Football Tutorials

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Football – About the Tutorial – Football or soccer is the most popular ball game around the world. Football requires a lot of stamina and staying power on the ground as it is all about foot speed, and the confidence to skillfully maneuver the ball to score a goal.

This tutorial explains the simple, yet fundamental rules of the game and various terminologies involved. It also provides information on the various associations that help organize tournaments around the world. Prominent players who have made history are also featured towards the conclusion of the document.

The information here is meant to supplement your knowledge on the game. It is not a comprehensive guide on how to play.

Audience

This tutorial is meant for anyone who wants to know and learn about football. It is prepared keeping in mind that the reader is unaware about the basics of the game. It is a basic guide to help a beginner understand the game of football.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with this tutorial, you are required to have a passion for the most popular game in the world i.e. football and an eagerness to acquire knowledge on the same.

1. Football – Overview

Football is the most popular sport worldwide. It is also called “soccer” in some countries. It is an outdoor game that requires absolute athleticism as players have to hustle and run across the field with the ball throughout the game. The name of the sport was derived by the way it is played. This sport took its shape in the 18th century.

China being the mother of Football may raise a few eyebrows. In early days, this sport was played by kids in China which was later picked up by the senior fellows. Despite the origin in Asia, the sport was well received and adapted by people of Europe and South-American countries. Spain, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, and England are some of the best football playing countries. At the same time, there are international tournaments organized in Europe that many clubs participate and compete in for a prestigious cup.

Objective

Football is played by two teams on a large rectangular shaped grass field. There are two goal posts on both ends of the breadth of the field. Both the teams vie for the ball by tackling each other and try to kick the ball into opponent’s goal post. The goalkeeper can only stop the ball with hands within a restricted area around the goal post. Rest of the players have to play by kicking the ball and passing it within teammates.

The objective of a football team is to score a goal more than their opponent and win the game. A goal is scored when the ball passes the goal line. Players can use any part of their body to score the goal but not their hands.

Team Size

Be it a national team or international club, there should be only 11 players per team on the field while playing the game. One of them is the goalkeeper, who is crucial to the success of the team. He is skilled to intercept the ball before a goal is scored by a player of the opponent team. There are additional players seated on the side as substitutes to replace on field players. Coach is an integral part of the team who coaches every member of the team, lays plans and strategies to score goals and win matches.

2. Football – Participating Countries

Soccer has its roots in China; however, Africa, Middle-East, Europe, and Americas play this game with utmost love. People from these regions love the sport and follow their national teams and favorite clubs.

Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia are the other countries with national teams that have represented in international events. Indonesia is first Asian country to have qualified for World Cup. However, India has made a mark in Asian tournaments and is yet to qualify for an international tournament.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of 47 member associations. It was formed in 1954 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some of these are intercontinental countries like Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Israel. Australia had joined AFC in 2006 before being a member of Oceania Football Federation.

There are as many as five governing bodies that manage football outside Asia. All the independent football bodies of various countries are associated with these five federations.

Here is the list of various associations and member countries associated with them:

Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) – Governing body for the participating countries which are Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) – Governing body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean along with Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

CONMEBOL– The South American Football Confederation is the governing body of association for football in South America and the countries associated are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay.

Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – It is the governing body for football associations in whole of Europe. It is a commemorate of 54 nations and some of those are Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.

3. Football – Playing Environment

Football is the only sport that draws maximum crowd compared to any other sport. Two teams dribble, pass, and tackle with the ball to score goals. Boxes are drawn around the goal post to indicate goalkeeper’s area. A line is drawn in the center of football pitch, called half-way line. For every football match, there are four referees on field who check if the equipment and conditions are suitable before the start of play.

Dimensions of the Football Field

Given below is a sketch of a football field illustrating the various markings on the field.

Professional football stadiums should be 105m long and 68m wide with an area of just above 7 sq.km. The outline of the field is called touchline.

There is a circle in the center of the pitch (the football field) that indicates opponent’s distance from the ball during kickoff. This circle has a radius of 9.15m.

There is a center spot in the circle where the ball should be kept at the beginning of a new session or after a goal is scored. The line along the breadth of the field is called goal line.

The goal posts are placed in the center of the field and goal line.

The distance between the inner and outer edges of the goal post are 7.4m and 2.4m respectively. The goal post at each end has two boxes from goal line.

The smaller one is 5m box and bigger is 18m box. All the free-kicks of attacking team are to be taken from 5m box. The 18m box indicates the area where the goalkeeper is permitted to stop the ball with his hands.

Football Tutorials