Soccer Terminology
Here’s a refence guide for you: a long list of soccer terminology. Look up what you don’t know and always refer back to check up on new terms you come across. If you have any alternative definitions or extra things I’ve missed, then please share them below in the comments section.
Advantage: The allowance given to a team enabling them to continue playing, as an alternative to the referee giving a free kick
Assist: The credit given to the player setting up a goal by playing the last ball before the goal was scored
AYSO: American Youth Soccer Organization
Back pass: When a player kicks the ball back to his own goalkeeper
Bicycle Kick: A special type of volley, also known as an overhead kick, performed backwards-on to the goal
Bundesliga: The top division in German domestic soccer
Caution: An official warning, given to a player by the referee, which is synonymous with a yellow card
Carry: To keep the ball in possession whilst moving (i.e. dribbling)
Centre-kick: The occasion when a team kicks the ball forward from the centre spot. This happens at the beginning of each half and after each goal.
Centre-spot: The white spot at the very centre of the field, inside the centre-circle
Centre-circle: The white-painted circle at the very centre of the pitch
Corner: A kick taken by the attacking team in the very corner of the opponent’s half, after the defending team put the ball out of play behind the goal line
Cross: A ball played/kicked into or around the penalty area
Crossbar: The bar that is horizontal to the ground, joining up the two vertical posts that help make up the goal frame
Cruyff Turn: A special soccer trick named after Johann Cruyff
Dead ball: A ball that is technically not in play until kicked (e.g. a goal kick)
Deflection: The term denoting when a ball ricochets off someone in any direction
Direct free kick: A free kick from which a goal can be directly scored
Dissent: The process of arguing back to the referee or linesmen
Down the line: A ball played down the line is one that travels along the touchline, down the wing/edge of the pitch
Dribbling: The skill of moving with the ball at your feet
Drop ball: When a ball is dropped by the referee between two opponents, as a method of re-starting play
Drop Kick: A kick made by the goalkeeper, dropping it directly from his hands and making contact before (or as) the ball hits the ground
Dummy: A trick to fake a certain action e.g. pretending to receive the ball but then letting it through the legs to roll towards a team mate
Extra Time: The time added onto the end of a competitive match in certain tournaments, in the event of a draw
FA: The English Football Association
Feint: The trick that fakes moving in a certain direction when dribbling
Formation: The layout of the players of a team on the soccer pitch
Forth official: This is the 4th member of staff to police the match after the referee and his two assistants. He does not have an on-pitch role though.
Foul: A act which breaks the laws of the game and thus which the referee deems to be an illegal offence
Free kick: An unopposed kick awarded to one team over another after a foul is committed
Goal line: The line that marks the width of the pitch at each end of the field
Golden Goal: A special type of extra time whereby the team to grab the first goal wins the match
Halftime: A break of 15 minutes which separates the two playing periods of 45 minutes each
Indirect free kick: A free kick from which a goal may not be directly scored
Injury time: Time added onto the end of a half to compensate for time wasted during the period as a result of stoppages and injuries
Juggling: Another term given for kick-ups, which is a skill where a player keeps the ball in the air by kicking it up and down (using feet, thighs, head and chest etc)
Kick off: Another name for the centre-kick, which is when a team kicks the ball forwards from the centre-spot at the beginning of a half or after a goal
Kick ups: Another term given for juggling, which is a skill where a player keeps the ball in the air by kicking it up and down (using feet, thighs, and chest etc)
La Liga: The top division in Spanish soccer
Linesman: Please see ‘referee’s assistants’
Man on: A term used between players of the team in possession to warn of an approaching opponent
Marking: The process of ‘sticking’ by a player to prevent them receiving the ball
MLS: Major League Soccer- the top division in US soccer
Narrowing the angle: The way in which a goalkeeper can limit the amount of room a striker has to aim at when shooting for goal
Near post: The goal post closest to the ball and point of play
Nil: One term used for zero or naught (i.e. the score is three-nil)
Obstruction: An offence whereby one player judged not to be in possession prevents another player from obtaining the ball by unfairly blocking them off
Officials: The group of staff policing the game, including the referee and the referee’s assistants
Offside: When an attacking player is beyond the last line of defenders in the opposition half- he becomes active when the ball is played towards him
Onside: When a player is judged not to have crossed the last line of defenders
Overlap: When one player runs round to one side of his team mate, giving him an extra passing option to the side. This is often performed on the wing between the full back and the wide midfielder
Penalty area: The area surrounding the goal, measuring 18 yards from the goal line and containing the six yard area- as well as the penalty spot
Penalty kick: When a penalty (free kick against the goalie from 12 yards) is taken
Penalty spot: The spot 12 yards from the goal, from which penalty kicks are taken
Penalty shoot-out: A series of penalty kicks taken by both teams in competition at the end of extra time after a drawn match
Pitch: The field of play
Possession: The term used to denote a team or player being in control of the ball
Premier League: The top division in English soccer (football)
Professional foul: An illegal offence that warrants a red card, often performed as the last man back and thus denying a goal scoring opportunity
Receiver: The player receiving the ball (e.g. from a team mate’s pass)
Red card: The card shown to a player being sent off the pitch by the referee
Referee: The main official who polices the game
Referee’s Assistants: They patrol the edge of the pitch to check for fouls, throw-in decisions and offside rulings that the referee may have overlooked
Sending off: When a player is removed from the pitch by the referee, after a highly illegal offence or two yellow card offences
Serie A: The top division in Italian soccer
Service: The quality of balls played to, or extent of opportunity provided to, the strikers by the rest of their team
Set play/piece: A pre-prepared movement orchestrated from a dead-ball situation e.g. a special series of runs and passes from a corner or free kick
Shielding: The act of protecting possession by blocking the opposition when in control of the ball (different from obstruction which is illegal as you have no intention of controlling or getting the ball for yourself)
Shimmy: A special type of trick or dummy
Shoulder barge: When you barge into a player with your shoulder whilst challenging for the ball
Silver Goal: A special type of extra time, whereby the next team to score wins unless the other team equalise before the half is out
Slide tackle: An attempt to take the ball from the opposition by sliding into the path of the opponent with the ball
Stadium: The arena in which a game of soccer is played
Step over: A trick whereby you loop your foot over the ball to confuse the opponents, often performed by players like Ronaldo
Stoppage Time: Another term for injury time, which is the extra period added onto the end of a half to compensate for time wastages during the match
Square pass/ball: A ball played across the pitch by the attacking team, usually into the opposing penalty area
Sudden death: A special type of extra time whereby the next team to score wins
Sweeper: A defender responsible for ‘sweeping’ up all loose balls around the edge of his own penalty area
Switch: To move possession from one side of the pitch to the other- a change of tack by the offensive team
Tackle: An attempt to take possession from the opposing team by physically (but legally) challenging the player in possession
Technical Area: A designated area at the edge of the pitch in which the manager and coaching staff of a team may stand
Through-ball: A pass played through the defence to an on-running striker
Throw In: A way of re-starting play from the touchline, taken by the opposite team to that which put the ball out of play
Volley: Making contact with the ball with your legs or feet before it touches the ground (a half volley catches the ball on or just after the bounce)
Wall: The line of defending players trying to block the opposition’s free kick- often positioned around the edge of the penalty area, but always 10 yards from the place of the free kick
Yellow Card: The card, representing an official caution, which is shown to a player for an appropriate offence. Two of these equals a red card/sending off
`
Well… now you’ve really ‘geeked-up’ on some soccer terminology. If you’d like to add any extra terms or share your thoughts then please do so in the comments section below.
Have fun,
Soccer Geek
x
i like playing soccer &football i enhances my body to play that game