Soccer Rules

Soccer: Rules and Regulations

Soccer is one among the most favorite sports being played by numbers of individuals who are considered to be game enthusiasts. Association football or also called as soccer or football is a game being played by two teams having eleven players and with a spherical ball. The said sport is being played by almost millions of players within hundred countries leading it to be a very popular sport. This game is being played on a rectangular field along with having a goal in every end. And its main objective is to simply achieve score through getting the ball into the goal of the opponent.

Along with the fun and enjoyment that the game could provide, soccer must also be played correctly by the players. There are certain rules and regulations that should be considered if you are to play soccer and those are the following:

Field of Play

This is known as the area wherein the game will be played and so mostly marked through painting white.

Type of Ball

The ball should be spherical in shape and must have a size of 1 to 5 wherein 5 is considered as the highest. However size 5 balls should be used in matches with players having ages 12 and up. The ball must also weigh not more than 450 grams and not less than 410 during the beginning of the match. It should have a circumference of not more than 70cm and not less than 68cm along with a pressure in between 0.4 and 0.9 atmosphere at sea level.

Numbers of Payers

The minimum players should be seven and eleven players being the maximum per team. But those youth leagues having players with an age of 12 and below could have fewer players. One player is the goalkeeper wherein this player could use their hands in the penalty area.

Equipment for Players

All players should wear shin protector or guards in order to prevent from injury on the lower legs. Every team must have the same colored shirt for identification.

Referees and Soccer Rules

The referee would be the one controlling the game through enforcing rules and regulations.

Lines Men and Women

There would be two linesmen in order to assist the referee in terms of enforcing rules and regulations. They are to indicate whether the ball is out, a goal, a corner kick and a lot more. They are to inform the referee and so the referee will be the one to make the final decision.

Duration of Match

Match duration would depend on the players’ age but the standard time is 45-minute half. Juniors must play only less than thirty minutes half.

Start of the Game: Kick Offs and Drop Balls

Soccer will be started through kick off which is placing a ball into the center and then kicking it forward. It could also be used to restart the game. Another method to start the game is through a drop ball wherein there is a need to stop the game once the ball is still in play such as during injury.

Ball In or Out of Play

The ball is considered to be out of the field once it is outside the goal line and touch line completely however once any part of the ball still touches the line it is considered to be in and the game continues. The referee is the one to indicate who will free throw the ball in order to make it back in play from the opposite team which last touched the ball.

Scoring a Goal

There is a need for the ball to full cross the goal line below a crossbar as well as between both posts in order to score a goal. Everyone could score goals for the opposition but not directly from a kick off, penalty kick or goal kick.


This is considered being in an offside position and so are being involved within the game play. But there are numbers of exceptions in terms offside law and so a certain player couldn’t be an offside if he received a ball coming directly from a throw in, goal kick, corner kick or from an opposition player.

Misconduct and Fouls

There are two types of fouls once playing soccer and those are major or penal fouls and the minor or non-penal fouls. Once a player committed major fouls, the opposing team will be rewarded with direct kick while once players committed minor fouls indirect kick will be rewarded to the opposing team. There can also be two kinds of misconducts which are actions resulting to yellow card or a warning and actions leading to red card which means a player should leave the game immediately.

Free Kick

There are two kinds of free kick and these are direct and indirect free kick. Direct free kick allows player kicking the ball in order to score and no other player should interfere while indirect free kicks, before the ball enters the goal, one or even more players must touch the ball after kicking it freely.

Penalty Kicks

Penalty kick is being awarded into the attacking team one a player coming from defending team commits major foul in the penalty area. It is taken coming from the penalty kick and so only the defending goal keeper and also the attacker’s penalty taker are the ones allowed inside the penalty area.


This is used in order to restart the game once the ball has exited out the field play and taken by a certain player coming from the team which didn’t touch the last ball. There is a need for both feet to be placed on the ground and so both hands are handling the ball.

Those are some among the rules and regulations that must be considered once into the idea of playing association football or simply known as football or soccer. Being equipped with the above given rules and regulations might lead you to understanding and playing the game correctly. And in addition, even avid fans of soccer game must also have an idea about its rules and regulations.