FOOTBALL

Football was first recorded in Britain, yet it is not known exactly where the sport was invented. There are records of earlier forms in China, at least two thousand years ago, and in ancient Greece and Rome. But it was in England that football began to take the shape we now recognise. Originally frowned upon by authorities and the ‘well bred’, who made constant efforts from the 14 th century onwards to suppress it, football was seen as a game of the people: a vulgar and rowdy pastime.

K nown as “mob football”, matches were little more than violent street battles. The football field was the length of the town, the players might be as many as five hundred, and the ‘match’ continued all day long. Vast numbers of windows and legs were broken, and there were even some deaths!

The contemporary history of football, as we know it today, began in Great Britain in 1863 when 12 clubs and schools attended a meeting where they decided to form an association called ‘The Football Association’. This Association drafted the first common set of rules which were accepted on the 8 th of December that year. Among others, the original set of rules included ‘restricting’ the field size to 200 by 100 metres, allowing players to catch the ball with their hands and teams changing ends after each goal. Eight years later the first football competition in the world started – the FA Cup – and in 1872 the first international match was contested by England and Scotland.

How the Game of Football is played

Football is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than 11 players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Official matches may not start if either team consists of fewer than seven players. The duration of the match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the referee and the two participating teams. Players are entitled to a half time interval of no more than 15 minutes.

Each team consists of a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards. The combination of defenders, midfielders and forward is referred to as the team’s system, and there can be many variations. Systems are stated in a three consecutive number combination, with the first number referring to the defenders, the second to the midfielders and the third to the forwards. For example, a ‘5-3-2 combination’ would be a very defensive system, with 5 defenders, 3 midfielders and only 2 forwards, while a ‘4-3-4 combination’ would be an attacking system with 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 4 forwards.

The team scoring the greater number of goals during a match is the winner. If both teams score an equal number of goals, or if no goals are scored, the match is drawn.

Some Basic Rules of Football

• The start and restart of play – A coin is tossed and the team which wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off to start the match. The team that wins the toss takes the kick-off to start the second half of the match, and the teams change ends.

• The ball in and out of play – The ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air, or play has been stopped by the referee. The ball is in play at all other times.

• The method of scoring – A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goal posts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the laws of the game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal.

• Offside – A player is in an offside position if she or he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent, and nvolved in the play. A player can not be offside from a throw in, corner kick, goal kick or in their own half.

• The penalty – the penalty kick is awarded against a team which commits any of the ten offences for which a direct free kick is awarded, inside its own penalty area and whiles the ball is in play. The penalty kick is taken from the penalty spot, 11 metres from the centre of the goal.

• The throw in/goal kick/corner kick

• A throw in is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the touch ne, either on the ground or in the air from the point where it crossed the touch line to the opponents of the player who last touched the ball.
• A goal kick is awarded when the whole of the ball, having last touched a player of the attacking team, passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, and a goal is not scored.
• A corner kick is awarded when the whole of the ball, having last touched a player of the defending team, passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, and a goal is not scored.

 Some Basic Skills

Ball Control

There are three important points for good ball control:

• The first touch should protect the ball from challenging players and not give them a chance to regain possession.
• The ball should be played into available space to allow for the next touch.
• The ball should be played so that the team’s movement or momentum is continued.

Another important aspect of ball control is the ability to run with the ball.

• Use short steps.

• Push the ball forward gently with the inside or the outside of the foot. Alternate feet.
• Keep the ball close and in front.
• Use peripheral vision (that is, the ‘corner’ of the eye) to look at the ball while watching the direction being travelled. As skill increases, look less at the ball.
• Monitor speed based on ability to keep the ball close.

Successful passing is the key to good teamwork.

• Use inside of the foot (the instep).
• The non-striking foot should be pointing in the direction of the intended target.
• The striking leg makes a swinging motion similar to a putter in golf.
• The striking ankle must be locked.
• Stay relaxed. Don’t be like a robot.
• Look up to find your target but remember to look at the ball as you strike it. That is the only way the player can strike the ball correctly.
• Foot follows through in direction of target.
• Move afterwards – don’t stand there admiring your pass!

To score goals, players need to be able to use both power and placement.

• Keep the head down and eyes on the ball – look up to pick out the target, but then look back at the ball to shoot.
• Plant non-striking foot alongside (not in front of) the ball.
• Strike the middle of the ball so it doesn’t rise.
• Keep the knee of the kicking leg over the ball.
• Approach the ball slightly from the side.
• Follow through, don’t jerk back when striking the ball (loses power).

Heading is an inevitable part of football, both in attack and defence. If teaching heading, as a general rule, defensive headers should go high, wide and far, while offensive headers should be aimed towards the ground (as ground balls are harder for keepers to handle). Defenders usually will aim for the bottom half of the ball while attackers usually will aim for the top half.

• Put feet in a balanced, athletic, ready position with knees bent and weight centered evenly.
• Keep the neck stiff and lean back.
• Keep eyes OPEN, and watch the ball until contact !
• Keep mouth CLOSED to avoid injury!
• Move head forward towards the ball and contact the ball with the forehead area between hairline and eyebrows.
• Arms should reach forward as the ball is coming and pull backwards as the head moves forward.
• Follow through to the target area.
• If you hit the ball on its bottom half, the ball will go up.
• If you hit the ball on its upper half, the ball will go down.