Utah High School Soccer Rules

Arguably the most popular sport around the world, soccer is gaining fans and support in the United States every year. American soccer is played at every level, from youth leagues and high schools all the way up to the extremely popular Major Soccer League (MLS). Most high schools in the country abide by the rules set forth by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The following is a selection of some of the rules followed by Utah high schools.

Records indicate that soccer, in its earliest forms, was played as long as 3,000 years ago. The Japanese, Chinese and Europeans all have records of games similar to soccer being played. It was even banned by royal proclamation in England during the reign of King Edward, which may explain the game's unique popularity. Despite Anglican origins of American culture, soccer has had a hard time gaining mainstream national credibility and still lags behind football and baseball in participation levels.

A standard high school soccer field measures 100 yards long by 60 yards wide. There is a 10-yard circle at midfield along with a line the width of the field, effectively diving it into two equal sides. The penalty area is a 44-yard-by-18-yard rectangle centered on the goals. Contained inside the "penalty" area is the goal area, which consists of another rectangle measuring 20 yards by 6 yards. The goal itself should by eight feet high by 24 feet across.

Soccer is played with two teams of 11 players each. A team scores a goal when the ball passes between the sides of the goal posts and beneath the crossbar. The winning team only needs to have one more goal that its opponent to win. The teams play for 90 minutes divided into two 45-minute halves. A game can be called or forfeited if either team has fewer than seven players.

The most obvious piece of equipment you will need is the ball. A regulation soccer ball should be 27 to 28 inches in diameter and between 14 and 16 ounces. FIFA requires that a shirt or jersey be worn and also requires the use of stockings (socks) and shin guards. Soccer cleats are beneficial, but regular tennis shoes can be used. Baseball cleats cannot be used in regulation play due to their design.

Some of the changes made for the 2009 soccer season that are specific to Utah are defining illegal or improper equipment. This includes undersized shin guards, wrong-colored jerseys and jewelry all being declared illegal. For these offenses the head coach will receive the first "yellow" card for an "improper" or "illegal" violation. After the first violation the "yellow" card will be issued directly to the player. Another change to the 2009 rules requires that shin guards meet NOCSAE standards. Be sure to check with your coach for more details. Happy kicking.