Soccer

The United States Youth Soccer Association has set the rules for ball size and weight, and follows FIFA rules for material and other regulations.

Ever wish football(soccer) would be a little more exciting? Swamp football might be the sport for you! This sport is similar to the traditional game with minor changes, one of them being that it is played in a bog or swamp. This sport is played over seas in countries like Brazil, Finland, Iceland, and Russia.

Soccer is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and then only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may use their head or torso to strike the ball instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. In soccer games governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), between three and six identical balls must be furnished by the home team at the beginning of the game or the game cannot begin.  Specifications are set for the ball’s circumference, weight and pressure at the beginning of the game; however, the ball is allowed to increase in weight, within an approved range, should it get wet during play.

In The Laws of the Game 2008/2009, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) addresses both the physical qualities of the ball and what to do if a game ball becomes defective. After more than 100 years as an international governing body of association football, they seem to be quite clear on the rules.