How Rules in Soccer Make the Game Entertaining

Soccer is a pretty simple game to play and succeed in if you know the rules of the game and how it works. Soccer has many parts, rules, boundaries, strategies, positions, tactics, and overall guidelines. Each of those things are crucial to understand and learn if you want to play and/or excel in the sport. To start, there are eleven different positions to choose from. Starting from the goal, you have your goalie, keeper, or goalkeeper. The keeper is the only person on the field who can use their hands; on the other hand, they must be inside the “18 (the large rectangle in front of the goal). If they touch the ball outside of the “18, it’s considered a handball and the other team gets a direct kick at the spot of the penalty. The keepers job is to block shots and prevent the other team from scoring on them; ultimately, the end goal is to punt or throw the ball down the field towards their teammates. In front of your keeper, you have your defenders/backs. There are 4 of them: two center backs, a right back, and a left back. Depending on what line-up you play, your center backs will be called a sweeper and a stopper. Anyway, the job of these positions is to make sure the opposing team doesn’t get near their goal or have a chance to shoot. Most of the time, the defense will clear the ball out of their end as quickly and smoothly as possible. If the opposing team somehow gets through the defense, you know someone was out of position and that the defense has failed. Now, in front of the defense is your midfield. Depending on what line up you play you can have anywhere from two to five midfielders. The job of the midfield is to control the flow of the game and distribute the ball to their teammates. The midfielders are considered the disrupters who break up plays and distribute the ball back up to their attacking line. These players can also make an attempt to dribble and score depending on the play and how everything unfolds. Finally, in front of the midfielders, you have your striker/forward. Depending on the line-up, you could have anywhere one to three strikers/forwards. The job of a striker/forward is to finish whatever balls are distributed to them and score for their team. This may seem easy, but it’s far more difficult than it seems. As a whole, if your line-up doesn’t work and/or flow, you won’t be able to win games. If your team can’t play as one, then you most likely won’t win or match up to your opponent.

Next, soccer has a bunch of rules that keep the game safe and fun. Without these rules, soccer would be extremely unorganized and quite dangerous. To start, you can’t use your hands unless you’re the keeper, you can shove or push anyone, you can’t harass or bully anyone on or off the field, the ball can’t cross the sideline or end line (if it does, the opposing team will receive a throw-in, goal kick, or corner kick), you can’t slide into anyone with your cleats up with your spikes exposed, you can’t slide tackle from behind, you can’t be behind the last defender because you’ll be offsides and earn the opposing time a direct kick, you can’t foul anyone inside the “18 or else the opposing team will earn a penalty kick, you have to wear shin guards and soccer cleats (no lacrosse/football cleats or hockey shin guards), you can’t charge the keeper, you can’t disrespect the ref, you can’t speak to the ref unless you’re the speaking captain, you can’t play the ball forwards on kick-off, you can’t lift your foot when your throw the ball in, you can’t twist your body on a throw in, and most importantly, you can’t disrespect or harm the other team in any way; an accident is one thing, but intentionally hurting or disrespecting someone is unacceptable.

Finally, there are many different ways to play soccer and win games. One way to do so is to change your line up based off who you’re playing against. Some line-ups prove to be more effective against certain teams and line-ups; choose wisely. Another way is to stall/waste time. If your team is up by a goal in a game with a few minutes left, it may be smart to stall and/or waste time in order to solidify the win. Another strategy a team uses is to sub crucial players in towards the end of the game in order to give their team a morale boost and to give their side a new burst of energy. Those three things can be crucial to winning a soccer game; on the other hand, if they’re done ineffectively, you run the risk of losing the game or getting penalized. Soccer is a pretty simple game that anyone can play and understand if they really want to. The rules, boundaries, strategies, positions, tactics, and overall guidelines of soccer are crucial to know if you want to succeed in the sport and play it safely and properly.