A Passion For The Rules (And A Bit About Me?)

"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."

--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

That quote right there is the reason that as a football referee I initially feared stepping on to the pitch. That fear was present for two reasons: the first was that at the age of 12 perhaps I questioned my own comprehensive knowledge of the rules, and the second and most pressing reason being that I knew that those present, those dreaded fans, parents, and even players knew less than I did.  

Nothing has bothered me more throughout the years as a referee, player, and fan, than the constant ignorant yelling, arguing, and bickering of onlookers who, frankly, have no idea what they're talking about. Perhaps you're one of them? Perhaps you're new to football and want to know the rules? Maybe you've been a soccer fan for years but there's just a few things you're not sure about? Whatever the case is, I love you. I love you because you want to learn and you want to know. 

This blog is intended to clarify and explain in an extremely simple yet thorough way some of the more complicated rules of soccer. Also, let's have a little fun, eh?

A few things to understand before you really get into it:

1. My humor is dry and blunt, don't be offended. I love everyone who loves the sport and wants to learn about it (unless you claim to be a Manchester United fan, in which case feel free to close this blog, and go drink some battery acid or something). <--- That humor right there is what I'm talking about :) 

2. I'm American. So sue me. You're gonna see me use words familiar to the sport from both American and English cultures. Football, soccer. Field, pitch. They all mean the same thing. Let's unify the world's most popular and beautiful sport by not arguing over stupid words, cool?

3. Comments are enabled. Which means I want to hear from you. You have a question or a rule you want me to write about? Let me know! You like my blog and want to leave positive feedback? I won't complain. You think I'm a blundering fool, and that I should stop wasting my time go ahead and say it (though I probably won't listen). 

4. I'm not an expert and I'm not a professional. At anything, really. I've played soccer my whole life, I refereed youth soccer for 8 years(during which time I strove to gain a solid knowledge of the rules), and I've probably spent 1000 hours in front of the TV watching games. Those are my credentials, take them or leave them!

Happy Reading!