Soccer.edited1 x
RunningHead: SOCCER 1
SOCCER 2
Soccer
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Student’s name:
Date
Introduction
Soccer is my favorite physical activity playing the forward position. Soccer has its history traced to approximately 2,000 years ago, with its origin being traced in ancient China, Rome, Greece, and Central American parts. However, England transitioned soccer into the game known to date. Football is established as association football, which is also referred to as soccer. The popularity of soccer has remained at a high level where the activity first took place including, Northern and Southern Europe and even in the South and Central America plus also across the African region that has also produced incredible soccer talents. Soccer throughout the world is played with a ball that is kicked and headed that is round in shape. According to statistics of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), approximately more than 240 million people of the world’s population regularly play soccer with me included (Small, 2018).
Soccer has evolved over the years from the sport of a rudimentary animal-hide ball kicking in the past to a cup sport to date, for instance, the American Major league soccer (MLS) to the Champions League in Europe and the World cup that enhances soccer participation across all nations in the world. With the evolution of soccer, more rules and regulations were introduced, with more historical landmarks being established. For instance, in 1891, penalty kicks were introduced with FIFA being incorporated as a member of the Football Association Board of Great Britain in1913. The 1970 world cup saw the introduction of yellow and red cards with more significant changes being implemented recently; for instance, in 1992, goalkeepers were banned from handling intended back passes, and in 1998 red-card penalties being introduced for tackles from behind. The most recent development in soccer has been the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) who help in the management of football matches using technology (Rogers, 2017).
Soccer has seen some of the most exceptional talents in the recent past, for instance, Pele from brazil who helped brazil to clinch its first world cup title when he scored six goals during the 1958 world cup. Lev Yashin, Russian, saved 150 penalties over the years in this goalkeeping career, the Holland Marco Van Basten, who managed to win significant soccer awards in a single year. Although to date, debates of who the most celebrated player exist, various players, for instance, Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi make it at the top of almost every single list (Wingate, 2007).
A Soccer game consists of two teams with 11 players for each side and several on the bench, depending on the nation and the cup level. Also, it has the center referee and two lines-man and recently the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) depending on the cup level. Depending on the formation, a soccer team comprises the goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and forwards/strikers. A soccer match consists of a total of 90 minutes with a break of 15 minutes with both halves being 45 minutes. There are three results in a soccer match, win, draw and loose. Depending on the result and cup level, when there is a draw, the soccer match can extend for a further 30 minutes that might end in penalties in case there is no winner. Nowadays, soccer has been revolutionized with some of the greatest players and coaches attracting vast amounts of transfer fees and salaries across the world (Small, 2018).
Constraints of soccer participation
Several factors hinder soccer participation around the world.
Inadequate time
This is due to work, school, or family; being a student school work takes up most of my time, and hence finding time to play soccer may be challenging (Rogers, 2017).
Inability to manage personal time
Most people find it hard to manage their time correctly; mostly, I find it hard to balance school work and getting time to play soccer (Wingate, 2007).
Limited access
The limited access to soccer sports services, soccer information, and the issue of doping and the use of muscle strengthening substances have become a problem in the world of soccer to date (Small, 2018).
Social and cultural barriers
Especially in the case of developing countries, the element of social, cultural barriers has been evident through culture, religion, or language with the basis of the lingering colonialism influence on soccer across the globe (Williams, 2013).
Lack of early soccer experiences
This includes issues such as disability, for instance, lack of awareness of how to add disable people in soccer programs (Rogers, 2017).
Limited soccer opportunities
Soccer in various parts of the world is still faced with this problem of minimal opportunities and participation programs, including training and actual competition opportunities (Small, 2018).
Language barrier
Soccer being revolutionized globally, and even people traveling to different countries to play soccer has faced a challenge in establishing a global language to be used in soccer (Silva et al., 2009).
Fear of injury
Most people are afraid of being injured in the field; soccer being injury-prone becomes a hindrance in its participation. I have been injured several times, which kept me out of the soccer sport for a while (Small, 2018).
Lack of resources
Most people are unable to access soccer resources such as balls and soccer fields, and this is a constraint to soccer participation. Also, most people lack skills in soccer and hence shy off from participating in soccer (Rogers, 2017).
Conclusion
Soccer has evolved over the years from the sport of a rudimentary animal-hide ball kicking in the past to a cup sport to date. With the evolution of soccer, more rules and regulations were introduced, with more historical landmarks being established. Soccer is governed by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) across the world. Several factors hinder soccer participation around the globe that include Inability to manage personal time, social, cultural barriers, lack of resources, time and skills plus disability, among others (Small, 2018).
References
Rogers, A. B. (2017). Soccer: Science on the pitch. Greenhaven Publishing LLC.
Silva, M. J., Figueiredo, A. J., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., & Malina, R. M. (2009). Youth sports: Participation, trainability and readiness. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra / Coimbra University Press.
Small, C. (2018). Soccer. Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP.
Williams, M. A. (2013). Science and soccer: Developing elite performers. Routledge.
Wingate, B. (2007). Soccer: Rules, tips, strategy, and safety. The Rosen Publishing Group.
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