Club logo Soccer Quiz On The Rules Of Soccer

The items on this page have been borrowed, with permission, from other soccer web sites.

Sure, you've been playing the game for a long time, but do you know the rules of soccer? It always amazes me that so few people who play and watch the game of soccer have so little understanding of the laws that govern the game. Every Saturday, while I'm dragged around from field to field, I have a great opportunity to listen to all the people on the sidelines demonstrate how ignorant of the rules they are:

One day, while I remained tied to a bag of balls at UCSD, I listened to players, coaches and fans screaming at the ref. Every call the ref made was wrong...well, at least that's what they thought. In actuality, the ref only missed two calls, and both calls were because his view of the game was obscured by play. Gimme a break, kids.

Anyhow, I digress, as us dogs often do, so without greater adieu:

Sam's First Ever Soccer Rules Quiz for Two-Legged Mammals

(All questions are based on the FIFA outdoor game of soccer.)

  1. How many rules are there in the soccer rule book?
  2. How far is the penalty spot from the goal?
  3. What are the dimensions of the Penalty Area? Goal Area?
  4. What is the radius of the Center Circle? Penalty Arc? Corner Arc?
  5. What is the height of the Goal's Crossbar?
  6. What is the width of the Goal?
  7. If during the normal course of play, the ball hits the referee and goes into the goal, is it a goal?
  8. If the ball is one the line, is it in or out of play?
  9. The ball is kicked directly into the goal from the kickoff, is it a goal?
  10. The ball goes into the goal directly from a throw-in, is it a goal?
  11. The ball goes into the goal directly from a goal kick, is it a goal?
  12. The ball goes into the goal directly from a corner kick, is it a goal?
  13. Can a player be called offside in their own half of the field?
  14. Can a player be offside if the ball is received directly from a throw-in?
  15. Can a player be offside if the ball is received directly from a corner kick?
  16. Can a goal be scored directly from an indirect free kick?
  17. A free kick is about to be taken, the referee's arm is extended straight up, is the kick indirect of direct?
  18. A player takes a penalty kick, the ball hits the crossbar and returns to the same player, who kicks the ball into the net. Is it a goal?

Answers

  1. 17
  2. 12 yards
  3. 18 yards x 44 yards. 20 yards x 6 yards
  4. 10 yards. 10 yards. 5 feet
  5. 8 feet
  6. 8 yards
  7. Yes. The referee is part of the field of play
  8. In play. The entire ball must be over the line to be out of play
  9. No. A goal may not be scored directly from a kickoff
  10. No. A goal may not be scored directly from a throw-in
  11. No. A goal may not be scored directly from a goal kick
  12. Yes. A goal may be scored directly from a corner kick
  13. No. You can only be offside in your opponents half
  14. No. A player cannot be offside if the ball is received directly from a throw-in
  15. No. A player cannot be offside if the all is received directly from a corner kick
  16. No. Indirect means a second player (from either team) must touch the ball before a goal can be scored
  17. Indirect. The referee's arm will remain raised until the ball is touched by a second player. Another hint to remember: Imagine the referee's arm is a big letter "i" for "indirect"
  18. No. The ball must be touched by a second player before the kicker can touch it again


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