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Soccer Rules Explained: A Quick Guide To All The Key Basics

25 May, 2026

Quick answer: soccer is played between two teams of 11 (10 outfield players plus a goalkeeper) over two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute interval. Only goalkeepers can handle the ball, and only inside their own penalty area. The team that scores the most goals wins. The Laws of the Game are written and updated by IFAB, with VAR now used in most top professional leagues. Legendary Dutch footballer and coach Johan Cruyff — the architect of...

Soccer Warm Up: Why It's Important + 12 Drills, Exercises and Stretches

25 May, 2026

Quick answer: a proper soccer warm-up runs roughly 30 minutes and works through three phases — dynamic stretches (forward lunges, high knees, heel flicks, jockeying), ball-control exercises (short sprints, zigzag dribbling, passing pairs), and match-situation drills (two-line combinations, passing grid, rondo, possession game). Skipping the dynamic stretches is the single biggest avoidable cause of soccer muscle injuries. The standard of...

Soccer Ball Size By Age: Full Chart (Sizes 1-5 Explained)

25 May, 2026

Quick answer: official soccer ball sizes run from Size 1 (mini) up to Size 5 (full adult ball). Most under-9s use a Size 3 (English FA guideline since 2020), under-13s use a Size 4, and players aged 12 and over use a Size 5 — the same ball used in the Premier League, La Liga and the World Cup. Age group Ball size Circumference Diameter Typical weight 2 (toddler) Size 1 (Mini) ~420 mm ~130 mm Very light...

What Are The Rules In Futsal?

24 May, 2026

When the governance of futsal was taken over by football's international governing body FIFA in 1989, it marked a significant turning point for the sport. The first FIFA Futsal World Championship took place that year, and in the decades that have followed the game has continued becoming more closely aligned with soccer, while also growing in popularity across the globe. However, many people who don't play the sport are still unfamiliar with...

A Guide To Football Clubs In London (+ Which Premier League Teams Are Based There)

24 May, 2026

London is a city with a rich footballing history. Not only does this vast, sprawling metropolis hold more clubs than any other city in the UK (hardly a surprise given its estimated population of over 9 million), it was also the place where the official rules of association football were first put to paper. This was in 1861, when the inaugural meeting of the English Football Association took place at the Freemasons' Tavern on Great Queen...

The Community Shield: What It Is And Why Is It Important

24 May, 2026

For some people, football is all about trophies. Many clubs can only dream about the prospect of bringing home a major trophy and adding it to a glittering cabinet; however, at the world's biggest football clubs, all managers and coaches are ultimately judged on whether they're able to deliver silverware, whether that means consecutive domestic titles or European trophy wins. That being said, some trophies are seen as more important than...

What is the Hardest Position in Soccer? (Ranked)

16 May, 2026

Given that association football — otherwise known as soccer — is the world's most popular sport, it's no surprise that the beautiful game is the subject of near-constant debate from global fans of the game. And it's not just teams, managers, and players whose performances and skills get dissected by the masses, it's also the specific tactical roles they are supposed to be occupying on the soccer field . Football divides people (often in...

What Age Do Soccer Players Usually Retire? (And 5 Reasons Why)

16 May, 2026

One of the most-asked questions about a football career is when it ends. The honest answer is that it depends on the position, the player’s injury record, the level of league they play in, and how well they look after their body — but there is a clear central estimate. Short answer: Most male professional footballers retire between the ages of 34 and 36 . Most female pros retire between 32 and 34 . Goalkeepers typically play several...

How Long Is Halftime in Soccer? 15 Minutes (and the Rules)

16 May, 2026

Halftime is one of the most-asked rules questions in soccer — especially by viewers coming from US sports where breaks work differently. Short answer: Halftime in professional soccer is 15 minutes , as set out in Law 7 of the IFAB Laws of the Game . The break can only be altered with the referee’s permission, and stoppage time added to the first half does not eat into it. In knockout matches that go to extra time, a much shorter break...

Who Invented Soccer? The History of Football's Origins (Complete Guide)

16 May, 2026

It's hard to imagine a world in which football doesn't exist, but in the grand scheme of things, the formalised sport as we know it hasn't been around all that long. While rule changes over the years have slowly altered our understanding of how the beautiful game works, we can trace the game of soccer as we know it back to the public schools and universities of England in the 19th century. However, football as a sport has been around for...

Soccer Field Dimensions: Size, Markings & Goal Measurements

16 May, 2026

The size of a soccer field has been a contested question since the laws of the game were first written down in the 19th century — and to this day, two professional pitches can differ by as much as a quarter of an acre. This guide sets out the standard soccer field dimensions for professional, international and youth matches, the markings inside them, and the size of the goals. Short answer: A regulation soccer field is 100–130 yards...

How Many Games Are There In A Premier League Season (And How It Compares To Other Leagues)

14 May, 2026

Quick answer: A Premier League season has 380 matches in total. The league is made up of 20 clubs, and each one plays 38 games — 19 at home and 19 away — facing every other team twice. The season runs from August to May, and cup and European fixtures are played on top of those 38. The English Premier League is viewed by many football fans as the most competitive league on the planet. If you're not on your game, you can be beaten by...

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