There is no sport that comes close to the popularity and history of football. It’s a simple game to play, but some of the rules and positions can be a bit difficult to understand at first, so we’ve created a soccer rules guide for beginners.
Learning the game of soccer may be easier than you think. Other sports in the United States, such as football and baseball, can be very difficult to understand and take a long time to fully understand. Soccer, on the other hand, is the most popular sport in the world for essentially two reasons: its free-flowing style is fun to watch (for example, why it’s known as the ‘beautiful game’) and it’s a sport pretty simple to understand. .
basic gameplay
Soccer is played with 11 players on each team, 10 field players and 1 goalkeeper. Each game consists of two periods of 45 minutes; however, as the clock never stops, extra time will be added for fouls, injuries, substitutions, etc. in each time.
Each team is normally allowed three substitutions per match. Coaches may make these substitutions at any interruption during the game. Once a team has made the full number of substitutions, they cannot have another player change.
Beginner’s Guide to the Rules of Soccer
Offside
The rules are pretty straightforward in soccer, but the offside rule is by far the hardest to understand. A player is considered offside when his body (except arms) is closer to the opponents’ goal line than the ball and the penultimate opponent at the moment the ball is played. Most of the time, the opposing goalkeeper is one of the players, the attacking player just has to be level or in front of one more defending player when he advances towards the goal.
In the diagram above, the blue player with the ball (‘P’) passes it to his teammate labeled ‘A’. When the pass is played, player ‘A’ is offside because he is closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball and second to last (player ‘D’). Any other blue player in the diagram would be considered onside. There are two exceptions that allow offside. 1. Throw-ins 2. All field players are in the defensive half of the attacking team. All other times, an offside pass results in a free throw for the opposing team.
Various faults and ‘reservations’
Fouls are committed when a player attempts to take the ball, but only makes contact with an opposing player, delays the restart of play, pulls on an opponent’s jersey, or a field player handles the ball. A goalkeeper can handle the ball with his hands as long as they are inside his goal area. The only time a goalkeeper cannot use his hands on his own goal is when a player on his team kicks the ball back to him. Basic and non-dangerous fouls mostly result in a free kick for the opposing team. This means that the referee blows his whistle and allows the opposing team to kick the ball wherever they want without players from the other team getting too close.
Persistent fouls by a specific player or a hard foul can result in a yellow card. A yellow card is essentially a warning from the referee. Any player who receives two yellow cards (or one red card) during a match is sent off and his team must finish the match with only 10 players.
Red cards are awarded to players who commit dangerous fouls (challenge with two feet, punches, contact with the referee, etc.). Any player receiving a red card is immediately removed from the game and must face a further game suspension.
Out of limits
Since the field is a rectangle, the ball can go out of bounds in four different areas. If the ball goes out to the sidelines, then the team that did not touch the ball last gets to throw in the ball (the only time field players can throw the ball). If the defending team last touches the ball and it passes the baseline (where each goal is), then the attacking team receives a corner kick. This is a free kick at any of the corners of the field of play closest to the attacking goal.
If the attacking team last touches the ball and it passes the baseline, the defending team receives a goal kick. This means that the goalkeeper can kick the ball to his teammates without opposing players in the surrounding area.
sanctions
It is sanctioned if a foul occurs within the 18-yard areas in front of the two goals. Any attacking player fouled within these areas has the opportunity to score from 12 yards away from goal, and only the opposing goaltender can attempt to stop the ball.
The football field (or ‘pitch’)
Soccer fields, or “fields” as they are also called, are basically the same length as a football field (including end zones), but slightly wider. Most football fields should be between 100 and 130 yards long and between 80 and 95 yards wide.
Positions/Formations
Basically, there are four different positions in football: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, and forward. Essentially, Defenders are right up there with their namesake. That is, they defend their goal from the opposition. Basically, that means forming a line to stop the opposition’s attack. Midfielders spread out in midfield and create a link between their team’s defense and attack. Strikers, or strikers, are usually the players who score the most goals. They don’t defend much and play higher up the field.
Formations are labeled with a series of numbers beginning with the number of defenders on the pitch, then midfielders, and finally forwards. For example: a 4-4-2 formation consists of four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Goalkeepers are not included in formations, as each team field only one goalkeeper. Below is an example of a basic 4-4-2 formation.
READ MORE: Variations of names of soccer leagues, cups and tournaments
Do you have any questions about our soccer rules guide for beginners? Let us know in the comments section.
Explore these beginner’s guides to many of the popular soccer leagues:
Soccer Beginners Guides
