2. INTRODUCTION:-
Soccer, game played by two teams on a rectangular
field, in which players attempt to knock a round
ball through the opponents’ goal, using any part
of the body except the hands. Generally, players
use their feet and heads as they
kick, dribble, and pass the ball toward the goal.
One player on each team guards the goal. This
player, the goalkeeper, is the only player allowed
to touch the ball with the hands while it is in
play.
3. Soccer is a free-flowing game
that has relatively few rules and
requires little equipment. All
that is needed to play is an area
of open space and a ball. Much
of the world's soccer is played
informally, without field
markings or real goals. In many
places, the game is played
barefoot using rolled-up rags or
newspapers as a ball. Soccer is
the world's most popular
sport, played by people of all
ages in about 200 countries.
The sport has millions of fans
throughout the world.
4. Evidence from many ancient societies—Chinese, Greek, Maya, and
Egyptian—reveals that kicking games were a part of those cultures. The
modern game of soccer began in the 19th century in England, when a
variety of football games developed, all of which involved both handling
and kicking the ball. The first laws of the modern game were supposedly
drafted in 1862 by J. C. Thring of the Uppingham School. At a meeting of
the London Football Association (FA) in 1863, the game was split into
rugby football (the parent sport of American football), which permitted
handling and carrying the ball, and association football, or soccer, which
banned the use of the hands.
5. At first soccer was played mostly in private schools and
universities, but before long people of the working classes
picked up the sport. The FA Cup, a tournament first organized
in 1871, sparked the rapid spread of soccer in England. (The
tournament, which is still played, climaxes with the annual
Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London.) An 1872 game in
Glasgow, Scotland, between an English all-star team and its
Scottish counterpart marked the beginning of international
play. In 1885 the FA recognized the legitimacy of professional
players and regular league play started in England in 1888.
Soccer's global spread began in the late 1800s, when British
traders, sailors, and soldiers carried the sport all over the
world. Germans, Italians, and Austrians were eager converts in
Europe, while Argentines, Uruguayans, and Brazilians took
quickly to the sport in South America. FIFA was formed in 1904.
By 1930 professional leagues were operating in many
countries, and that year FIFA organized the first World Cup in
Uruguay.
6.
7. Soccer is played with a round leather ball. It is between 68 and 71
cm (27 and 28 in) in circumference and weighs between 396 to 453 g
(14 and 16 oz). Balls come in various designs and colors. Players
prefer balls with stripes or other patterns so they can better gauge the
spin of the ball during play.
Soccer uniforms consist of jerseys, shorts, socks, and shoes with
cleats (short knobs on the bottom of the shoe). The jerseys must
include a number on the back so that game officials (and fans) can
identify players quickly. Goalkeepers must wear a color that
distinguishes them from the rest of the players on the same team.
This way, the referee can easily know which player is allowed to use
the hands within the penalty area. Goalkeepers’ jerseys and shorts
often have extra padding stitched into the arm and hip areas to
protect them when they dive to make saves. Most goalkeepers also
wear special gloves that help them grip the ball.
8. Players wear cleated shoes for better traction while they
are running. Cleats give them increased speed and
maneuverability. Soccer shoes are usually made of durable
leather, and the soles come in three basic varieties: with
molded cleats, removable cleats, or molded rubber soles.
Shoes with molded cleats usually have 14 of them, about 1.3
cm (.5 in) long. Players generally use molded cleats on dry
fields. Shoes with removable cleats usually have six plastic
or metal studs that are 1.3 to 1.9 cm (.5 to .75 in) long.
Players generally wear these longer cleats on soft or wet
fields. Molded rubber-sole shoes have 25 to 35 small nubs
and are designed for use on hard fields or fields made of
artificial turf.
Soccer rules require players to wear only one piece of
protective equipment, shin guards. Shin guards are small
shields worn on the front of the leg between the knee and top
of the foot. They protect the lower leg against kicks. Shin
guards are made of cloth-covered plastic.
9. Informal soccer games can be of any length, but most regulation games
last 90 minutes and are divided into two 45-minute halves. (Official youth
games may be shorter.) There is a 15-minute break between the
halves, called halftime. Before each game the referee tosses a coin to
determine which team will kick off. The team that wins the toss chooses to
begin the game either by kicking off the ball or by defending. The kickoff
is taken at the center point of the field, and all players must be positioned
on their own side of the field before play can begin.
10. During a game, the ball remains
in play as long as it stays within the
end lines and the sidelines. If the
ball leaves the field it is returned to
play by throw-in, goal kick, or
corner kick, depending on where
the ball left play and who knocked
it out of play. The only time that
play stops is when a player
commits a foul, a player is
injured, or a goal is scored.
The referee calls fouls on players who commit one of ten
major infractions: intentionally kicking, tripping, or jumping at
an opponent; violently charging, striking, holding, pushing, or
spitting at an opponent; tackling an opponent without the ball;
or touching the ball with the hands. If a player commits any of
these fouls, the opposing team is awarded a free kick. If a
player commits any of these offenses inside his own penalty
area, the opposing team is awarded a penalty kick.
11.
12. Soccer players use five basic skills:
kicking, dribbling, passing, heading, and
trapping. Kicking is the most basic skill. Players
who wish to kick the ball powerfully do so with
the top of the foot, the area just above the
toes, generating power from the upper leg and
torso. A powerful kick may propel the ball up to
120 km/h (75 mph). Many players cannot kick
the ball equally well with both feet, and favor
the stronger foot when making a shot at the
goal or kicking the ball a long distance.
Players move the ball small distances by dribbling. Dribbling entails
tapping, dragging, or rolling the ball in front of the body while running. The
objective—to advance the ball while keeping it in control and protecting it from
defensive players—is similar to that of dribbling in basketball, using the feet
instead of the hands. A player with good dribbling skills can make quick
stops, change direction, and move the ball from one foot to another with ease.
Advanced players can also fake one way with the ball, only to turn and move in the
opposite direction.
13. Players use passes to move the ball around
the field more quickly than they can by
dribbling. Passes are like kicks, but they
require less power and more control. Players
usually pass by using the inside of the foot to
push the ball in a certain direction, though
sometimes the outside of the foot is used.
Talented players can pass with both feet in
all directions, including behind them.
