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Two Extremes of Soccer's
Rules Changes
I remember when
I was with the fledgling Detroit Rockers indoor
franchise spending much time trying to convince myself, let alone
others,
that indoor soccer was a legitimate sport. It was a tough sell. For soccer purists, the 6 vs. 6, points-for-goals,
razzamatazz and biff-bang-wallop of the indoor game, was a far cry from the
very traditional outdoor version.
It took a while to come to terms with "indoor,"
but once people started
to see it as a sport in its own right and as an opportunity to play and
spectate during the winter, I wasn't the only one to wonder if
"outdoor"
could learn a thing or two from its indoor cousin. Perhaps certain rule
modifications could help improve the outdoor game as a spectacle.
Certainly the lawmakers in the more traditional US
sports haven't been
slow to change rules in search of more scoring, more open play and more
action. The outlawing of zone defense in the NBA and man-down overtimes in
the NHL are just two examples.
I used to ghost write a column for the Detroit News
on behalf of star
Rockers' striker Andy Chapman. After one of our many conversations on the
subject of how "outdoor" could be made a better game, I set out a
number of
not totally tongue-in-cheek suggestions. Increasing the size of the goals;
reducing the size of the penalty area; introducing a 35 yard line for
offside; kick-ins instead of throw-ins; a 15 yard restriction on free kicks
rather than the current 10; and a 60 minute stopped clock (2 x 30 minute
halves) -- these were just some of the more sensible ideas. I'm pretty sure
there were some more zany examples, a direct result of being around the
"anything-goes" mentality of the indoor game. I also recall Mr.
Chapman took
a bit of stick in phone calls to the office and letters to the newspaper for
daring to toy with the great game.
We didn't intend for any of these suggestions to be
taken too
seriously, the idea was merely to get folks thinking and for us all to
recognize that nothing is, nor should it be, cast in stone as far as the
rules of soccer are concerned. But any changes have to be well thought out.
FIFA, world soccer's governing body and the organization
responsible
for its rules, is about as conservative as could be. The fairly recent and
minor adjustments to the offside law and to the dos and don'ts of the
goalkeeper's trade were many years in the making.
By contrast the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS)
appear happy
to tinker. Reading through their list of rules for the high school game and
comparing them to those of FIFA, one wonders how much thought has gone into
the former.
If the NFHS' objective is to make the game
"better," then it may need
to go back to the drawing board. "Soft" yellow cards. Substitutes
for red
card offenders. Wholesale differences regarding penalty-kick violations and
substitution rules. And, of course, my own personal favorite, penalty-kicks
to determine a "winner" after a tied game. I'm all for improvement
but, not
at the expense of changing the entire character of the game. Next thing you
know, they'll be playing games on fields intended for football.
Come to think of it...
From the Iowa City Press Citizen, May 22, 2000
Submitted By: Ian Parratt
- Coaching Director, Iowa City Alliance Soccer Club
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