| Refeee - The Laws of the Game | ||
| If you want to play the game, you've got to learn the rules.
If you want to officiate the game, you've got to know the rules inside and
out. Soccer doesn't just have rules, it has Laws. That's how important this
sport is worldwide. There are seventeen Laws of the Game (LOTG, starting with The Field of Play and covering everything through Penalty Kicks. Reading and learning the LOTG is your first step. There are several ways you can purchase the laws: USSF Booklet: Available from most of the mail order companies. From the FIFA Web Site. You can read the LOTG on-line, or download a copy to print out using a word processor. Once you have the LOTG in hand, just read through them. Don't try to interpret them or read anything into them that isn't there; take everything at face value. You've watched your child play the game. Maybe you've seen an MLS match or two on television. Look at each new match now with the LOTG in mind. Notice how long 120-130 yards long really is (Law I). Check out that neat blue-and-green ball they use in MLS--they run about $80 each! (Law II) Pay attention to how few substitutions take place (Law III). Watch the referee check your child's shin guards (Law IV). Continue on through the matches applying the LOTG to what you see. Did the Center Referee miss a tripping call? (Law XII) Did the Assistant Referee keep up with the second-to-last defender so he could be in position to judge offside? (Law VI) The more you watch, the more you learn. Not everything you see when you watch soccer now will match what you read in the LOTG. It's time you talked to some folks who know what they're talking about, and the best place to do that is the SOCREF-L Mailing List. |
FIFA
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