Spotlight Sport

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Gateway to the Summer Games - Spotlight Sports

Soccer
Soccer is the most widely played team game in the world and the most popular spectator sport, followed avidly by hundreds of millions of fans.


		The Game \| News, History, Fast Facts All About Athletes \| More Sports

The Game
The basic objective of the game is for one team to force the ball -- by kicking it or propelling it with the chest or head -- into the opponent's goal. The goal mouth is 24 feet wide and eight feet high, spanned by a crossbar and backed by netting. One point is awarded for each goal scored. The winning team is the one with the highest number of points.

The game is played in two 45-minute halves. Only two substitutions are permitted, per side, per game. If the two substitutions are used and a player is later injured, the team must play short.

If regulation time ends in a tie, an overtime period may be played. If the teams remain tied at the conclusion of overtime, the game may be decided by a kicking contest in which each team has up to five unobstructed (except for the goalkeeper) attempts to put the ball in the opponent's goal.

The goalkeeper is the only player on the team who may use his hands or arms to touch the ball. The other 10 may kick it with their feet, block it with their torsos, or strike it with their head, but no hands.

News, History, and Fast Facts

For complete information about playing, coaching, and watching soccer, visit the Copernicus Education Gateway's School Athletics Center: Soccer page.
For latest soccer news with feature articles, related links, and a concise history of the sport, log on to CBS Sportline's Olympics 2000 site.
The USOC site provides a useful glossary and a list of the sport's equipment.
Learn Olympic soccer rules and special terminology on the Sydney 2000 site. Also explore the sport's past.
The Sydney 2000 Kids site is a great resource for kids who want to understand Olympic soccer.
To learn more about the status of soccer in the United States, check out the U.S. Soccer Federation's site.

All About Athletes

Log on to NBCOlympics.com for feature articles about the athletes to watch. Or check out player biographies.
Want to find out who's who in soccer? The U.S. Team the U.S. Soccer Federation post bios of the men's and women's teams.
Research all of the players who have won gold since soccer became a men's event in 1900 and a women's event in 1996.

More Sports

Baseball	Basketball	Boxing	Canoeing & Kayaking
Cycling	Diving	Equestrian	Fencing
Gymnastics	Rowing	Swimming	Tennis
Track & Field	Volleyball	Water Polo	Wrestling

General Sports Links
Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.

Griffin Publishing Group's Official Olympic Sports page
For information straight from the source, click on a sport to connect to its organization's official Web site.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News
This site provides excellent information about Olympic sports and their rules. It also sizes up the best international competitors.
CBS Sportsline's Olympics 2000
Get top news stories and in-depth features about every sport.
CCN/SI
In addition to news on every sport, this site contains athlete diaries.
NBCOlympics.com
Select a sport to study or hear firsthand from an athlete who plays it.
Sydney 2000
The official site of the Sydney Olympics covers the events in detail.
Sydney 2000 Kids' Guide to Olympic Sports
Visit the Sportzone for sports-related information written especially for young students.
USOC
The United States Olympic Committee site includes the rules and history of events as well as athlete bios, diaries, and chats.
Sydney 2000 Fans
This unofficial site provides basic description of events and useful links to more information.

Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
(c) 1995 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.