Two teams of eleven, each with a goalkeeper, try to kick or head the ball into the other team's goal. Only the goalkeeper may touch the ball with the hands, and only inside their own penalty area.
How a goal is scored
The whole ball must cross the goal line between the posts and under the bar. The team with more goals at the end wins. A full game is two halves of 45 minutes; children play shorter games with fewer players on smaller fields.
Fouls and restarts
Tripping, pushing, holding, kicking an opponent or touching the ball with the hand or arm is a foul and gives the other team a free kick; a defending foul inside the penalty area gives a penalty kick. A ball over the sideline is thrown back in; over the goal line it is a goal kick or a corner kick. The offside rule stops attackers waiting behind the last defender; young children's games often leave it out.
Rules children break first
No hands, unless you are the goalkeeper.
Kick the ball, never the legs; no pushing or holding.
A throw-in uses both hands, from behind the head, with both feet on the ground.
Shin guards on for any game with opponents.
At home you need a ball and a wall
Close control, dribbling, passing against a wall, shooting at a cone goal and catching as a keeper. Small games in a park; the full game at a club.
Words you will hear (35, in plain language)
Pitch
The football field.
Goal
The goal is the frame with a net; the goal line is the end line it stands on; the sidelines run down the long sides.
Goalkeeper
The player who guards the goal and may use the hands in the penalty area.
Penalty area
The big box in front of each goal.
Inside
The inner edge of the foot (by the big toe) and the outer edge (by the little toe).
Laces
The top of the foot where the shoelaces are; used for shooting.
Standing foot
The foot you are not kicking with, planted beside the ball.
First touch
The first contact with a ball that comes to you.
Cushion
Letting the foot give a little as the ball arrives, so it stops close.
Dribble
Running with the ball kept close with small touches.
Toe taps
Tapping the top of the ball with the sole of each foot in turn, on the spot.
Juggling
Keeping the ball in the air with the feet, thighs and head.
Gate
Two cones about a stride apart to dribble or pass through.
Grid
A square marked with cones for practice.
Small-sided game
A game with only a few players a side; "v" means against.
Bib
A coloured vest that shows which team a player is on.
Shin guards
Hard pads worn under the socks to protect the shins.
Feint
A body movement that pretends to go one way before going the other.
Drag back
Turns and tricks. Drag back: pull the ball back with the sole. Hook turn: hook the ball round with the outside of the foot. Stepover: swing a foot round the ball without touching it to fool a defender.
Shield
Keeping your body between the defender and the ball.
Keep away
A passing game where one team keeps the ball from a few defenders.
One-touch
Passing straight away, or controlling once and then passing.
Give and go
Pass to a team-mate, run past the defender and get the ball straight back.
Goal side
A defender standing between the attacker and their own goal.
Tackle
Taking the ball from an opponent's feet with your foot.
Switch
Changing at once from attacking to defending, or back, when the ball changes team.
Width and depth
Spreading out across the field (width) and up and down it (depth) to make space.
Joker
A player who always plays for the team with the ball.
Overload
More attackers than defenders in a game or an area.
Zones
Strips or areas of the pitch marked for a practice game.
Switch of play
Passing the ball quickly from one side of the pitch to the other.
Free kick
A free kick is an unopposed kick after a foul; a penalty kick is a shot from 11 m with only the keeper to beat.
Throw-in
Restarts when the ball goes out over the sideline, or over the goal line off a defender or an attacker.
Offside
An attacker in the other half nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender when a team-mate passes is offside.
Distribution
How a keeper gets the ball to team-mates: a throw, a roll or a kick.
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
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Basic5 cards · show· hideThe child keeps the ball close, dribbles with the head up, passes with the inside of the foot, receives with the first touch and plays small games. The basic touches are practised over and over, like scales on a piano, and small games of 3 v 3 to 5 v 5 on small fields give the most touches.
Move on whenthe child meets the self-checks on b1 to b4 and enjoys playing 3 v 3.
Intermediate5 cards · show· hideTurns and feints, shielding, passing under pressure, receiving into space, giving team-mates a pass and basic tactics. The early teens are a good time to sharpen technique.
Move on whenthe player can keep the ball under pressure in a small game.
Advanced4 cards · show· hideTechnique under pressure, skills for each position, tactics (formation, organisation, game plan, movement), mental toughness and managing training load. Goalkeepers train as a separate path.
A ball, a wall, a bat or a board. Most of the learning fits a room or a lane.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at.
Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal.
End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the
coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.