How to Play Soccer

Guide Note

If you'd like to know more about soccer, this page explains the rules and fouls of the game. We can't guarantee that you'll never be called for offsides, but at least you'll know why!

Table of Contents

Playing Soccer Tips

  1. Each goal earns one point.
  2. Don't touch ball with hands.
  3. Teams have between seven and eleven players.
  4. You can normally make between three and seven substitutions in a match.
  5. Only the referee can extend the game.
  6. Punishments for infractions include: indirect free kick, direct free kick, and penalty kick.

Introduction

  • Soccer—or, as it's known everywhere but the United States, football—is a hectic, frenetic, passionate game with equally passionate fans. The game looks simple: each team tries to get the ball into their goal area without touching the ball with their hands or arms. The rules are a bit more complicated, but don't worry—we'll explain it all for you!
(Photo by Steve Woods)
(Photo by Steve Woods)

Step 1: Rules of the Game

  • The point of soccer is quite simple—each team tries to score as many goals as possible while preventing the opposing team from scoring. Of course, it's a little more complicated than that. Any soccer game must follow, the rules, known as the Laws of the Game.
  1. The site with the most gravitas, of course, would be FIFA's (Federation Internationale de Football Association), which maintains the full 70-page booklet of the Laws of the Game in pdf format.
  2. Wikipedia's Laws of the Game, based on FIFA's, are not in pdf format. You might find Wiki's version easier to read or move around in.

Basic Rules

(Photo by Marc Garrido i Puig)
(Photo by Marc Garrido i Puig)
  • Pro games follow FIFA's rules exactly, of course. Teams governed by Major League Soccer in the U.S., and countries that compete in the FIFA World Cup all go by FIFA's rules. Officially, the rules can be modified for youth soccer leagues (under 16 years old) and for leagues with players over 35, for women's games, and for players with disabilities.
  1. A goal is scored when a legal move sends the ball into a team's goal box.
    • Legal moves mean not touching the ball with hands, arms, or elbows.
  2. Each goal earns one point for the team.
  3. Teams play two halves of a game, switching sides after one half is played.
  4. In regulation or professional games, each half is 45 minutes long.
  5. In youth, senior, or women's soccer, the halves may be shorter. AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) regulations specify that halves may last from 10 to 45 minutes, depending on the age of the players.

Dressing for Soccer

  • The Laws of the Game cover gear as well.
  1. Each player must wear a team jersey and shorts, and those items should be free of any slogans or advertising.
  2. The jersey usually has a number on the back, identifying the player.
  3. In addition, soccer players must wear shinguards, and socks that completely cover the shinguards.
  4. They must also wear shoes. Though the Laws don't go into specifics about what type of shoes, you can expect soccer cleats.

Step 2: The Playing Field

  1. For international matches, the playing field must be between 110 and 120 yards long, and 70 to 80 yards wide.
  2. For standard play, though, the dimensions are more flexible. Any field between 100 and 130 yards long, and 50 to 100 yards wide, will do.
  3. For AYSO games, especially beginner games with very young children, the fields will be smaller, but proportioned the same way.
  4. The lengthwise boundaries are called the touch lines. The other, shorter lines marking the edges of the field are the goal lines.
  5. A flag on a post at least 5 feet high is set in each corner of the field.
  6. Starting at the exact center of each goal line, the goal box is set. The goal box is 8 yards wide (4 yards on each side of the exact center). Two posts mark off the 8 yards, and a crossbar on top should be 8 feet high.
  7. The goals, at either end of the field, must be identical, and they must be white.
  8. If nets are used, they must be kept outside the playing field so they don't interfere with play. Goals are scored when the ball passes between the two goal posts, and under the crossbar.
  9. The field has to be marked with lines no more than 5 inches wide:
    (Photo by oliveira22)
    (Photo by oliveira22)
    1. The field is marked by a halfway line that bisects the field across its width.
    2. The exact center of the field is marked, and circle of 10 yards (9.15 meters) is drawn around it.
    3. Each side of the field has a penalty area. The penalty area extends 18 feet into the playing field from each end or goal line. Each penalty area measures 18 yards from each goal post, heading toward the touch line. It makes a big rectangle on the field, sitting before the goals on each end.
    4. A goal area is drawn at each end of the field, inside the penalty area. The goal areas extends 6 yards into the playing field, and start 6 yards out from each goal post—so it forms a box within the penalty area.
    5. A quarter-circle is drawn in each corner, one yard from the flagpost.

Step 3: On the Field

  • For any game, you need players as well as a place to play.

The Players

  • Teams have to be even, with at least 7 players on each side, but never more than 11. Each team includes:
(Photo by Ramzi Hashisho)
(Photo by Ramzi Hashisho)
  1. A goalkeeper, who guards (what else?) the goal. The goalkeepers (or goalies, or keepers) work to prevent the other team from getting the ball past the goalposts. Goalkeepers are allowed to use their hands when they are in the penalty area.
  2. Defenders, or backs, who try to keep the other team from scoring.
  3. Forwards (sometimes called strikers) who work on scoring goals for their team. The offense, in other words.
  4. Midfielders, who both defend against the other team and assist their own forwards.
  5. Sweeper, an optional position that serves as the last line of defense before the ball comes into the goalkeeper's territory.
Playing the Game
  1. Since the size of the team varies, a game might have different numbers of defenders and forwards, who might take left or right field.
  2. There is only one goalie.
  3. This page outlines beginning and advanced guidelines for these positions.
  4. This video shows both the positions and sample formations in a short video.
Substitutions
  1. Between 3 and 7 subs per team can be allowed during a match.
  2. Most games have pretty strict rules about when and how substitutions can be made during a game; you'll need to follow the guidelines of whichever group you're playing with.
  3. Soccer Help summarizes those regulations.

The Ref

  1. The referee keeps the official record of the score and players.
  2. The referee is also the timekeeper, and can add minutes to the game, if time has been lost bringing substitutes in or attending to an injured player, or any other reason.
  3. In official games, two assistant referees watch for offsides and fouls, determine where balls go out of play, and in general help the referee control the match.
  4. The referee's word is final.

The Ball

  1. Regulation soccer balls are 27-28 inches in diameter.
  2. They weigh 14 to 16 ounces.

Step 4: Starting the Game

  • All soccer games start with a kick-off at the center of the field.
  1. In pro games, a coin toss determines which team gets to kick the ball first.
  2. The winner of the toss gets to pick what side of the field they'll play first, and the loser gets the kick-off.
  3. According to FIFA Rules:
    1. The soccer ball is placed at the center of the field, on the center line.
    2. Each team stands on their half of the field.
      • Members of the team that's not kicking have to stand outside the center circle so that they're at least 10 yards from the ball.
    3. At the referee's signal, the kicker moves the ball forward.
    4. Once the kicker touches the ball, they can't touch it again until another player—from either team—has touched it.

NOTE: The kick-off doesn't have to be a kick! Sometimes a kicker will nudge the ball to a teammate, who starts dribbling toward the goal. The initial nudge, though, must go forward, toward the team's goal.

Other Kick-Offs

  1. The team who won the coin toss at the beginning of the game gets to kick-off the second half—but in the second half, the goals switch. That way, each team spends half the game defending and attacking different goals.
  2. Whenever a goal is scored, play resumes with a kick-off. After a goal, the team that did NOT score gets to kick-off.
  3. If an extra period is added to the game, it starts with a kick-off.
    • A coin toss usually decides who will get to kick-off in extra periods.

Breaking the Kick-Off Rules

  1. If a rule is broken—if one of the non-kicking team members strays inside the circle before the kick, for example—the kick-off is simply re-done.
  2. However, if the kicker touches the ball a second time before another player has touched it (double-touch by the kicker), the the opposing team gets an indirect free kick, from the spot where the illegal touch occurred.

Step 5: Playing the Game

  • Once the ball is in play, each team tries to dribble or kick the ball toward their own goal, and keep it out of the reach of their opponents. Back and forth, with fancy footwork and well-aimed passes, the game goes on.
  1. If play stops for a reason not covered in the rules, the game may be restarted by a dropped ball.
  2. The referee drops the ball between players at the place where the ball was when play stopped.
  3. The second the ball hits the ground, play resumes.
  4. The clock doesn't stop in soccer! The game continues until halftime or the end, unless the referee calls a break (for instance, if there's an injury), or the ball leaves the playing field.

Ball Out of Play

(Photo by Gino Rodrigo)
(Photo by Gino Rodrigo)
  • When the ball completely goes over the boundaries of the field (bouncing on the line or off a flagpole doesn't count!) it is considered out of play. Even when the ball is kicked out of play, time does not stop. The ball is put back into play by several methods:
If the ball crosses a touch line
  1. The last team to touch it loses control.
  2. An opposing team member gets the throw in: an overhead throw from outside the touch line, near where the ball went out.
  3. All opposing team members must stay 6 feet, or 2 meters, away from the thrower until the ball is released.
If the ball crosses a goal line
  • How it's put back into play depends on the last touch.
  1. If the last touch was by the team defending the goal, that team gets a corner kick.
    • A corner kick is made from within the arc at a corner, and all other defenders must be at least 10 yards from the corner.
  2. If the last touch was by the attacking team, they lose possession.
    • The defending team gets a goal kick.
    • The defending kicker can kick the ball from anywhere within the penalty box, and all attackers must be out of the penalty box.

NOTE: Wikipedia has very detailed descriptions of all these plays in its section here.

  • There are other methods to get the ball back into play, but those methods revolve around offsides and fouls. So let's review what offsides is, and the types of fouls a player has to watch for in soccer.

Step 6: Crimes and Punishments

  • Technically, soccer doesn't have many rules, but the 17 Laws of the Game get incredibly complicated. Here's where we explain how most players run into trouble, and what the penalties are.

Offsides

  • Any player is offsides when:
  • They are closer to the opponent's goal line than the ball and the second-last opponent.
    • Bear in mind that the last opponent is probably the goalkeeper.
  1. By itself, being offsides doesn't merit a whistle from the referee.
  2. But if a player is offsides at the moment a teammate touches the ball, and if the ref thinks the offsides player interfered in the play, interfered with an opponent, or gained an advantage from the position, then the referee may call offsides and award the other team an indirect free kick.

TIP: This video is only a few seconds long, but it clearly demonstrates the offsides rule.

Indirect Free Kick

  • An indirect free kick takes place where the offense occurred, and opponents must be at least 10 yards away from the ball when it's kicked.
  1. If the offense happened at the opposing team's goal area, the kick is moved 6 yards from the goal line.
    • In this case, the opponent team members may be closer than 10 yards if they are standing on their own goal line, between the goal posts.
  2. If the offense happened at the kicking team's goal area, the kick can be taken anywhere in the goal area.
  • Besides offsides, an indirect free kick may be given to the opposing team if:
  1. The referee thinks a player is playing dangerously. If a player trips or jumps on another player, or tries to do so, an indirect free kick may be awarded.
  2. If a player stops a goalie from throwing the ball.
  3. If a goalkeeper inside the penalty area keeps the ball in his or her hands for more than six seconds, or re-touches the ball with hands before another player has touched it.
  4. If a goalkeeper inside the penalty area catches the ball with his or her hands when a teammate kicks or throws in the ball.

NOTE: A goal may NOT be scored with an indirect free kick—that's why it's called indirect.

Direct Free Kick

  • Since there's an indirect free kick that can't score a goal, a direct free kick is a kick aimed right at the goal, which can score.
  • For more serious offenses, the referee can award a direct free kick. The kick is made near where the offense took place. Offenses that might merit a direct free kick include:
  1. A hand ball (this includes touches with arms and elbows)
  2. Pulling, tripping, shoving, or pushing a player
  3. Most red card infractions

Penalty Kick

  • For really serious infractions, a referee might give a penalty kick to the opposing team. A penalty kick is a foul serious enough to warrant a direct free kick, made inside the penalty area of the team being fouled.
  1. Penalty kicks are made 12 yards from the goal.
  2. Only the opposing goalkeeper is allowed to try and stop the ball.
  3. A penalty kick often results in a score.

Fouls and Cautions

  • Fouls are covered under Law 12 of FIFA's Laws of the Game. A foul may make the referee give the offender a yellow card as a warning, and may award the opposing team a direct free kick. These offenses include:
  1. Showing unsportmanslike behavior.
  2. Delaying the restart of play, or not keeping the required distance from the ball during a restart.
  3. Entering or leaving the field without the referee's permission.
  4. Repeatedly disobeying the rules.
  • More serious fouls merit a red card, which automatically ejects a play from the game. FIFA Laws list 7 reasons that a player could get a red card:
  1. Serious foul play.
  2. Violent conduct.
  3. Spitting at someone.
  4. Denies the opponent a scoring opportunity by handling the ball (except as allowed for goalkeepers).
  5. Denies the opponent a scoring opportunity by commiting a foul against an opponent.
  6. Abusive language.
  7. Gets a second yellow card, or caution.
  • A red-carded player is not replaced; the team must continue the game a player short.


Step 7: Ending the Game

  • The game ends when the referee (who is the timekeeper) signals the end. Remember, only the referee may add extra minutes to make up for time lost during play. But what if the game is tied or there is no score? If it's not an official competitive game, the teams can let the score stand. If a winner must be found, the referee has options:
  1. The referee can add an extra 15 minute period to be played.
    • After this, a second 15 minute period may be added if necessary, but no more.
  2. The referee can have each team take turns making kicks from the penalty mark.
    • The teams get an equal number of tries, and the team who hits in the most goals wins.
  3. The away-goals rule may apply. This rule is used in World Cup qualifying games, but not all leagues or teams use it.
    • The away-goals rule applies to teams that have played each other at least twice, once at each team's home.
    • In a tie, the goals scored away from home by each team are totaled, and the team with the highest number wins.
    • This rule can be applied after extra time and kick-offs have failed to determine a winner.

Step 8: Perfecting Your Game

  • Here are some sites that show and coach you in shooting, dribbling, and playing techniques.
  1. Soccer Training Info is run by former soccer players and filled with advice, strategies, exercises to hone your skills, and articles about the game.
  2. Especially good for kids, Inside Soccer Drills has practice videos for children and teens.
  3. Ask The Ref discusses questions on soccer rules and play.
  4. Review Experts Village's soccer instructions, with video tips on dribbling, throw-ins, passing, goal keeping, and more.
  5. Watch videos. This video offers shooting tips:
  6. More soccer tutorial videos are available on Howcast.

Conclusion

  • There you have it: Soccer de-mystified. Now you know how to get on the field, equip your team, and what the rules are. Just one more thing to remember: Have fun out there!

Resources for How to Play Soccer

Soccer Products