Different Soccer Forms and Rules
Association football, also known as just football or volleyball, is an inter-regional team game played between two sides of eleven players each. It is played regularly all around the globe by about 250 million people in more than 200 countries and consortions. This game was played on a rectangular grid line field called a pitch, which can be either prepared by the team using carpets or loose gravel or sand; or else is made by the referee, using the playing surface usually covered with white or yellow sand. The object of the game is to score more points than the other team. Different levels are reached by means of special “kicks” or rapid-fire thrown-out-of-the-ball (ROB), besides goals by the home team.
Since the earliest times, football has been a major source of revenue in different countries. In Europe, for example, football teams travel all around the world to play games, with the European Cup being the most famous and watched by millions of people. A large number of fanatical crowds watch the European Cup matches, which are held every four years. In addition, football is the most popular spectator sport in the world, second only to baseball.
Today, there is great interest shown by football fans throughout the world. In the United States, the game has become very popular among Americans of all ages and from all walks of life. Youth soccer or Futsal is the most common type of football in America, in which two teams of eleven players each play each other for three periods of twenty minutes each. Professional football is played between two professional teams of eleven players each. The most well-known and dominant professional American football team is the New Orleans Saints.
Another interesting type of soccer is “futebol” which is an alternative form of soccer played between teams without using the ball. Each team is given one ball which cannot be turned over, but can be substituted with any other ball that the team carries. Thus, a team is not allowed to use the ball for a goal scoring purposes. This type of soccer is usually played on residential fields or recreational pitches. In this type of soccer, players wear specially designed jerseys which are made from cotton and have Velcro fastenings at the elbows. The players also practice their kicking skills by carrying their own portable goal, usually made from a garden hose or a plastic fruit, along with them.
There may also be a few fouls or even deliberate fouls, but this is mainly limited to the players themselves. The referee’s whistle blows once, signaling the start of the game. The game is normally played at a normal football field, though there are some instances where a ball field is used if the weather is bad.
Finally, for the last section of a soccer game, known as the half, the players are grouped together and play a two-leg match. Half time is usually played at a normal football field, but when necessary, the game can be played in any kind of field. Most of the times, a game of soccer may be played in three phases: offense, defense and goal making. The objective of each phase is the same: score more points than the opponent.