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180 Soccer Rules Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Soccer Rules? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Soccer Rules (Sports). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 How many players does each team have on the pitch when a soccer match starts?
Answer: 11

The number of players was limited to 11 by the English Football Association (FA) in 1870. The first rules, called "Cambridge Rules", written by students of the University of Cambridge allowed 15 to 20 players.
  From Quiz: Soccer for Starters
2 How many players per team are on the field at one time for each team (full field)?
Answer: 11

There are 10 outfield players and one goalkeeper. The outfield positions are fullback (defense), halfback (midfield), and striker (forward).
  From Quiz: All About Soccer
3 A United player is dribbling the ball towards City's goal. Suddenly, his shoe accidentally falls off. With only one shoe on, he decides to take a shot and he scores a goal. The referee should use what method of restarting play?
Answer: Kick-Off

In the FIFA laws of the game, Law 4 states that if a player's shoe accidentally falls off, the play should keep going. There is no need to stop play. There is no infringement that has occurred and this goal is awarded.
  From Quiz: FIFA Laws of The Game
4 How many players are on the field for each team in an adult league if playing a full squad game?
Answer: 11

All adult leagues are 11. Some children's leagues start with as few as 3 per side on a small field so players have more ball time.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Rules
5 What should be the circumference of a Size 5 (adult) football?
Answer: 27" to 28"

The match ball should also be spherical, made of leather or a similar approved material, 14oz to 16oz in weight and inflated to 0.6 to 1.1 bar above atmospheric pressure (at sea level).
  From Quiz: The Laws of Association Football
6 What is given to a player for a very serious personal foul on an opponent?
Answer: Red Card

Red Cards can be thrown down by the center referee. When a player is red carded, another player may not go into the game in place of that player.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Knowledge
7 To most places in the world, soccer is known as what?
Answer: Football

In most places in Europe, South America, and Africa, soccer is widely known as football.
  From Quiz: The Basic Elements of Soccer
8 In Spain, soccer is called what?
Answer: Futbol

In Spain, soccer is called futbol. To other countries in Europe, like the U.K. and Ireland, soccer is football.
  From Quiz: Soccer Basics
9 The morning before the game, you look in the paper and see the other team's formation. It is a 4-3-3 formation. You can see the weakness in that formation immediately. What is the weakness and what formation would best exploit that weakness?
Answer: No wide players, 4-4-2

Generally speaking, if a team has three players in midfield and three playing in a forward position, they will be weak defensively on the wing. So to exploit that, you'll have 2 players in the middle of midfield and two out wide. That means you outnumber the opposition in the midfield, which is where games are won or lost, and you will enjoy the extra man there.
  From Quiz: Soccer Tactics
10 Law 11 - Offside. If a player is offside, what action does the referee take?
Answer: Awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team

"It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents goal line than both the ball and the second last defender [the last defender being the goalkeeper.]." -- FIFA Laws of the Game Handbook 2002, pg 24.
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [2]
11 Law 1: The Field of Play. In 2003, how long was an international field?
Answer: 110-120m

"The field of play must be rectangular. The length of the touch line must be greater than the length of the goal line." --FIFA Laws of the Game Handbook 2001, pg. 6.
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [1]
12 How many laws of Association Football are there?
Answer: 17

There are 17 laws (not "rules" as many people call them) and they cover over 80 pages of publication. The application of them in practice never ceases to excite discussion, and this particularly includes discussion amongst referees!
  From Quiz: Laws of Association Football
13 But how many rules are there?
Answer: 17

That's right, only 17! The official FIFA rules were established in 1938 and have since then only undergone minor changes.
  From Quiz: Soccer for Starters
14 Excluding the goalkeeper, what part of the body cannot touch the ball?
Answer: Arm

No part of the hand or arm can touch the ball. The chest can be used to stop the ball and get better control of it prior to kicking. The head can be used to pass the ball on. And the top of the foot is actually the best part of the foot to use for controlled kicks. Many recreational players use their toes and that can cause some crazy kicks.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Rules
15 What is it called when a player, without the ball on the offensive team is behind the last defender, or fullback?
Answer: Offside

In the U.S. you do not play using offsides until you turn nine. Most referees will not call it unless they are informed of the play. A free kick results from the location where the foul occurred.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Knowledge
16 Team 1 is awarded a corner kick. The player shoots the ball from the corner and it does not touch any other player but goes into the net. How do you restart the game?
Answer: Kickoff

The kicker can score from the corner without any other player touching it. This is hard to do but it is not against the rules if you can do it.
  From Quiz: Recreational Soccer Rules
17 How many players (from one team) are on the field at a time?
Answer: 11

Ten field players, and eleven including the goalie. This can change during the course of the game, with sent off players, etc.
  From Quiz: Soccer Basics
18 Law 2: The Ball. The circumference of the ball should not be greater than what?
Answer: 70 cm

"The ball should be of a circumference of no more than 70 cm, and no less than 68 cm." --FIFA Laws of the Game Handbook 2001, pg. 11.
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [1]
19 The referee starts play with a dropped ball. Sam, playing for the Bears, kicks the ball before it touches the ground. It goes off his opponent into his own goal. His opponents the Wolves, start celebrating. What action should the referee take?
Answer: Waive off the goal and restart play from the original dropped ball spot with another dropped ball

Law 8 - On a dropped ball, play restarts when the ball touches the ground. The drop is done again if it is touched by a player before it makes contact with the ground. Also, if the ball rolls out of play before it is touched, the drop is taken again as well.
  From Quiz: Soccer: Laws of the Game
20 How many minutes are played in a regular game (without injury time or extra time)?
Answer: 90

A soccer match lasts two halves with 45 minutes each. There's a break in between those two halves. However, most youth leagues tend to play shorter matches, e.g. 2 x 20 minutes for kids.
  From Quiz: Soccer for Starters
21 How long is an official professionally sanctioned game?
Answer: 90 mins

Most youth soccer leagues have 60-minute games, but the official game length is 90 minutes. Some youth league games last 70 minutes.
  From Quiz: All About Soccer
22 To replace a player with a substitute, how many conditions must be observed?
Answer: 7 conditions

First, the referee must be notified when any proposed substitution is made. Second, the substitute only enters the field of play after the player being replaced has left and after receiving a signal from the referees. Third, the substitute only enters the field of play at the halfway line and during a stoppage in the match. Fourth, the substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play. Then, from that moment, the substitute becomes a player, and the player he has replaced becomes a substituted player. Next, the substituted player takes no further part in the match. Last, all substitutes are subject to the authority and jurisdiction of the referee, whether called upon to play or not. These are the 7 conditions.
  From Quiz: FIFA Laws of The Game
23 What statement describes a proper throw-in?
Answer: Both hands must be on the ball behind the head, both feet must be on the ground.

The most common problem is a foot is in the air. Both hands must be on the ball as well, thrown over the head. A throw-in is used whenever the ball goes out of bounds on the side lines.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Rules
24 City are about to take a corner kick when a United defender punches the City centre forward. What course of action do you take?
Answer: Send off the United defender and re-start the game with the corner

As the ball is dead at the point of the infringement, then the defender should be dismissed from the field for violent conduct, and play restarted with a corner, as this was the correct re-start prior to the offence and cannot be changed.
  From Quiz: The Laws of Association Football
25 If an age group is U16, how old are most of the people on the team going to be at the start of the season?
Answer: 15

The U in U16 stands for under, so U16 really means under 16. Therefore, most kids on the team would be 15.
  From Quiz: The Basic Elements of Soccer
26 It is the night before the final, your squad is in the hotel waiting to find out what they will be doing tonight. Which is the best thing to do?
Answer: Have a healthy pasta dinner with the team, with a team talk afterwards and a decent night's sleep

A quiet night before the game is best, so they are completely rested. The partying can come after they win the final. And the yelling at them should come (if at all) on match day, so they'll be fired up. If you do it the night before, they won't sleep and the effect will have worn off the next day.
    Your options: [ Go out partying ] [ Get them into a room and yell at them to fire them up ] [ Have a team bonding session at the red light district ] [ Have a healthy pasta dinner with the team, with a team talk afterwards and a decent night's sleep ]
  From Quiz: Soccer Tactics
27 Law 13 - Free Kicks. What is the hand signal for an indirect free kick?
Answer: The referee raises his/her arm in the air until the kick has been taken and has touched another player.

"The referee indicates an indirect free kick by raising his arm above his head. He maintains his arm in that position until the kick has been taken, and the ball has touched another player, or goes out of play."--FIFA Laws of the Game Handbook 2002, pg. 28.
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [2]
28 Law 3: The Number of Players. Which is the maximum number of players a team can have on the field of play?
Answer: 11

If the referee discovers during the match, that a team has more than 11 players on the field at the same time, the game must be restarted!
    Your options: [ 10 ] [ 9 ] [ 12 ] [ 11 ]
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [1]
29 How big is a regulation official soccer goal?
Answer: 2.44m high, 7.32m wide

A goal looks much bigger than it really is. Youth leagues adjust the size of the nets according to age, with the smaller nets going to the smaller players.
  From Quiz: All About Soccer
30 When your coach tells you to go into the game, where do you go?
Answer: Midfield Line

The center line is usually located between the two benches. Sometimes there will be one bench on one side of the line, and the other across the field.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Knowledge
31 How would you restart the game if a dog or some other animal runs onto the field and infringes with the game?
Answer: Drop Ball

Drop ball where the infringement occurred.
  From Quiz: Recreational Soccer Rules
32 The referees on the sidelines are technically called what?
Answer: Assistant Referees

The Assistant Referees run up and down the sidelines watching for things that the match referee may not see. Their main job is to declare if the ball goes out of bounds and watch for offsides. They were previously called "linesmen".
  From Quiz: Soccer Basics
33 The opposition coach says at the press conference, "We're the underdogs here, the other team has won, we're just hoping not to get embarrassed". What do you say?
Answer: "Well, we'll take this game as it comes and just go out there and try our best. We're sure the other team will come out firing"

If a coach ever says something like that, he is trying to lull the other coach into a false sense of security so the other team will be over confident. Do not ever fall for it, just go about the game as normal, and do not ever expect an easy game.
  From Quiz: Soccer Tactics
34 A player takes a penalty kick and hits the crossbar of the goal and it rebounds to this player without touching anyone else. At the second attempt, this player puts the ball in the goal. How does the referee re-start play?
Answer: An indirect free kick to the defence

A player is penalised if that player plays the ball twice at the taking of a penalty, and without it touching another player first.
  From Quiz: Laws of Association Football
35 The referee walks up to a player and shows him a red card. What does that mean?
Answer: The player has to leave the field

The yellow and red cards were first used in the World Cup tournament in Mexico in 1970. They were invented by the English referee Ken Aston who suggested the cards to avoid understanding problems between referees and players. He based his idea on the traffic light system.
A yellow card is a warning to stop the rough playing, a red card means that a player is sent off the field. You can't replace that player and your team has to play with 10 players after that.
  From Quiz: Soccer for Starters
36 If the defending team kicks the ball out on their own goal line, what kind of kick brings the ball back in?
Answer: Corner kick

The attacking team receives the kick. The corner closest to where the ball went out is used. This is a great chance to score a goal by crossing the ball to a teammate in front of the goal.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Rules
37 What happens when the defense kicks the ball behind their goal?
Answer: Corner Kick

Corner kicks are taken from an arch-like line on the "corners" of the fields. A flag marks every arch.
  From Quiz: Basic Soccer Knowledge
38 In professional outdoor soccer, how many players are on the field per team during play?
Answer: 11

There are 11 players on the field; 10 players plus a goalie.
  From Quiz: The Basic Elements of Soccer
39 Law 15 - The Throw-in. In order to execute a proper throw-in, which conditions must be met by the player who is throwing it in?
Answer: All of these.

If the player fails to meet all of these conditions, a throw-in is awarded to the opposing team.
    Your options: [ He must be in an upright position. ] [ His hands, holding the ball, must go all the way behind his head before he throws it. ] [ Both feet must be on the ground when he throws it. ] [ All of these. ]
  From Quiz: Laws of Soccer [2]
40 For the match, both teams are wearing their uniform. What is normally not part of a soccer uniform?
Answer: Helmet

You must wear a shirt, shoes, and shinpads but you wouldn't wear a helmet for playing soccer. An exception is Petr Cech who is allowed to wear a helmet during matches after he has suffered a skull fracture.
  From Quiz: Soccer for Starters
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