INDEX

1) History
2) Rules
3) Playfield and Equipment
4) Tournament and Venues
5) Important Personalities and
Awards
6) Fundamental Skills and
Terminology
7) Common injuries and Prevention
8) Specific Warming up and
conditioning
HISTORY OF FOOTBALL
The contemporary History of the world’s favorite game spans
more than 100 years, If all began in 1863 in England, when
rugby football and association football branched off on their
different courses and the football Association in England was
formed – becoming the sport’s first government body.

Both codes stemmed from a common root and both have a long
and intricately branched ancestral tree. A search down the
centuries reveals at least half a dozen different games, varying to
different degrees, and to which the historical development of
football has been traced back. Whether this can be justified in
some instances is disputable, Nevertheless, the fact remains that
people have enjoyed kicking a ball about for thousands of years
and there is absolutely no reason to consider it an aberration of
the more natural form of playing a ball with the hands.

On the contrary, apart from the need to employ the legs and feet
in tough tussles for the ball, often without any laws for protection,
it was recognized right at the outset that the art of controlling the
ball with the feet was not easy and as such required no small
measure of skill, The very earliest form of the game for which
there is scientific evidence was an exercise from a military
manual dating back to the second and third centuries BC in
China.

This Han Dynasty forebear of football was called Tsu’ Chu and it
consisted of kicking of a leather ball filled with feathers and hair
through on opening measuring only 30 – 40 cm in width, into a
small net fixed onto long bamboo canes, According to one
variation of this exercise, the player was not permitted to aim at
his target unimpeded, but had to use his feet, chest, back and
shoulders while trying to withstand the attacks of his opponents.
Use of the hands was not permitted.

Another form of the game, also originating from the Far East, was
the Japanese Kemari, which began some 500-600 years and is
still played today. This is a sport lacking the competitive element
of Tsu’ Chu with no struggle for possession involved. Standing
in a circle, the players had to pass the ball to each other, in a
relatively small space, trying not to let it touch the ground.

The Greek “Epikyros” – at which few concrete details survive –

was much livelier, as was the Roman “Harpastum”. The latter
was played ut with a smaller ball by two teams on a rectangular
field marked by boundary lines and as players passed it between
themselves, trickery was the order of the day, The Game
remained popular for 700 – 800 year, but although the Romans
took it to Britain with them, the use of feet was so small as to
scarcely be of consequences.
The Rules of Football
The rules of football are officially referred to as
the “Laws of the Game” the Laws of the Game
Are described very precisely (approximately 150
pages) on the FIFA website.

There are 17 laws in total, each one briefly

summarized below.

Field of Play: The game can be played on either natural or

artificial surfaces, the surface must be green and rectangular in
shape. The two long sides of the rectangle are called touch lines
and the two shorter sides are called goal lines. The field is divided
in half by the halfway line.
Ball: Must be spherical, made of leather ( or similar ) 68-70 cm
in circumference and of a certain pressure.

Number of Players: Two teams of no more that 11 players ( one

of which is the goalkeeper), A game cannot start if either team
has less than 7 players.

Equipment : Player must wear a jersey, Stockings, Shinguards

and Footwear.

Referee : The Referee ensures the Laws of the Game are

respected and upheld.

Assistant Referee : There may be at most 2 assistant referees.

Duration of the Match : The game is played in a 2 halves

consisting of 45 minutes each. The half time interval must not
exceed more than 15 minutes. At the discretion of the referee
more time is allowed to compensate for any stoppage during play
e.g. Due to substitutions or care and attention of injured players.

Start and Restart of Play : A kick-off starts play at the start of

the match or after a goal, A Kick-off involves one player kicking
the ball, from stationary, forward from the centre spot. All
players must be in their own half prior to kick-off. A coin is
tossed pre-game, the team which loses are awarded the kick-off to
start the game whilst the team that win the toss are allowed to
choose which direction they want to play. After half time the
teams switch direction and the other team will kick-off. After a
goal scored, the team which conceded the goal will kick-off.
After a goal is scored, the team which conceded the goal will
kick-off to restart play.

Ball in and out of Play : The ball is out of play once a goal has
been scored or when the referee has stopped the game. The ball is
play at all other times.

Method of Scoring : The ball crosses the goal line inside the
goal mouth.

Offside: It is an offence for a player to be in contact with the ball

when they are closer to the opponents’ goals than both the ball
and the second last opponent. The offside rule exists to ensure
there are always receiving the ball and the goal. Without the
offside rule, play can become boring with repeated long balls
being kicked to a player stood next to the goal keeper for an easy
goal.

Foul/Misconduct: There are many and varied, broadly speaking

it is an office to use excessive force whilst playing the game
either deliberately or deliberately or to handle the ball (unless you
are a goal keeper), The Referee may show the yellow card to
caution players for less serious offences and the red card for more
serious offences resulting in the player being sent off. Two
yellow cards are equivalent to one red card.
Free Kicks: Are given by the referee for fouls and misconduct,
A free kick can either be direct or indirect, A goal can be scored
directly from a direct free kick. A Goal can only be scored from
an indirect free kick if it touches at least one other player first.
The free Kick must be taken from a stationary position with that
position varying depending an whether the free kick was given
inside or outside the goal area and whether it’s direct or indirect,
The opposing team must be a minimum of 9.16m from the ball
when the free kick is taken.

Penalty Kicks: Are given against a team when they commit an

offence which would normally be awarded a direct kick inside
their goal area. The ball is kicked from stationary from the
penalty spot. The opposing team must be outside of the penalty
area and at least 9.15 m from the ball.

Throw In: Used to restart play after the whole of the ball has
crossed the touch line.

Goal Kick: Used to restart play after a goal has been scared.

Corner Kick: Is given when the whole of the ball crosses the
goal line and was last touched by a member of the defending team
( and no goal was scored). A corner kick is taken from inside the
corner are closed to the point where the ball crosses the goal line,
The defending team must be at least 9.15m from the ball when
the corner kick is taken.
 FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES

Field Dimensions for a regulation soccer field

The Goal

The adult soccer goal is 24 feet wide by 8 feet high.

Overall Field Dimensions

The overall dimensions is 100 yards long and 60 yards

wide (also 360ft 11 in x 246 ft 1in, 110 x 75 m)

Midfield – Line
The middle of the field is divided lengthwise by the
midfield line.

Center Circle

In the center of the field there is a 10 yard circle which

defenders must stay out of at the start of play.

Penalty Area

A rectangular box 44 yards wide by 18 yards deep, is

centered on the goal. Fouls committed in this area result in
a penalty kick

Football field dimensions Penalty Marks

The Penalty mark is 12 yards from the end line, inside the
penalty area where penalty kicks are placed.

Goal Area
The goal area is a box, box are 20 yards wide by 6 yards
deep inside the penalty area, also centered on the goal.
This box marks the area from which a goal kick must be
placed.

Corner Kick Circle

A one yard quarter circle is marked on each corner of the

field, indicating where a player must place the ball prior to
a corner kick.

FIFA (INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

INTERNATIONAL

National Teams

* FIFA World Cup

* FIFA Women’s World Cup
* FIFA Confederation Cup
* Summer Olympic Games (FIFA Unofficial)
National Youth Teams

* FIFA U-20 World Cup (Under 20 Men)

* FIFA U-17 World Cup (Under 17 Men)
* FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (Under 20 Women)
* FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (Under 17 Women)
* Summer Youth Olympic Games (FIFA Unofficial)

Clubs

* FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA Headquarters

The Headquarters of FIFA {German: FIFA Hauptquartier} is a

distinctive complex in zurinch, The complex has served as the
official headquarters of FIFA since its completion in 2006. It is
located on the Zurichberg a wooded hill in District 7.

The complex included a fitness center a meditation room,

geographically themed parks and a full size international football
pitch.

Important personalities in FIFA

President : Sepp Blatter

Vice President : Prince All Bin Al Hussein
Awards
FIFA World Player of the Year
FIFA Bollon of Or

FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS

Introduction

Ball control is the foundation for all aspects of the game and a
source of motivation for young players because it feels good to be
at ease with the ball.

The ability to control the ball is the key to many other skills, and
juggling is also a very good way to practice ball control, getting
familiar with the ball and gaining confidence, Generally speaking,
it is not difficult to master a technical skill, but it does become
harder as the game conditions change.

Therefore, a player can only master the technique of controlling

the ball if the coordinates the various parts of his/her body.
Furthermore, the learning aspect depends on the number of the
method to be used.

As a young player develops, his/her technical skills will set the

foundations for good development and enable him/her to
experience all of the joy that football can bring.

In grassroots football, the basic techniques can be divided into

four categories.

* Controlling the ball

* Running with the ball
* Passing the ball
* Shooting

1. Controlling the Ball

Controlling
To control the ball is to master it, Properly controlling the ball
means that a move will be successful. The control movements to
focus on are : directed control movements to focus on are:
directed control and gathering the ball while moving – these
introduce speed into the play.
Juggling
If repeated regularly, juggling develops the skills of dexterity, co
ordination and balance in young footballers. These skills favour
the more rapid acquisition of other techniques.

2. Running with the ball

Running with the ball

This is how an individual moves in free space with the ball, when
a player is running well with the ball. He/she is in control of it at
all times, this requires good balance and excellent stability.
Running with the ball while keeping the head up allows a
continuous flow of information to be received and allows
movement to be adapted to play.

Drilling
This is how an individual moves with the ball when faced by
opponents/obstacles. Dribbling allows the player in possession
of the ball to eliminate one or more opponents by :

 Making a manoeuver and taking individual risks;

 Setting up a team move;
 Gaining time to allow support from team-mates;
 Deceiving an opponents (the concept of the feint).

3. Running with the ball

This is the action of giving the ball to a team –mate, it is an
essential part of team play. As the care of the game, passing
allows a team to;

 Keep possession of the ball;

 Set up attacks;
 Change the direction of play;
 Counter-attach;
 Provide a decisive or final pass;
Crosses are a type of short or long pass, usually leading to a shot,
they serve as the last pass.

4. Shooting

This is an action with the objective of dispatching the ball into the
opponent’s goal. It is the logical conclusion, the culmination of
an attach. It is what football is all about, shooting requires
technical qualities (striking the ball well, accuracy), physical
qualities ( Power, coordination, balance ) and mental qualities
(determination, audacity, self-confidence).

FOOTBALL TERMS
o Attacker : A player whose job is to play the ball forward
towards the opponent’s goal are to create a scoring
opportunity.
o Back Heel : A ball kicked using the back ( heal ) of the foot.

o Back Pass : A pass that a player makes back toward their

own goal, usually made back to the goalkeeper. This is
often a defensive move to restart a new phase of play.

o Ball Carrier: The player in possession of the ball.

o Bending the Ball : Striking the ball off – center so that it

travels in a curved path, ideally for shots at goal.

o Bicycle Kick: A Spectacular move in which a player jumps

in the air in a backflip motion, kicking the ball backward
over their head. The name comes from action which mimics
their legs moving as if peddling a bicyle.

o Center Spot: The spot marked at the center of the field from
which the kickoff is made.

o Confederation: Organization responsible for football in

their region.

o Corner Flag : The Flag marking each of the four corners of

the field.

o Corner Kick : A free kick taken from the corner of the

field by an attacker. The corner kick is awarded when the
ball pas passed over the goal line after last touching a
 defensive player. The shot is taken from the corner nearest
to where the ball went out.

o Cross : A pass played across the face of a goal.

o Defender : A player whose job is to stop the opposition

attacking player from goal scoring.

o Direct Face Kick : A free kick in which a goal may be

scored by the player taking the free kick.

o Dribble : Keeping control of the ball while running.

o Dummy Run: A run by a player without the ball, to lure

defenders away from the ball carrier.

o Far Post : The goalkeeper farthest from the ball.

o FIFA : The acdronym used for the Federation international

de Football Association, the World governing body for the
game of association football, which is based in Switzerland.

o Football: The term used for soccer in Europe and other

countries outside of Noth America and Australia.
o Foul : Any illegal play.

o Free Kick : A kick awarded to an opposition player when an

player has committed a foul. Free kicks can be either direct
or indirect.

o Futsal : Version of football played indoors.

o Give and Go: (Also known as a 1-2) When a player passes

the ball to a team mate, who immediately one touch passes
the ball back to the first player.

o Goal Area: The rectangular area in front of the goal in

which the goal keeper may handle the ball. It is also known
as the 18 – yard box because of it’s dimensions.

o Goal Kick: A goal kick is awarded to the defending team

when the ball is played over the goal line by the attacking
team. It can be taken by any player though it is normally
taken by the goal keeper.

o Goal line: The two boundary lines located at each end of the
field.

o Goal Mouth: The area in front of the goal.

o Goal Keeper: The specialized player who is the last line of
defense, who is allowed to control the ball with his hands
when in the goal area.

o Header: Using of the head to pass or control the ball.

o Indirect Free Kick: A free kick awarded to a player from

which a goal may not be scored directly.

o In swinger: A kick that curves in towards the goal.

o Kickoff: The kickoff is taken from the center spot at the

start of play at the beginning of each half and after a goal has
been scored.

o Man to man marking: A defensive system where defenders

are designated one attacking player to the track immediately

o Midfielder: The playing position for players that are

responsible for linking play between attackers and defenders.

o Near post: The goal post nearest the ball.

o Obstruction: Causing obstruction , which is blocking an

opponent with the body is penalized by awarding an indirect
free kick to the opposition.
o Offside Trap: A technique used by defenders to put
attacking players in an offside position, by moving quickly
away from their own goal to leave attackers offside.

o Offside : A player is in an off side position if he is nearer to

his opponent goal line than both the ball and the second - to-
last opponent. This does not apply if the players is on their
half of the field. An Indirect free kick is awarded to the
opposing team at the place where the off side occurred.

o One – touch pass : A pass in which the ball is played on

with a player first touch.

o Out Swinger: A Kick that swerves away from the goal.

o Penalty Spot: The marked spot 12 yards from the goal line
from which a penalty kick is taken.

o Penalty : A penalty kick is awarded when a foul has been

committed inside the penalty area in front of the goal. A
penalty is taken by one player opposed only by the goal
keeper.

o Pitch : The soccer field of play.

o Red Card: A red card is issued to a player when that player

has committed a serious infraction or has been issued with
two yellow cards within the same game. The red card held
 up by the referee to signal that a player is being sent off
cannot be replaced .

o Referee : The official who is in charge of the game.

o Shot : A Kick, header, or any intended deflection of the ball

toward a goal by a player attempting to score a goal.

o Sliding Tackle : A tackle in which the defender sides along

the surface of the field of play before making one-footed
contact with the ball.

o Striker: An attacking player whose job is to finish attacking

plays by scoring a goal.

o Sweeper : A defensive player whose job is to roam behind

the other defenders.
A sweeper has no specific marking duties and is the last line
of defense before the goalkeeper.

o Tackle : To take the ball away from the opponent using the
feet.

o Through Pass: A pass played past defenders into free space

to allow a teammate to run onto the ball.

o Throw-in : The ball is thrown in after the ball has crossed

the touch line. A player taking a throw in must have both
 feet on or behind the touch line. Must maintain contract with
the ground and must use a two-handed throw made from
behind the head. A goal cannot be score directly from a
throw-in.

o Toe Poke : Use of the toe to strike the ball.

o Touch Line : The line that defines the outer edge of the
longer sides of the field of play.

o Trapping the Ball : Controlling the ball with the sole of the
foot.

o Volley: Striking the ball in mid-air with either foot.

o Wingers : Attackers who play on the wings/flanks of the

field.

o Yellow Card : A yellow card is held up by a referee to

signal a caution for a minor infringement.

o Zone Defense : A defensive system where defenders mark a

designated are of the field of play instead of tracking players
across the field.

INJURIES
 An ankle sprain is the single most common injury in football,
Learn here why you should nevertheless not take it too lightly.
One of the most severe injuries in football is an anterior
cruciate ligament tear of the Knee.

THE SOCCER WARM UP

A good soccer warm up meets three important objectives.

1. Decreases the risk of injury

2. Increase agility, skill, power and performance.
3. Allows player to mentally prepare and focus on the game or
session at hand.

A cold muscle is stiff and rigid. Sudden twisting, turning and

stretching can place greater tension on muscle and connective
tissue than they can handle.

Warming up and stretching the active muscles in soccer can

decrease the risk of strains. Sprains and muscle tears.

Muscles can also produce energy faster when they are warm,
This can effect speed and power. Not to mention the ability to
 perform complex skills and movements with accuracy and
precision.

By also practicing some short, sharp drills, on effective soccer

warm up can get players in to the right state of “readiness”
right from the kick off.

Even if warming up for a training session, it’s good idea to

follow a set warm up routine.

Also bear in mind that a resting muscle is never warmed up no

matter what the outside temperature! It takes physical activities
to achieve the desired outcome.

Soccer warm up Activities and intensity

Include some light, general aerobic exercise – jogging, skipping,

running backwards, side stepping etc., at the start. Avoid
explosive movements at this stage and any sudden turning and
twisting actions.

You can then move onto to some light stretches..

Focus on the grains, hamstrings, quads and calve. Try doing

some dynamic stretches first – making circles with the arms and
ankles, gently kicking the air as if to kick a ball,
Turning from side to side at waist and so on.

Progress to

Static stretching exercise holding each stretch for 10 seconds or

so.

Prior to a match these light, general warm up activities should

become more soccer specific.

Short sprits, some twisting and turning movements and jumping

should start to feature, It’s also a good idea to add a ball or two.
The emphasis however, is still on the physical component ( rather
then touch and skill)

A ball is not necessary if you are simply warming up for a

training session.

Some skill work and passing drills can follow as intensity drops
for a few minutes. This is when player should as focus as much
on mentally preparing as physically warming up.

Soccer warm up should finish with some demanding drills that

mirror the intensity of a competitive game.

Keeping this section short (5 minutes at most) won’t tire the

players for the game but it will kick start their body’s ability to
buffer and remove lactic acid.
Duration of the soccer warm up

So many players immediately start shooting at goal, jumping for

crosses, and kicking the ball long across field as soon as they
step on the pitch.

Shooting and kicking long requires a maximal force of

contraction and a wide range of movement.
Shooting repetitively at goal before warming up is a sure – fire
was to pull or strain something.

Before a match a good 10-15 minutes is required at least

Although anything longer than 20 minutes can became too
depleting on the body’s energy reserves.

If the warm up is for a training session, 10 minutes is fine –

maybe – 15 minutes on particularly cold days.