The pitch. The field. Where dreams are made… and crushed. Whatever you’re calling it, you know it makes the game.

But going into a match without knowing the laws of the land? You’ll be all kinds of out of sorts. Maybe you just need a Snickers. And maybe you need us to give you a refresh on the rules. So unwrap that chocolate bar and let’s get into it.

A closer look at the pitch

First up, the touchlines. These are the longer sides of the pitch, the boundaries for all the action. The goal lines are the shorter sides, where the magic happens.

Now, pay attention to the penalty area – it's the big rectangle at each end that surrounds the goal area. That's where the goalkeeper holds it down and keeps the other team from scoring.

The centre circle marks the midpoint of the pitch, where the game starts at each half and restarts after a goal is scored. And those flags at the corners? That’s where players take corner kicks. Makes sense, that.

So that’s the pitch itself. Onto the rules.

Rules of the pitch

Rules are the difference between a decent match and a free-for-all.

Starting with kick-off, the ref tosses a coin and the winner decides which goal to attack. The opposing team then kicks off to get things started.

Watch out for offside during gameplay. A player is offside if they’re closer to the opponent's goal than the second-last defender.

Now, goal kicks, throw-ins, and corner kicks. If the attacking team sends the ball over the goal line but not into the goal itself, the defending team takes a goal kick from inside the goal area. If the ball crosses one of the touchlines, the opponent takes a throw-in. And if the defending team kicks the ball over their own goal line, the attacking team takes a corner kick. Easy enough, right?

If a player breaks any rules, the opposing team gets either an indirect or direct free kick – it depends on how severe the offence is.