Cool Soccer Balls

If you want to buy a new ball, how about buying something with added style? There are plenty of cool soccer balls on the market, and you don't have to spend a fortune to own something extra special. Here is a selection of stylish soccer balls, all of which are available from Amazon.com (just click on the ball!).

What Is Stoppage Time in Soccer?

Stoppage time, also known as injury time, is the time added at the end of each half. These extra minutes make up for any time lost during the standard 45 minutes of play (see How Long is a Game of Soccer). Here’s what the official FIFA Laws of the Game say:

"Many stoppages in play are entirely natural (e.g. throw-ins, goal kicks). An allowance is to be made only when these delays are excessive."

The referee decides how much stoppage time to add at the end of each half. If no excessive delays have occurred, he might not add any stoppage time at all.

Soccer Cleats vs Baseball Cleats

So you want to get into soccer, but you don’t have any cleats. How about that pair of baseball cleats you have lying around – they’ll do, right? Well, not really. There are some key differences between soccer cleats and baseball cleats. If you are serious about soccer, you need the right tools...

Nike Mercurial Vapor soccer cleat (photo from CLF, flickr)

The Fastest Soccer Kicks Ever

Power isn’t everything in soccer, but it sure does help if you want to blast the ball into the back of the net from distance. There is no official world record for the fastest ever soccer kick by a human, but there are a few facts and figures out there. Prepare to be dazzled by the some of the fastest, hardest and most totally blasted soccer shots in the history of the game...

The Soccer Back-Pass Rule Explained

Okay goalies... listen up! Your defender has the ball, but he’s under pressure from an opposing striker. He begins to panic because he doesn’t want to lose control of the ball close to his own goal. Having no support, he decides to kick the ball back to the goalkeeper (that’s you!). Now, whatever you do, don’t pick the ball up with your hands!

Tim Howard saving the ball (photo by Jarrett Campbell)

How Big is a Soccer Field?

The FIFA Laws of the Game are quite flexible when it comes to soccer field sizes. Some soccer clubs take advantage of this by adapting their home field to suit the team's style of play. Youth players, especially under-15s, often play on smaller fields, but every future soccer star will eventually play on a regulation-size field...