Rules of High School Soccer

Soccer is a popular sport worldwide. High school soccer is a great way for teenagers to become involved in extracurricular activities, make new friends and stay in shape. While the rules of soccer are simple enough, there are a few that can be tricky to understand. Though the referee's job is to understand and call penalties in a game, it doesn't hurt for parents and fans to understand the rules as well. Here are the basic rules of high school soccer.

When starting a game, the ball will be placed in the center of the field. Each team must stay on their own side of the field and the two opponents that will be competing for the ball should each be at least 10 feet away from the ball. The referee will indicate the start of play, and the teams can then move. This type of start will happen at the beginning of the game as well as after a goal has been scored.

A foul resulting from a player touching another player in any way that is considered a violation, or touching the ball with their hands will result in the opposite team receiving a penalty kick. The ball is kicked back into play and the team can then move in and resume play. Whoever kicked the ball to start the game cannot touch the ball again until someone else has touched it first.

Fouls can be tricky to call. The rule of thumb is that if the elbows and hands are not used, it is not necessarily a foul. Bumping another player will be unavoidable and is not necessarily a foul. If a person shoves or elbows another person, this is a foul. A foul normally gives the other team a penalty kick. Yellow and red cards are used to show penalties. A red card means the player must leave the game and the team continues without them. Two yellow cards equal one red card as well.

Being offsides can be confusing to understand. Many teams do not enforce these rules. It is best to start practicing them so you'll be prepared later on. The basic principle to understand is that you can't simply stand on the other team's half of the field and wait for the ball. It is best to let the official referee judge whether a player is offsides, as there are many different rules that apply depending on the situation.

Remember that the rules may be different depending on what team you are playing on. High school soccer can have different rules from professional soccer and from elementary school soccer. Penalties and fouls may be called more often by a different team than by your own. Sportsmanship is the goal. The point is not simply to follow the rules, but to have fun and make friends playing the game.