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Soccer

For the grown-up beside a child who loves soccer.

The child's own door is Soccer on Spark & Anvil.

Use it now

At the event

The sideline card

Three numbers to notice

  1. Where a shot was struck from. From the middle the goal looks wide; from near the corner flag the same goal is a thin slice.
  2. The minute of a goal. The clock keeps running through stoppages, and the referee adds time at the end of each half.
  3. The formation, like 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. The numbers add to ten: the outfield players, with the goalkeeper left out.

On the way home, ask: “Where on the pitch did the goal look biggest to you today?”

Ask because you are curious, and let any answer stand. Print this page for a half-page card.

Understand it

A short course for you

Where it came from

A little history, and what nobody knows

The shoot-out

Football adopted the penalty shoot-out in 1970 to settle tied knockout matches; the first at a men’s World Cup was West Germany against France in 1982.

Whether the team that shoots first has an edge is not settled: studies disagree.

Source: Penalty shoot-out (association football) (Wikipedia)

Your child's ladder · on Spark & Anvil

The same idea at every age

  1. Ages 3–5Two Teams
  2. Ages 6–8The League Table and 2 more
  3. Ages 9–14Kicker and Keeper and 3 more
  4. Ages 15–18Goals by Chance and 2 more

Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.