How football is played?

The Popularity of football

The game of football has been quite a popular sport around the globe to an extent that almost every individual out there, seems to understand and to enjoy this game. However, there are those few individuals who do not understand the game and thus might be asking how football is played? Well, widely renowned as football, this game, also known as soccer.

It is quite an interesting game that is played with an inflated round ball by two teams all assembled on a rectangular field known as the pitch and with each team having a goal post situated behind its team members, to the far end of the field and with the main objective being to score a goal and to acquire points, simply by kicking the ball into the opposing team’s goal post. That said therefore, the team with the most scores and of course more points wins the game. However, there are situations when the game might end in a tie or to put it simple, a draw.

Play football the simple way

Quite an enjoyable game indeed, but you have to know how football is played? If you are to fully get absorbed into it. Interestingly, it is the main football rules that not only makes this game quite interesting and enjoyable but also what football is meant to be. Ideally, soccer or football is played with eleven players to each side of the team, totaling to 22 players at one particular moment, unless in exceptional cases.

Every side, has a goal keeper, that stands in front of the their team’s goal post to prevent the ball from going inside the post.The goal keeper is allowed to use either of their limbs or even their head, whichever way necessary in the area in front of the goal. However, the players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands while inside the pitch, and instead are to control the ball by either their feet, their knees, heard or their torso and mostly by using their feet, unless when the ball goes out of the field or out of bounds is when they can throw it back into the field using their hands.

Inside the pitch, players are categorized into various positions, but are typically divided into 3 groups. That is the forwards, the midfielders and the defenders. The forwards primary duty is to attack offensively with a bid to score, the midfielders help to control the ball for their team members, while the defenders role is to protect or to help the goalkeeper prevent their opponents from scoring.

The Game Officials

Additionally, there is the referee along with two assistant referees who watches and mediates over the game.The referee roams the field and is the main judge who decides on a score, penalty or any other infractions.

The assistants patrols the sidelines of the pitch to check on when the ball goes out of the field,an offside player. The players on both side of the team have distinct uniforms that they have to put on to differentiate them as opponents, which include a jersey, short, shin guards, socks and cleats.

Duration of a football game

Typically, the full length of the game is 90 minutes, split into 45 minutes halves. Although an extra time can be given by the referee to cover or make up for the injury stoppages.The game is played in such a way that the teams alternates to occupy the other half of the field after every 45 minutes.

Moreover, each half begins with one of the team making a kick off from a designated center and then the game runs for another 45 minutes before alternating the teams to the other ends of the pitch. Apart from the players not being allowed to deliberately touch the ball using their hands, players are also prohibited from acts such as tripping, kicking to pushing or even impending their opponents.

They also can not play while offside, to mean that when they are closer to the opponents goal line than any of the opponents except the goal keeper at the time they are passed the ball.

After 90 minutes the game is technically finished. However, an extra time can always be added, or two short overtime if at all there is a tie or a draw at the end of the regulation. Otherwise, if the score is still a draw over the extra time a shoot out is held to determine the winner, where every team volunteers 5 players to attempt the penalty shoot outs until such a time that the a winner is determined.