(Newswire.net — March 29, 2016) — If you are interested in playing more soccer, you may be interested in playing with either an indoor or outdoor soccer team. Unlike other versions of soccer that are popularly played like five-a-side and Futsal, which also has five players per team, indoor soccer is almost exactly the same as outdoor soccer, with 11 player teams and similar rules. Some people confuse Futsal and indoor soccer as both are played indoors, but they are actually very different.
This means that if you are good at playing one and understand the game, you shouldn’t have much difficulty adjusting to the other, and of course, if you start playing indoor soccer, you don’t have to worry about the weather or field conditions.
However, as well as needing specific indoor soccer shoes, rather than the cleats you wear to play outdoors on grass, there are also a few differences to the rules that you will need to be aware of before you try indoor soccer.
No Out of Bounds
One of, if not the biggest, differences between playing outdoor and indoor soccer, is that because indoor soccer pitches are surrounded by netted walls, the ball never goes out of bounds. This actually makes some quite big changes to play – the game is faster paced because play doesn’t stop very often at all, and there are no throw ins. This can take a bit of getting used to, but many indoor players believe that play is actually more exciting under this framework.
No Sliding Tackles
In outdoor soccer, some quite physical tackles are allowed, however this is more dangerous on an indoor pitch where the surface is much harder. The majority of indoor soccer leagues and teams therefore play with sliding tackles banned, and you can therefore be booked for using them. If you come from an outdoor soccer background and are quite aggressive with your tackles, it can pay to check out the specific rules of the league you are going to and adapt your playing style accordingly!
No Offside Rule!
The offside rule may be one of the most famous rules in soccer, but in indoor soccer it isn’t usually enforced, because the pitch is smaller and there is only one referee. This means it is actually possible for players to hang around near the goal and score quickly, and marking becomes even more important than it is in the outdoor game. This can lead to fairly high scoring games.
Different Punishments
In outdoor soccer, a player can only be punished by being issued a yellow or red card. In indoor soccer, these still exist, however many games also have the addition of a timeout box, a rule borrowed from ice hockey. This means that if a player commits a foul, rather than a warning or being sent off, they may have to sit out of the game for two minutes, leaving their team a player short.
These are the main ways you may find indoor soccer different if you’re used to playing the traditional outdoor rules. Because different leagues have their own rules, always make sure you check what is permitted where you are playing before you get started!