Contents
The Soccer Field
Soccer Basics
Soccer Playing Fundamentals
Soccer Positions
Soccer Formations
Offsides in Soccer
Soccer Set Plays
Soccer Referees and Fouls
Soccer Leagues and Competitions
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- Layout of the soccer field, rules, and game play
- Positions, tactics, and strategies that teams use to win at soccer
- Basics of soccer leagues and tournaments, including the World Cup
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The Soccer Field
Soccer—called football in nearly every country other than the United States—is a sport played on a rectangular field made of grass or artificial turf. The field is called a pitch in countries other than the United States.
Dimensions
Soccer is always played on a rectangular field, but the field’s dimensions can vary. All soccer fields must be between 100–130 yards long and 50–100 yards wide. In international games, or games in which the national teams of two countries play against each other, the field must be between 110–120 yards long and 70–80 yards wide.
Markings and Objects on the Field
Every soccer field is marked by white lines that define the field and its parts. Though a soccer field’s overall length and width can vary, many of the parts of the field must always fit certain exact measurements.
- Sidelines: Sidelines define the lengthwise boundaries of the field. When the ball crosses over a sideline, it is out of bounds. The sidelines are also called touchlines.
- Goal lines: Goal lines mark the widthwise boundaries of the field. When the ball crosses over a goal line, it is out of bounds.
- Center line: The center line divides the field in half across the width of the field.
- Center circle: The center circle is a circle 20 yards in diameter around the midpoint of the center line.
- Penalty area: Also referred to as the 18-yard box or just the box, the penalty area is a rectangle 44 yards wide and 18 yards long, and is centered at each end of the field. A penalty arc intersects the top of the box. The arc is a semicircle with a 10-yard radius, and its center is the penalty mark.
- Goal area: A smaller rectangle within the penalty area, the goal area is 20 yards wide and 6 yards long, and is centered at each end of the field. The edge of the box that’s parallel to the goal line is often referred to as the six-yard line.
- Goal: The goal is a net set over a rectangular frame, made up of two vertical goalposts and a horizontal crossbar. The goal is 24 feet wide and 8 feet tall, and is centered along the goal line.
- Penalty mark: A small mark that sits 12 yards away from the goal line, the penalty mark is centered directly in front of the goal.
- Corner arcs: The corner arcs are four quarter circles drawn at a 1-yard radius from each corner of the field.
- Flags: Small flags on bendable poles located at each corner of the field help officials tell when a ball crosses over a sideline or a goal line or when it goes out of bounds in the corner area.
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