Soccer help

rpitlock · #1 (**permalink**) Thu Apr 10, 2003, 02:51pm

Just wondering for advice, ref first soccer game tommorrow, 7 year old gals.

Are there many goal kicks or corner kicks?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

This is my first game

I'm guessing pace of game is pretty quick with 4 10 minute quarters

eh812 · #2 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2003, 08:58am

The younger the age group the more frequently you will see goal kicks is my experience. The main rule to keep in mind is that the ball once kick has to leave the goal area before it is touched. The younger the group the harder it is for them to get the ball out of their own area.

kansassoccerref · #3 (**permalink**) Fri May 09, 2003, 04:14pm

To be more accurate, the ball has to leave the PENALTY area (the larger of the two boxes) before it is in play. The goal area is the smaller box immediately in front of the goal mouth where the ball must be played from on goal kicks.

Of course, with micro-soccer, you may not have goal areas defined (depending on how your local association manages their peewee play). The thing to keep in mind is that with the younger age groups it's more about patience and teaching than it is being a strict arbiter of the Laws of the Game. I recently did a batch of first-grade games on a small field, and it was a wonderful change of pace. It reminded me what youth soccer is all about -- being there for the kids and helping them learn how to play the sport.