Goal scoring opportunities are numerous and there are no goalless draws in the game. There is a high work rate with near nonstop high energy play, in keeping with future expectations of worldwide pay-per-view television and internet streams. Players wear protective headwear and elbow padding.
How is this achieved?
A modern soccer pitch is divided into four quarters, the two centre quarters create the midfield and the two end quarters are the defence zones. The game is played in four sessions of twenty-five minutes, (one hundred minutes in total). There is a five minute break after the first twenty-five minute session, a fifteen minute break for half time and teams change ends and a final five minute break after the third session, with the game ending strictly on time and no additional time allowed, in keeping with pay-per-view requirements.
A team comprises eleven players and each player has a sub. A player and sub are freely interchangeable with each other without the referee’s permission, via a strictly regulated exchange area on the side of the halfway line. In effect a game involves twenty two players per team, a total of forty four field players. Team shirt numbers reflect a player’s field position and their respective subs also wear the same number with a large capital S added.
A modern soccer team comprises five attack players, five defence players and a keeper. Attack players are not permitted to enter their own defence zone and defence players are not allowed to enter the opponents defence zone. This allows the desired balance that is unique in the sport, with five defenders and keeper, combating five attackers, with a great deal more freedom for the offence squad, who are able to execute game plans. Defenders are also allowed to use their skills to combat attack play. Also loss of a player tips the balance in favour of the opposing team especially if it’s a defender. Team coaches are able to field their strongest defence or offence squads, according to how the game progresses.
Attack players in both teams wear white shorts and defence players wear black short, while both team wear their own team shirts.
All players are allowed to enter the midfield area, where the referee is less stringent with enforcing the rules, but makes a mental note of minor offenders and after three offences by a player, the player is dispatched to the sin-bin for five or ten minutes, without stoppage of play. Under the rules a sin-bin offender is released if a goal is scored against the offender’s team.
Referees strive to retain the full complement of twenty two players on the field, even when a player receives a red card sending off, his or her sub must spend a full ten minutes in the sin-bin without any possible early release regardless of the number of goals scored.
There are no offside rules and if a player crosses an opponent’s defence zone line before the ball, it is an immediate sin-bin offence. This rule is applied even if defence players are behind the line.
Defence players are allowed to take corner kicks providing they do not enter the opponent defence zone.
The rules allow players greater freedom to play whereby passing plays and attacks are not brought to a stop by gamesmanship.
No players are allowed to dispute referee decisions and any offender is immediately sent to the sin-bin. Young players brought up in the sport learn the lessons at an early age and as adults, avoid sin-bin offences at all costs and naturally senior players are very reluctant to spoil opposing team plays, other than fair tackling and play.
Players, who are deemed to seek, going-to-ground, at any opportunity, or go-to-ground in a display manner with added writhing to attract the referee attention, will receive an automatic ten minute spell in the sin-bin.
*********
RULES OF MODERN SOCCER 2010 (c)
Modern Soccer is played on any Association Football pitch. The only field layout changes are two extra field markings across the width, which divide the pitch into four equal sections or quarters. The two centre quarters are formed into the midfield and the two end quarters are the defence zones.
The centreline and centre circle are broken or dotted as their only purpose is for starting and restarting a match, or as a point of reference for a sideline throw-in. See pitch marking diagrams after this introduction. All the other pitch markings and measurements remain the same.
This cannot be achieved without introducing some radical changes but, difficult as this may have been, the results are remarkable and achieve the desired results.
The midfield area is a free open-play zone, with no offside rules. The match referee relaxes the rules here a little in order to encourage continuous flow of play. In the midfield every effort is made to minimise stoppages and allow players to enjoy many periods of pure soccer that Association Football appears to have lost. Also Modern Soccer is a spectator sport that is more in keeping with the pay television age.
Sideline throws must be taken without delay and executed in ten seconds or less after the referee’s whistle to play or the player will incur a foul and the throw offered to the other team. The player taking the sideline throw must remain stationary and execute the throw from the designated spot without aid of a forward or backward step or steps.
No run-ups are allowed in the execution of a sideline throw. A player taking a throw is allowed to rise up onto his or her toes providing no step or steps are taken before the ball is released. If both teams fail to obey the rules, the referee will call a free drop ball, five paces inwards from the sideline spot where the foul occurred.
In the midfield, any free spot kick (also known as a short spot kick) must be taken within ten seconds after the whistle. The player taking the kick will place the ball on the ground and remain within hand touching distance of the ball. The player must remain stationary and is not allowed to take a forward or backward step.
If the kick is not executed within ten seconds after the whistle the referee may award the kick to the other team. These rules are designed to reduce any midfield free spot kick or indirect spot kick to a quickly taken short passing shot.
If both teams fail to complete the short spot kick the referee will award a free drop ball from the free kick spot.
Every free kick requires the team that caused it to move ten yards from the ball without delay. Any player who fails to move ten yards away once the ball is spotted will incur a mental note by the referee or a verbal warning. Any player who deliberately prevents or delays a short spot kick will be sent to the sin-bin for five or ten minutes.
A Modern Soccer team comprises twenty two players, eleven of which are the First Selection Team (FST) players, and eleven substitutes. Each FST player has a substitute waiting on the substitutes’ bench. Only eleven players from a team are allowed on the field of play and there is an exchange box with rules that regulate player exchanges.
Players are freely interchangeable without the need to seek a match referee’s permission to take to the field and the player departing the field must enter the exchange box adjacent to the side of the pitch (see pitch diagrams) and the substitute taking to the field must touch hands or make physical contact with the player coming off before taking to the field of play. Only two substitutes (one player from each team) are allowed to wait in the exchange box and until a team player has taken to the field no other player is allowed to leave his or her team bench to enter the exchange box for another exchange of player.
Team shirt numbers are listed and explained later. They are unchanged throughout the game and help spectators to know a player’s position and assist referee officials when a player intrudes into forbidden zones. Subs have the same position shirt number but with capital S added. Every FST player represents his or her field position and only two players are allowed to wear the position number shirt. Players are only allowed to change shirts in exceptional circumstances if and when both position players are injured or sent off the field for a red card offence. The Keeper is the first option when two players from the same tean have departed.
Modern Soccer strives to keep all twenty two players from both teams on the field for the duration of a game, temporary sin-bin absences apart, never allowing a depleted team of ten or less players. This is in keeping with the awareness that soccer is a spectator sport.
In the two end zones, all spot kicks, corner kicks and indirect kicks have the same rules as Association Football. When a corner or a sideline throw is awarded, although opposing team defence players are not allowed into the zone, they are allowed to take a corner kick or sideline throw, especially if a specialist is available.
No defence player taking a sideline throw is allowed step onto the pitch or incur a foul. A defence player taking a corner kick is allowed to step into the one-yard quarter circle after taking a corner kick if momentum carries the player forward, but overstepping this mark will incur a foul and a goal kick will be awarded to the other team. An attack player is of course free to take a sideline throw or corner kick.
When a player passes the ball back to the keeper, the keeper is not allowed to pick up the ball, under a penalty of a foul of an indirect spot kick from the spot from the place the ball was delivered. If this occurs from the midfield, the referee will award a free indirect spot kick to the opposing team, from one yard into the defence zone at a central point between the penalty spot and centre spot.
Once the keeper has handled the ball, the keeper must return it without undue delay into the midfield and the ball must make first contact with a player in the midfield or the ball make contact with the ground in the midfield area. If the ball lands anywhere outside the midfield area mark line it is a foul and the other side is awarded a sideling throw-in against the keeper, just inside the the keeper's defence zone line. The match referee will decide which side of the field the throw-in must be taken from.
When the keeper has not handled the ball and receives or obtains it the keeper is free to kick the ball anywhere without incurring a foul.
PENALTY BENCH (SIN-BIN)
Yellow cards are abolished and a foul or misbehaviour is subject to either a five or ten minute spell on the penalty bench at the match referee’s discretion. In the midfield a referee will issue one or two verbal warnings to a player committing a petty foul, rather than sending the player to the sin-bin. In the defence zone all the rules are strictly enforced other than the most trivial offences which will be noted by the referee.
In Modern Soccer the temporary loss of one player provides the other team with a tremendous opportunity to gain a goal scoring opportunity and if the player is a defender the scoring opportunity could produce a goal. Team managers, coaches and players will learn that petty fouls demand a high price and are not worth the trouble.
When a player has committed a foul deserving five minutes in the sin-bin the referee will, if possible, tap the offender’s shoulder. Failing this, the referee will point at the offender or make eye contact, or use any method to attract the player’s attention, then raise one arm with fingers spread wide, denoting a five-minute spell in the sin-bin.
If the offender makes every effort to ignore and avoid the referee’s attention or attempts to leave the field, injured or otherwise, the referee will stop the game and issue a ten minutes sin-bin penalty to the offender and prevent his or her replacement from coming onto the field.
In the midfield the referee will do everything possible to dispatch offenders to the sin-bin without stopping the game.
To denote a ten minutes sin-bin penalty spell the referee will raise both arms with all ten fingers spread wide. Offenders must depart the field speedily and their penalty will not start until the player has entered the sin-bin area. An offender departing the field to the sin-bin must stay fully alert and avoid any ‘accidental’ contact with other players on the field or incur a further warning upon return to the pitch. Any serious foul in departure could result in a red card. Likewise players on the field must allow right of way for a departing sin-bin offender. For some ten-minute sin-bin fouls the referee may prevent the game from continuing and award a free spot kick.
Keepers are treated differently. The substitute is allowed to take to the field while the keeper serves a sin-bin penalty or suffers a red card dismissal.
Red card offences are subject to the same punishment as in Association Football, except that in Modern Soccer the red card offender must serve ten minutes in the sin-bin before the sub is allowed on the field and then the red card offender must depart to the dressing room.
In Modern Soccer the referee’s decision is absolute and final and cannot be changed. Only the team captains are allowed to speak to the match referee but not allowed to dispute the referee’s decision. No other player is allowed to speak adversely to the match referee under the penalty of a red card sending off offence. This rule is strictly enforced and ex-Association Football players must learn to accept this or suffer the consequences.
The duration of a game is 100 minutes divided into four 25-minute sessions with no extra time or injury time allowed. All sessions finish exactly on time. There is a five-minute break after the first session and a fifteen-minute break at half time when the teams change ends. After the third session there is a further five-minute break. Teams are free to change players during breaks between sessions.
REFEREE OFFICIALS
Modern Soccer allows for upwards of five match officials to govern a game where in junior games a single match referee will suffice. For top class games and internationals, five officials are required with three on-the-field officials. The match referee is aided by two end zone referees who cover their respective zones, filtering on and off the field to avoid interfering with play, all three aided by two sideline officials. All officials are linked via radio communication to an IT official who advises the match referee on any difficult decisions. Short pauses awaiting IT advice are allowed.
The rules are geared to encourage longer periods of free-flowing soccer with fewer interruptions and allow a large number of scoring opportunities to arise. As the game evolves from junior to senior and from amateur to professional, players will be able to display their individual talents and teamwork for their own pleasure and for the enjoyment of the spectators.
The advantages of the free open-play midfield area will unfold as the players’ old-style football attitudes change from defensive mindsets to all-out attack thinking, where niggling fouls and stoppages are less likely to arise. There is also the likely cost of a goal for the opponent’s team should a player be dispatched to the sin-bin. Then, of course, keepers do not have the protection of a halfway offside area, resulting in greater opportunities for both teams to gain many scoring opportunities.
Modern Soccer rules out nil-nil results. It also forbids blanket defence practises that now mire Association Football, such as the growing practice of game management tactics by players when they wrest control from referees who are powerless to combat this practice. Introduction of twenty two active team players, forty four in total combined with almost nonstop play bring a zest to the game that Association Football cannot achieve.
With all due respect, top premier teams and many international sides include divas and divers so that team managers are reduced to the whims of its star players. Referees are powerless to counter game management tactics. Association Football authorities are in a mess as ‘cash for votes’ makes a nonsense of its procedures.
Modern Soccer is the light at the end of the tunnel and supporters of pure soccer will relish the opportunity of restoring soccer to sportsmanship and fair play despite the difficulties imposed by the interests of big money and national prestige.
Further detailed rules are in preparation. However the pitch layout shown after this brief introduction should be sufficient to grasp an understanding of Modern Soccer.
While Modern Soccer remains in its infancy it may need modest changes to the rules and it will be necessary to view the official website www.modern-soccer.com occasionally.
For further information please email me at founder@modern-soccer.com
Full details of rules and laws of the game are awaiting ratification.
Paul Lehmans. Founder of Modern Soccer 2010©
MODERN SOCCER FIELD POSITIONS
No 1 Star Striker.
No 3 Left Striker Support . No 2 Right Striker Support
No 5 Left Fly Wing. No 4 Right Fly Wing
(THIS GROUP OF FIVE ARE KNOWN AS THE ATTACK SQUAD)
* * * * * *
THE FOLLOWING GROUP OF FIVE ARE KNOWN AS THE DEFENCE SQUAD
No 6 Centre Defender
No 8 Left Prop No7 Right Prop
No 10 Left Back No 9 Right Back
* * * * * *
No 11 Keeper
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NOTE: EACH PLAYER POSITION HAS A SUBSTITUTE WITH THE SAME NUMBER BUT A CLEAR BOLD CAPITAL LETTER S ADDED.
For example the Star Striker is from No 1 the Sub is 1S to the Keeper No11 the Sub is 11S
Modern Soccer Basic Pitch Markings Diagram No 1
Pitch Marking Diagramme No 2
1 = PLAYER EXCHANGE AREA (SUB MUST TOUCH HANDS BEFORE ENTRY
2= PENALTY BENCH (SIN-BIN) PENALTY STARTS ON ENTRY
3 & 4 TEAM PLAYER SUBSITUTES BENCHES (DUGOUTS)
