How to Play 5 a side Soccer
Five a side football or 5 a side soccer lacks an official world-governing body. Therefore, the sport has many variations across region, with rules changing dramatically depending on whether the sport is played outdoors or indoors. In addition, this sport sometimes uses the rules of futsal, which is a variant of 5 a side. However, despite minor variations, the fundamental approach of playing 5 a side football generally remains the same.
Equipment and Setup
For 5 a side soccer, you need two sections allotted to goals, a soccer pitch, and two teams comprising five players each. Each team comprises of one goalkeeper and four players in the outfield. The game is generally played in an indoor court resembling a basketball court. Players use indoor shoes that are close-gripping in addition to an indoor football replete with a felt covering. If the sport is played outdoors, the type of shoes used varies on the basis of the type of surface. Light studs or astro-boots are ideal for artificial pitches, whereas players may wear full studs on a grass surface. The goals are smaller than traditional football goals and range from 1.22-1.83 meters high by 2.44-4.88 meters wide. …show more content…
Rules and Regulations
The basic rules of 5 a side soccer follow the ones pertaining to league soccer.
For instance, players must never handle the ball, fouling a player engaged in wrong tackles or diving, and stopping play once the ball has gone beyond boundary lines. Moreover, 5 a side football rarely uses the offside rule. In addition, when a 5 a side is played in smaller indoor courts, players may be permitted to use the side walls to bounce the ball off. Games are generally divided into two periods, with 15 minutes for each half
period.
Penalty Area
Many variants of 5 a side utilize rules that limit which players make an entrance into the penalty area at any given point of time in the game. The penalty zone is marked by a semi-circle arc outside the goal. In a majority of the cases, only a defending goalkeeper is allowed entry into this exclusive area, and attacking players or strikers are forbidden from entering this zone.
Useful Skills
Five a side football is ideally suited for those soccer players with excellent control of the football. With space being limited, it is vital to possess the ability to trap and then control a football with a couple of touches so that you are in a position for a shot at goal or an effective pass to a fellow team player.
Five a side soccer is a thrilling sport that gives you the adrenaline rush.