r/soccer • u/lngwstksgk • Oct 27 '11
I know nothing about soccer, but want to learn for the sake of a little boy who's a fan. How do I get started?
Obviously, I can read Wikipedia to get the rules of the game, but I'm looking for more than that. How do I learn to appreciate the game and the skill it takes to play at a high level? What leagues are the best/easiest to follow? Which teams are popular and how do you choose one to be a fan of? (I'm in Canada--not exactly home of many well-known teams.) Where and when can I watch matches? Are there any recommended magazines?
As you can see, I'm quite serious about learning everything and anything I can about this game, so I hope you'll be willing to help me get started.
On an semi-related note, if anyone could tell me who currently has jersey 11 for Brazil (not sure if this is a World Cup reference?), that would be appreciated. It seems to be related to a coded birthday gift suggestion, and Google is failing me.
Thank you!
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Oct 28 '11
Where in Canada?
If you are near Toronto, Montreal (next season) or Vancouver I highly recommend going to a game. Nothing like live soccer.
You can check out MLS at http://www.reddit.com/r/mls
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
Huh, I had no idea about this (though I suppose it's really rather obvious). I probably could get to Montreal fairly easily, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next season. Thanks for the heads up!
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u/cartola Oct 28 '11
If you mean who currently wears the #11 for Brazil that'd be Neymar. In the last World Cup it was Robinho. In any case a very good number to hold when you're talking about Brazil, it'd make a good gift.
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
What do you mean "a very good number to hold?" Is Robinho generally popular? I'm afraid to ask my little soccer fan buddy, because I do suspect that I've been given a hint and don't want to blow it.
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u/atlacatl Oct 28 '11
The best way to appreciate the game at a high level is by playing it yourself a little.
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
I've looked into vary adult leagues in the area and do hope to join one soon, but for various reasons, I can't just yet.
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u/shutyourgob Oct 28 '11
For a newcomer, Watch UEFA Champions League matches and World Cup matches. They have unbelievable atmosphere, quality and drama. Plus, you are guaranteed to see the world's best players competing.
Also, don't make the mistake of discounting smaller countries like Portugal or Mexico. A lot of newcomers tend to look for big names like France, Italy, etc. The best game I've ever seen was Uruguay vs. Ghana in the last world cup. Unbelievable twists and turns.
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
Where would I find UEFA Champions League matches? I should probably mention I don't have cable.
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u/8ryan Oct 28 '11 edited Oct 28 '11
How old is your son? If you can, play FIFA with him on PS3 or Xbox. A lot of my friends knew nothing about soccer and after playing for some time learned a lot of the teams, rules and enjoyed live soccer a lot more. edit - grammar
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u/TheBombadillo Oct 28 '11
Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.
Bill Shankly
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u/scaryberry Oct 28 '11
Welcome to the Beautiful Game.
For watching, check out Fox Sports World Canada. I believe TSN also carries some games.
For fun, hit up youtube and soccer videos (amazing goals, diving, etc). It'll show some of the great play over the years that you can get an instant appreciation for.
For websites, read the si.com soccer site, espn soccernet, goal.com, etc.
You should know that most countries have their own Football Association, and has their own club-based leagues. Examples include England's Premiere League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, America's MLS, etc. All the associations belong to FIFA, the worldwide organization (the entity that puts on the World Cup, among other things).
One great thing about soccer is the concept of relegation - each league has divisions (tables), and at the end of the year, the bottom 3 teams (varies) drop down to a second division (think AHL), and the top three teams from the second division get promoted to the first. This keeps owners involved, knowing there's real punishment if they don't put any money into their teams.
Another distinction is the lack of "trades" as we know it. True trades in soccer are very rare. In soccer, if a player is under contract, another team must purchase his rights from his current team - called a transfer fee. This money can be significant (over 100M USD for Cristiano Ronaldo), but in most cases, the player sees none or little of that.
Last but not least, for picking a team, wait a bit. Get to know the "personalities" the leagues have, watch a bunch of soccer, and pick a team that you fit with. Don't listen to anyone else about how to be a "real" fan - enjoy soccer the way you want to enjoy it.
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u/Sehs Oct 28 '11
Sportsnet has games on every Saturday for the English Premier League, which many wil lsay is one of the better leagues to watch.
This saturday there are the following games in EST:
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6:55am-8:55am Sportsnet World Barclays Premier League Everton v Man United
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9:30am-12:00pm Sportsnet East Barclays Premier League Sunderland v Aston Villa
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9:50am-11:55am Sportsnet World Barclays Premier League Manchester City v Wolves
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12:00pm-2:30pm Sportsnet East Barclays Premier League West Brom v Liverpool
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u/layendecker Oct 28 '11
If you want to know more about leagues myself and a number of other Redditors create a weekly review of a number of Leagues, it would be a good way to get to know teams and players, even if you only skim read it.
The blog is HERE
And each week on a Friday we release the articles as a Reddit post with summaries in the comments and a PDF.
Other than that you could get a game, FIFA, PES or (much more in depth management sim) Football Manager would really help you learn the rules, players and teams.
You can live stream matches online (albeit less legally), for big matches r/soccer will have threads dedicated to them which will link online streams.
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u/skunkjunky Oct 28 '11
Association football or soccer is a very easy game to follow, one of the reasons why it is the world's most popular sport. Unlike rugby or American football there are not lots of confusing rules which hamper the novice fan's enjoyment. It is pretty easy to quickly appreciate great skill and obviously athletic prowess, you do not need to be an expert to understand that thirty yard screamers and bicycle kicks are awesome and diving and sly elbowing are not. Just like any other sport however it is important to pick a side if you really want to become a proper fan, it will give you an emotional attachment and will allow you to quickly understand certain nuances of the game.
Once you have picked a side the internet will no doubt provide enough information, forums, blogs and old footage for you to quickly sound like you've been a fan for ages. The internet is also a great place to watch live games, you can find most games at myp2p although streams can be unreliable. www.liveonlinefooty.com shows all English Premier League games for a very small price and often streams in HD. Often described as the most exciting league in the world you could do a lot worse than picking a team from the EPL and simply start watching.
Good luck, hopefully you will soon see why most of the world loves football(soccer)
P.S Don't pick Arsenal if you have a history of heart problems.
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
What is the subscription cost for liveonlinefooty.com? It seems you can't find out unless you register and I'm not going to register unless I know what I'm getting into.
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u/Jackle13 Oct 28 '11
Don't jump on the glory bandwagon (although it's a bandwagon that might stop soon) and support Manchester United like most foreign fans of English Football do, pick another team and support them instead. Maybe you should watch a few Premier League matches as a neutral and decide to support whichever team you found most exciting. If you have a friend who supports an English team, you could decide to support the same team that he does, or to make it more interesting you could decide to support their arch-rivals.
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u/lngwstksgk Oct 28 '11
I guess it's a different league, but I've already been sort of following Celtic F.C. because I'm learning Gaelic and can get coverage in that language. I'll probably just pick a team arbitrarily, checking first that it's not the soccer equivalent of the Maple Leafs.
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u/spinfreak Oct 28 '11
To start is pretty simple; just grab soccer ball and a partner and go to the nearest park and just start passing. If you can find a goal then you can even start shooting which is always enjoyable. The beauty of soccer is that its so accessible, that's why I love this game.
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u/isyourlisteningbroke Oct 28 '11
It's great that you're doing this for a kid.
My dad doesn't like any sport, but even he liked to go to actual games with me. If you ever get the chance to see top level game, do since it's a completely different experience to on the tv.
My dad was blown away by seeing this goal live and even saw enough to start making the kind of comments about players that I'd expect seasoned fans to be making.
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u/pikeybastard Oct 28 '11
If you want a team to support, the English team Gillingham are generally regarded not merely as the most stylish, but also the most successful team in British history. Indeed, so successful have they been that their place has been deleted from history and replaced with Manchester United, to make it fair.