The Objectives & Format of Soccer

Called football in a majority of countries, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Its passionate fans have even sparked military conflict, such as the "Soccer War" of 1969 between Honduras and El Salvador. Emotions aside, soccer is a relatively simple game requiring nothing more than a ball and two goals.

  1. Objective

    • The objective of soccer is to put the ball into your opponent's net. To accomplish this task, players pass the ball between themselves to work it downfield. When a goal is scored, players line up on their own side and the ball is placed at the center of the field for the team that was scored upon.

    Players and Equipment

    • Each team has 11 players on the field. One is a goalkeeper, and the rest are typically divided between defenders, midfielders and strikers. Midfielders are usually the most numerous, followed by defenders and then strikers, though ratios may change depending on the strategy employed. Players wear cleats appropriate for the playing surface, and they are required to wear shin pads for safety.

    The Field

    • The soccer field, sometimes also referred to as the pitch, can vary in size. Typically, it is 120-by-75 yards, or 110-by-70 meters. The surface can be natural or artificial grass. The goals are centered at the ends of the field. A 6-yard box and an 18-yard box are marked in front of each goal. The goalkeeper is allowed to pick the ball up anywhere inside the 18-yard box. Any ball that goes off the side of the field is given to the team not touching it last; play resumes with a throw-in. A ball that goes through the end line is given to the keeper if the opponent touched it last. If the team defending the goal touched it last, the opposing team is allowed to kick it from the closest corner.

    The Rules

    • The game is played in to two 45-minute halves with continuous play. Limited substitutions are allowed. In the event no goals are scored in a game that must be decided, such as a playoff, overtime is typically played, followed by a shootout. Except for the keeper, players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms. Contact fouls can occur in several ways, the most common of which is improper or unsafe tackling. Penalties include direct free kicks, penalty kicks and red and yellow cards. A red card or two yellow cards result in ejection from the game. Another type of penalty is the indirect free kick, when the ball cannot be kicked directly on net. To enforce the rules, one referee and two linesmen are on the field; at times, a fourth official will be in charge of substitutions, time keeping and other related duties.