While watching the World Cup lately, I've been noticing how pointless the centre circle, and penalty area segements are. They only come into play for (a) kick-offs, and (b) penalty kicks.

Why not get a bit more value out of that white paint? My suggested rule changes would do this:

1. Penalty area segment: *Only* the attacking team are allowed into this segment (except when a penalty is being taken, when neither team is allowed in, as at present). However, players are only allowed to remain in the segment for a maximum of five seconds at any one time.

2. Centre circle: No attacking player is offside from a pass when the ball was kicked from inside the centre circle.

Rule change 1 would lead to exciting 'pressure' moments where the attacking team can set up a semi-set-play, holding the ball in the segment as players make runs and decoy runs around them.

Rule change 2 would make the centre of the pitch more important to control, for the chance to play 'immune' passes from the centre circle, so dull periods of midfield play would be livened up a little.

By the way, I don't think that football *needs* these changes. But since the lines are already there, painted on the pitch, it seems like a nice idea to make a bit more use of them (hence the name).
-- imaginality, Jun 21 2006

put trees on the pitch inhabited by mischievous monkeys... oh yes, and a patch of quicksand. I love quicksand.
-- xenzag, Jun 21 2006


Rule 1. is a bit too basketball like for me. Plus the fact that it makes corners, free-kicks, crosses and such into a potential 8 v 1 on the goalie. (-)
-- Jinbish, Jun 21 2006


As soon as I saw you had called it Soccer, I stopped reading.
Leave our sports alone, and stick to what you are good at... fucking up American sports!
-- MikeOliver, Jun 21 2006


//As soon as I saw you had called it Soccer, I stopped reading//

I don't think anyone realised the HB centred around you and your kind dude.
-- kuupuuluu, Jun 22 2006


I don't like the technique of shielding the ball as it rolls off the pitch: almost like obstruction. Hell, it *is* obstruction. This effectively makes the pitch smaller, since the ball is sometimes 'out of play' even when it is a fair way from the line.
-- Ling, Jun 22 2006


I was hoping that this would be an idea for soccer played in tar. With, perhaps, a very thin, badly stitched ball. Full of feathers.
-- m_Al_com, Jun 22 2006


I'm amused by Mike's annotation, especially since I'm British. I called it Soccer for precisely the reason boysparks mentions.

[Ling]'s point is a good one, I didn't think about that. I'm more than open to suggestions as to other ways to make use of the circles - this was just one idea. The palm trees sound good... tricky to chip the ball over them from a free-kick though...
-- imaginality, Jun 22 2006


[Jinbish], just to clear up a possible confusion, it's only the semi-circle-ish segment on the edge of the penalty area that defenders aren't allowed in. They're still allowed in the penalty area itself, so it wouldn't lead to eight-vs-one scenarios from corners and the like.
-- imaginality, Jun 22 2006


"I bet you wouldn't refuse to play 'pro evolution soccer' just 'cos it has the word soccer on the front either"
I still play it... I just complain alot while I do.
"I don't think anyone realised the HB centred around you and your kind dude"
I never said it was... just expressing an opinion. Is that allowed?
"using the word 'football' would lead to the inevitable "Which one?" type questions."
To which you could reply, the original one!
-- MikeOliver, Jun 23 2006



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