Rules and regulations have been placed into football to make it a fun enjoyable sport for all generations. Many rules within football are there to make the game flow simply and others are there to prevent injuries.
In this article you will find the basic rules and regulations of football that allow the sport to be played safely and correctly.

Equipment:

The basic equipment needed to participate in a football match consists of the team shirt, shorts, shinguards with socks and studded boots or trainers depending on the surface. The goalkeeper is also permitted gloves and a different coloured jersey for identification purposes.

The Football Pitch:

Football is a game with two teams of eleven players and is played over the course of 90 minutes. This period is split into two 45 minute halves. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposition. Football can be played on a natural or artificial surface such as astroturf. However, the shape of the field must be rectangular, with the dimensions of 90-120 metres long by 45-90 metres wide.

Referee:

The referee along with his two linesmen is the one who enforces most of the rules in football. The referee’s tasks include keeping the time for the match in play, awarding free kicks and penalties when needed and dealing with anything requiring a ruling. The referee can also choose to allow play to proceed in case of a foul providing there is an advantage to be gained by the team which the foul has been committed on.

Offside Rule:

The offside rule within football is hard to understand as it can occur when a player is closer to the opponent’s goal than the last opposition outfield player. However to commit an offside offence is to have the ball played forward towards to you while in that position.

Misconduct:

Misconduct within football is taken very seriously by the referee and if a player has committed a serious offence the referee can punish them by giving them a:

Yellow Card – A caution given to a player. If two of these cards are shown to the same player it means a red card is issued.

Red Card – Showing a red card to a player means they are expelled from the match. A straight red card can be shown for extreme offences such as a serious foul, violent conduct, spitting, deliberate hand-ball and insulting language.