Soccer Fans Remain Passionate, Even Among Losing Clubs.

There are few sports in which fans are more passionate and loyal to their teams, similar to the fans of American football with the sale of team uniforms and other merchandise being big business in many other countries. There are some soccer fans who dedicate their days, as well as nights traveling to watch their favorite teams play and cheer them on.
There are many online forums designed specifically for soccer fans from different countries, making a sport a truly international competition, which grew recently with the purchase of the Manchester United soccer team by the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This purchase has sparked a lot of criticism by soccer fans in England, who claim the team’s new owner has no interest in the game, and is only interested in the profit potential of one of the most popular and successful teams in the world.
When soccer was first established in England in the 1800’s, it was considered a gentleman’s game of the upper class with time on their hands and its concept of teamwork and sportsmanship made the sport popular among soccer fans. In the 1900’s it quickly spread throughout the world, becoming one of the fastest growing international sports known.
Lack Of Entertainment Spurs Vicious Rivalries
In other sports, such as American football and baseball, the goal of the teams is to provide entertainment for the fans. With cheerleaders, mascots and game-time entertainment used to draw fans to the games. Organized player drafts, revenue distribution and salary caps help keep teams more evenly matched. In most countries, soccer fans are not treated to such evenly matched teams. Those in large profitable markets field the better teams with no salary cap and no redistribution of income.
Also in England, individual players are not sent down to the minor leagues if their play fails to excite soccer fans with winning records. At the end of every season the three worst teams are relegated to a lower level in the league and the three best teams in the lower level take their place in the premier league.
For many soccer fans in small markets, their hopes of a championship are often misplaced and their best dream is to have their favorite team either promoted to a more prominent place in the league or at worst, not having the team demoted to a lower classification. They become passionate about their teams and anything or anybody seen as a roadblock to their team’s success is considered an enemy.

Mastering Soccer Tricks Can Help You Defeat The Opposing Team

Soccer players devote so much time to perfecting their skills that they are often able to perform exceptional ball control and move the ball about as well as many other soccer tricks too. A prime example would no doubt be Ronaldinho who has arguably the best soccer skills amongst the current soccer players, and who is adept at performing superior soccer tricks that will leave you spellbound. That is not to discount the many other soccer players that also perform outstanding soccer tricks and Brazilians in any case are most adept at them.
Ball Tied To The Boots
Among the other soccer greats that could perform soccer tricks was George Best, who when he had the ball, seemed like the ball was tied to his boots with a string. With such soccer tricks, it should not pose any problems for players and teams to win their matches. There are many soccer tricks to learn such as entering the goal area, taking maximum number of shots at goal, and using strongest defensive players to mark strongest opposing offensive players.
The most important thing a soccer player should learn is how to enter the opponent’s goal area because this one part of the playing field where action is fast paced and furious, and thus this is one soccer trick that must be mastered to achieve any success in the game. Another important soccer trick is to take as many shots at goal as this will improve the chances of scoring goals, though accurate shooting is more essential than merely letting loose without proper aim. Also, when near the opponent’s goalmouth area, it is important to pass the ball around as in that way you can get the opponent’s defense out of position and thus create more goal scoring opportunities. What are required are speed, sharpness and accuracy that are important aspects of this soccer trick.
Not only should your team focus on scoring goals, but also know how to defend against goals being scored against you. Thus, a good soccer trick is to find the strongest attacking player in the opposing team and then assign the strongest defensive players in your team to mark the opposing strikers out of the game.
Of the many notable soccer tricks that soccer players come up with, perhaps the most important one is the one invented by Diego Maradona who used it in eighties in a local Argentine soccer game in which he juggles the ball from left to right knee and from left shoulder to right one and then heads the ball into the goal. This trick known as Maradona 7 is something that budding soccer players will find difficult to master though once such a trick has been learnt there are always harder ones to try out.

Basic Soccer Rules For Dummies : What´s with the hands?

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, understanding basic soccer rules can be quite a challenge. Calls made by referees may seem unfair, some moves may seem illegal, and it may be just plain frustrating to be clueless about what’s going on. Below you will find a few of the basic soccer rules concerning the use of hands that will help you to understand and enjoy the next game you watch.

Hands Off

The most basic of soccer rules is the one that most people already know: Players aren’t supposed to use their hands unless they are the goalie. However, there’s a little more to this rule than meets the eye. In soccer, the hand rule applies to any part of the body from the shoulder to the fingertips. It would be more accurately defined as a “no arms rule” as opposed to a “no hands rule”, but it is what it is.

If a ball is kicked and happens to hit a player’s hand, then this is okay. This would be considered unintentional handling. However, if the player were to proceed to handle the ball in a purposeful manner, this would be considered an illegal move. A referee would have to use his best judgment to determine if hand contact with a ball was accidental or purposeful.

The Bask-Pass Rule

Even though the hand rule is one of the most basic soccer rules, it can seem a little confusing at times. For instance, it is understood that the goalie is the only player who is legally permitted to handle the ball with his hands. However, there are certain scenarios in which it is illegal for even the goalie to touch the ball with his hands.

This is often referred to as the back-pass rule. Under this rule, the goalie cannot handle a pass that came directly from one of his team member. In this situation, he would have to use his feet to handle the ball.

This is by no means an exhaustive look at all of the basic soccer rules. However, this should give you a good start for understanding the game of soccer. There are many more detailed rules that explain other aspects of soccer beyond the scope of this article.

Good resources can be found on the FIFA’s website (this stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association – soccer is known as football in every country of the world except America). You can also consult a soccer coach or enthusiast for a better understanding of basic soccer rules.

Soccer Fights Interrupted to hold matches.

Throughout the world the game of soccer is a passion for many fans and unfortunately, this passion often is demonstrated when rival teams play soccer, fights often break out causing mayhem and injury. Most of the fights may begin with players on the field but many times, they are the result of fan interaction as they attempt to show who is more passionate about their favorite team.
Historically, the game of hockey presented more violence, but it was usually between the players. With soccer fights, they may begin as an altercation between players, but the fans are not bashful about joining in the fracas. Many instances of fan violence have made news programs around the world and it is not always about the players. In once incident, following a team’s loss, fans came out of the stand and attacked a referee, with a couple of fans holding him down and others hitting and kicking him as he struggled to get off the field. Other fans tried to come to his rescue but had little luck freeing his from the clutches of angry fans.
In another incident, two fans were apparently having words in the stands during a soccer game and when one turned his back and stood up, the one behind him kicked him in the back, sending him tumbling down the bleacher, before hitting his head on a metal gate at the bottom. Passion and emotions are common among players from all sports, but the majority of soccer fights escalate when fans in the stands join in on-field fights or start their own physical disagreements.
Fans Seldom Face Same Penalties As Players
Quite often players are suspended or banned for a set number of games following soccer fights in which they were involved. In many cases of soccer fights among fans, it is difficult to tell who started the problem and unless there is a clear instigator, fans seldom are found in legal trouble as a result of the fight. Players have also been removed from a game for using racial epithets towards players of other countries who have a different skin color.
There are few other sports in which emotions run so high as to have the fans join in physical contact than in soccer. There have been so many soccer fights within the past few years that there is a running joke among sportscasters about interrupting the fight to present a soccer game.

Soccer Teams: Navigation Common Problems

An athletic team is like a family. In a family there is love, there are rivalries, and there are even issues with parents. Every member has a unique set of characteristics for which they are known. Families also have problems that they have to deal with and soccer teams are no different. Fortunately, just as with a family, the problems faced by soccer teams can easily be solved.
The Ball Hog
Most soccer teams are made up of at least one ball hog. This individual may or may not play like an all-star, but they sure think they’re the most valuable asset to the team. They rarely pass the ball. Instead a ball hog will attempt to make lots of shots, most of which are very bad. They would rather attempt to score a risky point with a bad shot instead of passing to an open teammate for an easy score.
When the opposing team recognizes a ball hog, they will usually double team him and cause him to lose control of the ball. His own teammates may fell that the best way to handle the ball hog is to avoid passing the ball to him altogether – to pretend he is invisible. However, this kind of treatment can greatly damage the morale and effectiveness of soccer teams.
The best way to handle a ball hog is to go directly to your coach. Let your coach talk to the alleged ball hog and you continue playing as you normally would. Some stern correction form your coach along with his watchful eye should remedy the problem.
The Bigger Player
Soccer teams come in all shapes and sizes. While this can be a good thing, it can also mean that each player will occasionally encounter an opponent who is much bigger than they are. The opponent may be a fair sportsman who plays by the rules but is just too big for you to feel anything more than helpless.
One way to face a larger opponent is to simply use his own size against him. Try to get in his way when he has the ball so that it’s harder for him to control the ball. He’ll either change directions or slow down. This will make it easier for your fellow players to steal the ball from him.
This is just a sampling of problems that soccer teams face. The solutions provided for these problems should help you come include your teammates in the process of overcoming other difficulties you may face.

Wearing the proper soccer shoes will prevent injury.

When you play soccer, or any sport, you must ensure that you’re wearing the proper footwear so that you don’t injure yourself. Now, if you’re playing in gym class, or in a situation where you’re on a hardwood surface, any non slip gym shoe will do. However, soccer shoes are meant to be played on a grassy field. That means they have to be specially made not to slip on the grass so that the player doesn’t get injured. For that reason, soccer shoes are made with cleats, or pointy metal barbs on the bottom, that are designed to dig into the grass, thus giving the player speed but they also prevent the player from slipping so that they don’t get injured. When playing with cleats, though, you need to be careful that you don’t injure other players. With all that kicking at the ball, injuries can happen but with certain precautions you can play safely and have fun.
Dig In
Soccer shoes are built with cleats that are meant to dig into the field. This allows the player to gain traction where they normally wouldn’t have any. They can also pivot easier, which allows them to get past other players as they move for the goal. If they didn’t have cleats, they would slip and fall, especially if the grass was wet, and they wouldn’t be able to get around other players as much. That’s why soccer players can’t just wear any shoes if they hope to avoid injury and play well, they must wear proper soccer shoes with cleats designed to dig into the grass and dirt.
Avoiding Injury
Because soccer shoes have cleats, the possibility for injury is greater. If you’ve ever watched a group of soccer players vie for the ball, you probably saw them standing around the ball kicking at it. This brings those cleats awfully close to other players’ shins, which can cause bruising, cuts or even breaks. For that reason, you have to be careful when wearing soccer shoes. Keep your feet on the ground or on the ball but keep them away from other players’ shins so that everyone can stay injury free.
You can find soccer shoes at any sporting goods store or even on the internet. Just remember that if you’re playing with friends in a fun, friendly game, regular tennis shoes should do the trick. If you’re playing on an actual team, competitively, then you want to get real soccer shoes to prevent injury and so that you can play at your best.

Soccer fied dimensions.

As with all games it is important that rules are standardized. This standardization allows for the fairness of play so that all players know the limitations, how the game is played and that the game is the same game regardless of where the game is played.
One aspect of the standardized items are seen when games are played on a certain size playing area. Examples of these games can include the game of football, ice hockey, baseball, etc. Another popular game that is played on a standardized field is the game of soccer.
As with all of the other games played on a standardized field it is important that the soccer field dimensions are the same. The soccer field dimensions include the various marked areas on the field and the size of the goal.
The Marked Areas On The Field
When discussing soccer field dimensions, there are seven basic areas that comprise an adult field. Those seven areas include the length and the width of the field, the centerline, the center circle, the penalty area, the penalty mark, the goal area and the corner kick circle.
Specifically, the soccer field dimensions call for a field that is 100 yards long and is 60 yards in width. This field is dissected with a midway line that runs the entire width of the soccer field. This line is called the mid-field line. Also, in the middle of the field is an area called the center circle. This center circle is 10 yards in circumference and reflects the area where the defenders must stay outside its boundaries at the beginning of kick off.
At both ends of the soccer field is an area called the penalty area. The soccer field dimensions of the penalty area reflect a box that is 44 yards wide by 18 yards. Additionally, this penalty area includes an arc shape that is 10 yards in proximity from the penalty mark. The penalty mark is that area inside the penalty box and is 12 yards from the end line of the field.
Also, lying within the penalty area is a smaller rectangular box that measures 20 yards by 6 yards in depth. This area is known as the goal area and is centered on the goal.
The last important soccer field dimensions are seen in the corner kick area. This circular area is 1 yard in diameter and is found on each corner of the playing field.
Size Of Goal
The last remaining soccer field dimension item is the size of the goal. The standard dimensions of an adult soccer goal are 8 feet in height by 24 feet in width.

If only we knew for certain who invented Soccer.

Any discussion about who invented soccer will naturally veer around to England where the game was first organized and which has evolved over the centuries and the modern version of soccer is certainly the offshoot of the game invented in England. According to legend, the first ball used in soccer was that of a head of a Danish brigand. By the time the fourteenth century arrived, the popularity of soccer had reached great heights even though the monarch of that time King Edward the Third banned it from being played.
Japan And China Have Early Reports Of The Game Having Been Played Even Before Christ
However, there are also other claimants as to who invented soccer, with it having also having been known to have been played in Japan around the year 1000 B.C. and, according to the Munich Ethnological Museum in Germany, there have also been found some Chinese text from the year 50 B.C. that also have mention of games similar to soccer having been played in that country. What is sure; however is that there was soccer played in the year 611 AD in the capital of Japan of that time in a place named Kyoto?
So, there is considerable confusion about who invented soccer since even the Romans had played a soccer style game that involved twenty-seven men per side and the game was so rough and ready that at the end of the fifty minute game most of the players had to be sent to a hospital.
The problem with identifying exactly who invented soccer is that there are no certain records about the game and its origins, and thus there is no clear explanation of how the game moved from Asia to Europe.
What is clear is that soccer was played in England even in spite of the ban by King Edward the Third, and by the turn of the nineteenth century, there were even annual contests being played in north as well as central England, and perhaps the earliest recorded instance of such matches refers to the year 1829 when a match was played in Derbyshire in which there were many “broken skins, broken heads, torn coats and lost hats.”
And, though this does not provide us with any clearer picture of who invented soccer, there were even records that the game had been played at Eton college where early forms of rules were implemented in the year 1815, which suggest that some form of order came to be known in place of the chaos up until that time.
So, even though one cannot say for certain who invented soccer, what is certain is that the English played the game in spite of the bans imposed, and they later came to even export the game to almost all parts of the world, which today is without a doubt the most viewed game on the planet, and is a bigger sport than any other sport is it baseball, basketball and American football all combined as one.

Soccer positions may change according to style of play.

Soccer positions can change according to style of play, and team strategies. The most usual strategy is to have a 3-5-2 formation that has three defenders, five mid-fielders and two strikers and of course the goalkeeper. In this form of play, the three defenders can expect to handle one or two strikers from the opposing team, and they will feel more confident if the midfield is strong as well. The attackers, in such a formation are usually going to play wide rather than in the middle.
3-5-2 Formation
In the 3-5-2 style of play, the soccer positions will also require that the wide midfielders fall back to support the defense when the opposing team attacks, while the central midfielders may hang on to the ball in order to build up a more potent attack. The idea is to hold on to the ball and thus convert the play from defense into attack. With the team using five midfielders in their formation, it is normal to have two wide wingers that will control and also dominate those soccer positions, and who will use their creativity to make more opportunities to score goals.
Midfielders are very vital to the team and these soccer positions are filled by team members that have exceptional fitness, and it is normal for them to switch to the inside and thus get some rest in between plays, and it also helps in confusing the opposing team as such play is not easily defended on a man to man basis. Also, the central midfield soccer positions are very conducive to controlling the tempo as well as for creating plays.
The other soccer positions that are very important and must be filled with players of exceptional skills, speed and control are the front men or strikers or forwards, as they are also known. Such soccer positions are usually filled by players that can bring the ball under control very quickly, and shooting for goal can be done from all parts of the field. It is normal to have two strikers working closely with one another and that is why they are often referred to as ‘twin strikers’. They help in drawing out defenders from their positions by changing their own positions, and given their alacrity, can easily tire out the defense of the opposing team.
The last of the soccer positions is filled by the person that guards the team’s goal and who is the last line of defense and who plays an important role in keeping the team from losing. He is the person that can use hands, though within the ‘D’ only, and is also the person saving penalties and preventing the ball from crossing the goal line.
Of course, the soccer positions can change as the formation is changed which in turn depends on the opposing team’s strength and their style of play. And, it is also based on the coach’s own perception of how his team will best beat the opposing team.

The History Of Soccer Is Long And Glorious

The history of soccer begins at different times in different countries, and there have been games like soccer around for many hundreds of years. There seems to be some evidence that the history of soccer begins in China where it is still played with enthusiasm. Even during the ancient Roman Empire there is evidence that a game resembling modern soccer was played. The history of soccer is related to a game that was played in Europe many hundreds of years ago. The rules of the games played during ancient times were similar in some ways to the modern game but different in other ways depending on where the games were played.
The first organized games in the history of soccer can be traced to the present day United Kingdom. During the sixteenth century, the history of soccer continues when the first games were organized by school officials. These officials believed that the game was good for the students in their charge. The history of soccer continues as rules and regulations were established so the game could be played in an organized fashion. The first players of organized soccer actually wrote of the history of soccer based on their experience with a game that they enjoyed.
The History Of Soccer Includes An Evolution In The Rules
Some of the first rules were recorded in Cambridge, England in 1848. These rules were compiled by officials from some of the oldest and most famous British secondary schools. Although some schools and their players followed these rules, other players changed the rules to their own standards. A football association was established in 1863 in London. The first rules included guidance for the way that the ball could be handled by the players. Throughout the history of soccer different groups met to agree on the rules that all could use. Some of the players used these rules for all of their matches so there would be some uniformity in the game.
The modern game of soccer is watched by millions of people, and the rules for the game are carefully followed by the players. Those that do not follow these rules suffer from the penalties established by an international organization. The history of soccer began hundreds of years ago, but the game has grown in popularity through the years and now this game is the most popular in the world. It is not the most popular game in the United States, but it continues to gain popularity. The greatest players of the game are often the most popular people in their native countries where they are paid millions of dollars.

Famous soccer players

Famous soccer players That Are Also Amongst The Richest Sportspersons In The World Today
Soccer originated in England which also has the oldest football club in the world called Sheffield FC, and even today soccer is the sport most watched by fans all across the world and is also known as football except of course in America.
Strode Like Colossal Figures Over The Football Stage
There have also been many famous soccer rivalries including those in England, Scotland and in Spain and there have been famous soccer players such as Pele, Maradonna, Bobby Charlton, Eusebio, Johann Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Ronaldo, Beckham and many more that have strode the football stage as real colossal figures revered and adored throughout the world for their excellent prowess in soccer.
There are some soccer players that though they do not fall in the category of famous soccer players are still nevertheless in the record books such as Stephan Stanis from France who scored sixteen goals in a single game in December 1942 for his club Racing Club de Lens. Also, the fastest goal scored goes to Ricardo Olivera who scored within 3 seconds of the game starting in 1998.
Famous soccer players such as Maradonna debuted in world soccer at the tender age of sixteen for his home team Argentina and another famous soccer player was Eusebio who had the honor of scoring forty-six goals for Benfica in the European Cup.
However, no one would argue that the Brazilians have produced the most famous soccer players thanks to the flair and imagination with which they play the game. From legends such as Pele to the current superstars such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho there little doubts the talents of these famous soccer players. Of course, pride of place amongst these galaxies of famous soccer players goes to the undisputed king of soccer Pele, who has scored more than one thousand two hundred goals, and even years after his retirement, one can still not help but admire his sublime skills when one watches his matches on video.
Famous soccer players such as Ronaldo who came from a poor background have reaped many financial benefits and are probably amongst the richest as far as sporting personalities are concerned. Another great, Diego Maradonna has excited fans whenever he touches the football, though he later had many drug related problems and is currently retired.
As recently as the last World Cup in 2006 in Germany, one witnessed the famous head butting incident involving French World Cupper Zinedine Zidane who is another of the many famous soccer players, who however suffered the ignominy of being red carded during the finals in 2006.
The English too have a very famous soccer player in David Beckham, who is a very influential midfielder renowned for his pinpoint passes and excellent free kicks. The list of famous soccer players goes on and on, and if one were to list them all it would indeed make up a very lengthy list.