Five-a-side football is a version of
minifootball
Minifootball is a ''small-sided'' variation of football. It is mainly played in 5-a-side format, with additional types of 6-a-side, 7-a-side, 8-a-side, 9-a-side and indoor soccer, all played on astro turf, or futsal played indoors on a hard cou ...
, in which each team fields five players (four
outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In cricket, baseball a ...
players and a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
). Other differences from
football include a smaller pitch, smaller goals, and a reduced game duration. Matches are played indoors, or outdoors on
artificial grass
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commerc ...
pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or "cage" to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area and keep the game constantly flowing.
Rules
The penalty area is significantly different from football: it is semi-circular in shape, only the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball within it, and they may or may not be allowed out.
Goalkeepers are only allowed to give the ball out to another player through hands. The goalkeeper may only kick the ball to effect a save.
There are no
offside rules.
Headers are allowed. There is no protocol of deliberate handball versus accidental handball – the referee needs to make a decision based on the distance from where the ball was hit.
Yellow cards may result in the offending player being sent to the "
sin bin
The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence n ...
" for a predetermined length of time. Red cards work in the same way as the 11-a-side game, the offending player being dismissed from the match.
Charging/sliding tackles are awarded a yellow card.
Additionally, metal studded boots cannot be worn, as this would damage the playing surface. Players are also required to wear shin guards, but enforcement of this is usually at the discretion of the referee.
Five-a-side is commonly played informally, and the rules are therefore flexible and are sometimes decided immediately before play begins; this is in contrast to
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
, for which official laws are published by FIFA.
The
English FA have drawn up a full list of laws for the small-sided game which expands upon the rules outlined above and includes minimum/maximum pitch dimensions as well as technicalities on free-kicks and other parts of the game.
Variations
Futsal
Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
is a version of indoor five-a-side football developed by the
Asociación Mundial de Fútbol de Salón (AMF / English: World Futsal Association). It currently has two governing bodies: the AMF and the association football international body; the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was founded ...
(FIFA).
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer is an indoor variant played primarily in North America, typically with six-a-side teams on an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
-sized pitch.
Jorkyball
Jorkyball
Jorkyball is a format of two vs two football. It is played in a by cage on artificial turf with the possibility of using the walls to pass, dribble, and score. As in football it is played only with the feet and use of hands is forbidden. The ...
is a 2vs2 format of football played in a plexiglass cage of 10m x 5m. The players can use the walls to pass and to score. The governing body is the Jorkyball International Federation.
Beach soccer
Beach soccer is a variation on five-a-side football in that it is played on a sandy surface. Rules do not greatly differ from those found in regular five-a-side football.
Six-a-side football
A variation with increased pitch size and number of players on a team. In this variation there are five outfield players and one goalkeeper on the pitch for each team at any time. Other rules do not differ from those found in five-a-side football.
Seven-a-side football
This is another variation with increased pitch and team size; in this case with six outfield players and a goalkeeper on each side. The rules differ from those from five-a-side.
SUB football is a variation of seven-a-side football primarily played in Australia and New Zealand. The rules have been modified slightly to encourage new players to the game, with strict enforcement of non-contact and two ways to score points: by scoring a goal in the same manner as the other formats, or by scoring a board that is on either side of the goal. The boards are usually 2.5m long and one third of the height of the goal. A goal is 3 points and a board is 1 point. When the ball goes out of play, it may be kicked or thrown in. This applies to the sideline and corners.
Blind football
Different organisations
There are many operators of five-a-side football in Europe (
Powerleague
Powerleague is a leading operator of small sided football artificial pitches with 42 football centres in the UK, Ireland and Netherlands, based in Fitzrovia, London in England. It has an exclusive playing surface called “Power Pitch” which it c ...
,
Goals Soccer Center,
UrbanSoccer), and most of all in the UK.
World Minifootball Federation
The World Minifootball Federation (WMF) is highest global authority for 6-a-side, with 5 a-side, 7 a-side, 8 a-side, and arena soccer disciplines version of minifootball (also called '' arena soccer''). WMF exists to promote, supervise and direc ...
(WMF) unites 71 national associations, grouped into federations by continent.
European Minifootball Federation
The European Minifootball Federation, also referred to by its abbreviation EMF, is the administrative body for 5-a-side version of minifootball in Europe. It is one of five continental confederations of its governing body, the World Minifootb ...
consists of 32 member associations. EMF organizes
EMF miniEURO
The EMF EURO is the main small-sided football competition for men's national teams, governed by the European Minifootball Federation. The tournament is six-a-side.
Results
Statistics Performance by nations
Medal count
Participation detail ...
and EMF Champions League competitions.
International Socca Federation
The International Socca Federation (ISF) is an organization which sets up the Socca World Cup. It sets up as a governing body for six-a-side football specifically.
History Formation
The ISF was formed in late 2017 by leading providers of sma ...
(ISF) is a 6 a side football organization, running yearly Socca World Cup events since 2018. 40 national teams participated in the 2019 Socca World Cup.
The
F5WC
The F5WC is the world's largest amateur 5 a side football tournament. Established in 2014, the F5WC has had teams from over 60 countries participate over this period. The inaugural tournament in 2014 was held in Dubai at the Dubai World Trade Cent ...
is the world's largest amateur five-a-side football tournament in the world with over 48 participating nations.
IFA7 is the international association that promotes seven-a-side football. IFA7 held the first known Seven-a-side Football World Cup in 2017 in
Guatemala, with
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
winning the title.
Youth organisations
The popularity of five-a-side youth football has grown tremendously within the U.S. Many organisations have chosen this format and modified it slightly to promote an environment where children can excel early in youth sports. The
American Youth Soccer Organization
The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is one of the two main national organizations in youth soccer in the United States for children aged 4 through 19.
AYSO was established as a non-profit soccer organization in Torrance (a suburb of ...
and the
United States Youth Soccer Association
The United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) is the largest youth affiliate and member of U.S. Soccer, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 54 State Associations, one per state except for ...
are among the largest organisations bringing this format to the regional US-based youth soccer arena.
[AYSO National Rules & Regulations]
AYSO
The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is one of the two main national organizations in youth soccer in the United States for children aged 4 through 19.
AYSO was established as a non-profit soccer organization in Torrance (a suburb of Lo ...
2011–2012 Version
Sponsorships
In recent years a few five-a-side teams have found themselves with sponsorship deals amounting up to thousand of pounds contracts. Sponsors feel with the vast numbers of participation in five-a-side football rising in the UK that it is a good place to advertise and tend to sponsor competition winners or league winners at local facilities so that they know that their deals are with the best five-a-side teams around the area.
See also
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Masters football
Masters Football was a six-a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 were chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club for which they played. Regional heats were he ...
*
Street football
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Rugby sevens
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3v3 Soccer
*
Tennents' Sixes
*
Paralympic association football
Paralympic football consists of adaptations of the sport of association football for athletes with a physical disability. These sports are typically played using International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rules, with modifications to ...
*
Jorkyball
Jorkyball is a format of two vs two football. It is played in a by cage on artificial turf with the possibility of using the walls to pass, dribble, and score. As in football it is played only with the feet and use of hands is forbidden. The ...
References
{{Association football
Association football variants
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