soccer For Success

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Soccer Rules

Despite being a sport with roots reaching out to medieval and even ancient times, soccer was never really played under a set of strict rules until 1863.

On 26 October, 1863 several amateur and semi-professional clubs from England gathered up in London and formed up the Football Association and devised a "constitution" for the game, including a set of standardized soccer.Obviously the "Laws of football" as they were called back then were just a set of basic soccer rules and they didn't cover all aspects of the game.

The main points covered by the Football Association were regarding violence on the pitch, as oftentimes the tense clashes in no-rules matches lead to bloody fistfights between the teams. Since then, soccer rules constantly evolved and began covering more and more of the game's principles and also adapting soccer to the age it was played in.

A simple example of this would be the offside rules which was introduced later on in the game, when matches became more and more tactical.

Without the offside rule, attackers would often have a hibernating role in the team, simply staying up front and waiting for the ball to come, hence with the new rule, they were forced to work as much as the other players on the pitch.

Let's take a look at some of the official soccer rules of today and give them a small explanation for why they are there and how they affect the game:

Soccer field dimensions - since not all soccer pitches could share the exact same size, FIFA decided a small length and width size threshold in order for a pitch to be playable. So the minimum length of a soccer field must be of 100 yards (90 meters), whereas the maximum length must be 130 yards (120 meters).

A bigger size difference was allowed for the width, which can be as small as 50 yards (45 meters) and as big as 100 yards (90 meters). You might have noticed that the minimum length coincides with the maximum width! Although strange indeed, soccer could actually be played on a square field, however for entertainment's sake no one built that kind of pitch yet (thankfully).

Number of players - The official soccer rules book states that each team can enter the field with 11 players (one of which is the goalkeeper).

The number of substitutes depends on the competition the match is played in, but in official FIFA matches the number of substitutes can range from none to 7, with 3 substitutions eligible for each of the two teams.

However, in friendly matches, it's often the case that both teams agree upon a set number of substitutions or simply go all-out and allow every bench player to get in the game at some point, replacing one of the first team members.

Ball in/out play soccer rules - The ball is in play whenever the referee doesn't intervene whistling a game stop and whenever it stays inside the play area.

If the ball crosses the goal line or touch line by more than half its circumference, then it goes out of play and a goal kick/corner or throw in is given to one of the teams (the opposition of the team that last touched the ball). If a ball hits the referee ,the corner flag, the goal post or any other object on the pitch, the game remains in play.

Fouls - Fouls are one of the most problematic soccer rules nowadays, since they can be easily misjudge or interpreted by the referee, which often causes arguments on and off the pitch. Theoretically, a foul is whistled and a direct or indirect kick is given when a player trips, kicks, pushes, punches, charges or holds an opponent.

However, in the fast pace of the game, it's often hard for the referee to see if a tackle touches the feet of the attacker or the ball. It's considered a foul even if the defending player doesn't touch the attacker at all, but has a dangerous intervention such as a high kick.

Goals - Last but not least, the essence of soccer rules and the object of the game itself, the goal.

In order to score a goal, the attacking team must pass the ball beyond the other team's goal line. The attacker can kick the ball, head the ball or push it in with any other body part other than the hand (in which case it is considered handball).

Not all shots that end up in the net are goals though, as a goal can be cancelled if it was scored after the attacker broke one of the other soccer rules, such as fouling a defender or the goalkeeper, using his hand to control the ball, being offside or scoring directly from an indirect free kick.

These are the basic soccer rules and although there are a few smaller twists to learn, if you manage to understand these, you'll be able to watch, and understand a soccer match without problems. Outside the offside rule the other official soccer rules are quite easy to grasp.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, soccer rules, famous soccer players, soccer fundamentals and soccer conditioning.

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