Footballing Culture in Your Country (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Desmond
- Start date
Yeah im also gonna be lazy, drop a few lines on the football culture down SL ends.
Live! Always something going down. Right at this moment I can say Powerleague football(underfloodlights, astro) is bubblin
. Its cage football, all races and cultures come down from arabs, pakis, niggas, whites. Very rough, street rules a lot of rucks breakout but at the end of the day its just your street youth coming together to play ball and hang out. I was playing yesterday and got fouled very badly sliced down on the turn:devil: Took a time out pain was killing me but I tryed to shut it out and played on. My right foot has a bump the size of a tennis ball
I might join the team that my mates are starting but I have a fear of injury. I got big dream you see
The style of play is very intense and you have to pass the ball about otherwise you will get rushed Attack in triangles like BRASIL amazing if a goal comes from it. Im still not used to it as much as 11 aside grass football. Its good practice for the real thing though.ez
Live! Always something going down. Right at this moment I can say Powerleague football(underfloodlights, astro) is bubblin
. Its cage football, all races and cultures come down from arabs, pakis, niggas, whites. Very rough, street rules a lot of rucks breakout but at the end of the day its just your street youth coming together to play ball and hang out. I was playing yesterday and got fouled very badly sliced down on the turn:devil: Took a time out pain was killing me but I tryed to shut it out and played on. My right foot has a bump the size of a tennis ballI might join the team that my mates are starting but I have a fear of injury. I got big dream you see
The style of play is very intense and you have to pass the ball about otherwise you will get rushed
Attack in triangles like BRASIL amazing if a goal comes from it. Im still not used to it as much as 11 aside grass football. Its good practice for the real thing though.ez
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
very easy (in the summer time of course...) 10/10
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
Not enough, just new pitches and things like that... 4/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
We have so many pitches that kids don't have to play on the streets... Sometimes they play in parks etc. though... 5/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Veikkausliiga, HJK got to CL in 97-98 4/10 It's better league than it's image shows...
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
7/10
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
4/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
3/10 if I don't want order Canal+ or something... :doh: Just NT games, English 1.division and Veikkausliiga
8*. How often do you play football?
Whenever I can...
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
?!
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
EPL and Finnish league, Veikkausliiga
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
We should get a new coach for our NT, our current coach Muurinen just sucks...
"Muurinen ulos, Muurinen ulos!"
very easy (in the summer time of course...) 10/10
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
Not enough, just new pitches and things like that... 4/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
We have so many pitches that kids don't have to play on the streets... Sometimes they play in parks etc. though... 5/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Veikkausliiga, HJK got to CL in 97-98
4/10 It's better league than it's image shows...5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
7/10
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
4/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
3/10 if I don't want order Canal+ or something... :doh: Just NT games, English 1.division and Veikkausliiga
8*. How often do you play football?
Whenever I can...
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
?!
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
EPL and Finnish league, Veikkausliiga
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
We should get a new coach for our NT, our current coach Muurinen just sucks...
"Muurinen ulos, Muurinen ulos!"
1. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
depends what you mean by proper... there's grass fields here and there, but they've usually got ridiculous posts, no posts at all, or the grass is brown or absent, Australia being "the sunburnt country" and all 4/10
2. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
Not that much at all; all the private schools and sports associations push for the development of Rugby and Australian Rules football a lot more 4/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
Not really... every now and then I see a few people kicking a ball around 3/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Yes, but the standard of it is laughable and the league is ridiculously under-funded, so much so that the competition has been 'disbanded' and given a facelift, calling it the Australian Premier League instead of the "National Soccer League" in a desperate bid to copy the English
The only people who go to watch the matches are family, friends and the fans who care about the league for some reason. Australian footballers don't get paid enough, so they have to run fish and chips shops on the side 3/10
5. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
mostly young girls, there's no major league as far as I know..
6. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
rugby takes up about 2/3 of it, cricket 1/6 and football 1/6 (approx)
7.What TV coverage do you get?
I don't have cable, but free-to-air TV used to have 1 Premier League match every week, and during the Champions League, 2 matches are televised...
this season there's no Premier League at all, but 2 live CL games and 1 delayed broadcast... 4/10
8. How often do you play football?
I play at least 4 times a week; twice just mucking around with mates, once for my church and an indoor competition at university
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
erm... we're not allowed to play inside police stations and on top of skyscrapers
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
England, England, England...
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
?? people just have to get more interested in the game; that's about it...
depends what you mean by proper... there's grass fields here and there, but they've usually got ridiculous posts, no posts at all, or the grass is brown or absent, Australia being "the sunburnt country" and all
4/102. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
Not that much at all; all the private schools and sports associations push for the development of Rugby and Australian Rules football a lot more
4/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
Not really... every now and then I see a few people kicking a ball around 3/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Yes, but the standard of it is laughable and the league is ridiculously under-funded, so much so that the competition has been 'disbanded' and given a facelift, calling it the Australian Premier League instead of the "National Soccer League" in a desperate bid to copy the English
The only people who go to watch the matches are family, friends and the fans who care about the league for some reason. Australian footballers don't get paid enough, so they have to run fish and chips shops on the side 3/105. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
mostly young girls, there's no major league as far as I know..
6. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
rugby takes up about 2/3 of it, cricket 1/6 and football 1/6 (approx)
7.What TV coverage do you get?
I don't have cable, but free-to-air TV used to have 1 Premier League match every week, and during the Champions League, 2 matches are televised...
this season there's no Premier League at all, but 2 live CL games and 1 delayed broadcast... 4/10
8. How often do you play football?
I play at least 4 times a week; twice just mucking around with mates, once for my church and an indoor competition at university
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
erm... we're not allowed to play inside police stations and on top of skyscrapers
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
England, England, England...
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
?? people just have to get more interested in the game; that's about it...
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
Unless at the stadiums, it's not that easy. You know the open 'patchy' field right is about the only good one we have near my area. That if you count a pair of slippers as goal posts. I'd say 4/10.
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
I don't see my government doing much on this. 2/10. You think?
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
Yes, every weekend in the evenings and public holidays I see youngsters playing at my void deck, and also that open 'patchy' field. Come to think of it, I've seen people play in almost any open field I've come to notice. 9/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Do I need to answer this? I don't see any future in our S-League. 2/10
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
I have a lot of female friends who partipate in women's football, so I'd say 6/10.
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
If you refer to The New Paper, then a lot, but mostly EPL related. And post Beckham (and Owen) signing to Real, there's even more focus in the sports section. Otherwise the Straits Times have a fair share of other sports too. 7/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
ESPN, Star Sports, Super Sports (incl. Plus). Channel i, which sometimes show La Liga matches, and yeah, Channel 5 during those CL times. RCTI helps too.
8*. How often do you play football?
None.
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Nothing that I'm aware of.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
EPL, definitely. On the side (and sadder) note, Serie A normally gets a quarter section of the newspaper page.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
There's nothing I can do sadly.
Unless at the stadiums, it's not that easy. You know the open 'patchy' field right is about the only good one we have near my area. That if you count a pair of slippers as goal posts. I'd say 4/10.
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
I don't see my government doing much on this. 2/10. You think?
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
Yes, every weekend in the evenings and public holidays I see youngsters playing at my void deck, and also that open 'patchy' field. Come to think of it, I've seen people play in almost any open field I've come to notice. 9/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Do I need to answer this? I don't see any future in our S-League. 2/10
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
I have a lot of female friends who partipate in women's football, so I'd say 6/10.
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
If you refer to The New Paper, then a lot, but mostly EPL related. And post Beckham (and Owen) signing to Real, there's even more focus in the sports section. Otherwise the Straits Times have a fair share of other sports too. 7/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
ESPN, Star Sports, Super Sports (incl. Plus). Channel i, which sometimes show La Liga matches, and yeah, Channel 5 during those CL times. RCTI helps too.
8*. How often do you play football?
None.
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Nothing that I'm aware of.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
EPL, definitely. On the side (and sadder) note, Serie A normally gets a quarter section of the newspaper page.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
There's nothing I can do sadly.
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
Not very easy. Our capital doesn't even have a proper stadium. 2/10
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
They are fighting about the first ever big stadium being build for over 5 years now, so you be the judge. 1/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
From time to time. 7/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Proffesional is a bit of an overarted description of our league, but yes we do have one. 1/10
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
We have a female league And there's a quite a few female fans at the games, so I guess not that bad. 6/10
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
A bit more than on other sports, but it doesn't pop-out like something big. 7/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
Slovenina league, EPL, thanks to croatian TV also Seria A. Not all matches of course. 6/10
8*. How often do you play football?
Don't play ar all. Will do with my kids
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Wouldn't know.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
Big leagues (ITA, SPA, GER, ENG) and all those where our NT players play.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
First of all our FA would have to do a better job with the domestic league, because it's all messy as everyone does what it pleases. They they should pep it up more to get more fans. BUILD THE F***ING STADIUM!
Not very easy. Our capital doesn't even have a proper stadium. 2/10
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
They are fighting about the first ever big stadium being build for over 5 years now, so you be the judge. 1/10
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
From time to time. 7/10
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Proffesional is a bit of an overarted description of our league, but yes we do have one. 1/10
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
We have a female league
And there's a quite a few female fans at the games, so I guess not that bad. 6/10 6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
A bit more than on other sports, but it doesn't pop-out like something big. 7/10
7. What TV coverage do you get?
Slovenina league, EPL, thanks to croatian TV also Seria A. Not all matches of course. 6/10
8*. How often do you play football?
Don't play ar all. Will do with my kids
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Wouldn't know.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
Big leagues (ITA, SPA, GER, ENG) and all those where our NT players play.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
First of all our FA would have to do a better job with the domestic league, because it's all messy as everyone does what it pleases. They they should pep it up more to get more fans. BUILD THE F***ING STADIUM!
Here in the Australian Central Highlands its pretty difficult to get a football game going. I once had a football but a crocadile snapped it up real good. In terms of government funding its non-existent- i dont blame them though, no one knows were here.
There's an oval nearby- 7km walk- but its infested with rabbit holes. there's goals but not the sort you guys are use to. We use to have a league giong- it was great- but then one family moved away and now seven tenths of the team is gone. My Granny, a real good stitcher, made me a ball but its was knida square shaped and didn't go far.
Anyway were real lucky out here in the highlands... the only thing id ask for to improve the culture of our sport would be to get a bit more rain so the grass can grow. Dad says he's gonna build a stadium but now that his backs gone bad i don't see it happening.
Out here football's bout as popular as climbing big, green gum tress
There's an oval nearby- 7km walk- but its infested with rabbit holes. there's goals but not the sort you guys are use to. We use to have a league giong- it was great- but then one family moved away and now seven tenths of the team is gone. My Granny, a real good stitcher, made me a ball but its was knida square shaped and didn't go far.
Anyway were real lucky out here in the highlands... the only thing id ask for to improve the culture of our sport would be to get a bit more rain so the grass can grow. Dad says he's gonna build a stadium but now that his backs gone bad i don't see it happening.
Out here football's bout as popular as climbing big, green gum tress
++ [ originally posted by Desmond ] ++
What does football represent in your country?Is it the biggest/most popular sport around?Which league is the perennial favourite etc.?
To get the discussion going,lets start with a short questionnaire.(*rate on a scale of 1 to 10).Elaboration would be very welcome as well.
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
7. What TV coverage do you get?
8*. How often do you play football?
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
Have fun
What does football represent in your country?Is it the biggest/most popular sport around?Which league is the perennial favourite etc.?
To get the discussion going,lets start with a short questionnaire.(*rate on a scale of 1 to 10).Elaboration would be very welcome as well.
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
7. What TV coverage do you get?
8*. How often do you play football?
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
Have fun
OK, my country is Wales. A very minor football nation doing OK for itself recently. Over the years, we have only produced a handful of world class players:
John Charles (Of Course
)Ryan Giggs
Ian Rush
Mark Hughes
These days, not many great players. An ageing side too. However, we have two great attackers in Craig Bellamy who is very very fast, and Rob Earnshaw.
1) Very hard to find a proper pitch. Mostly you can play on rugby pitches though. (2/10)
2) Wales' government has minor responsibilities, and football is not a high priority. (0/10)
3) Occasionally. Most boys are born with a rugby ball in their hands though.
4) Errrr. The FAW Premier League has about two or three Pro Clubs. We get ZERO players from here. All from English clubs.
5) Minimal to non-existant. (1/10)
6) The Welsh clubs in the English leagues get a fair bit of attention. So does the national side. But rugby is always first. (5/10)
7) Sky Sports has the national team. Sometimes we get to see some Welsh Cup matches and highlights of the LEague. Both of which are dire.
8) As often as I can. That's hard to rate!
9) ?
10) English and some Welsh.
11) A proper professional league.
Wales has England to thank for having a fairly competitive national side.
Football will never beat rugby in this country though. Schools hardly ever have football teams, but always have rugby teams.
Everyone is passionate about rugby, football is small except inCardiff and Swansea.
I feel extremely unhappy when Juve loose, however when the Welsh national rugby team lose (very common since the 1990s) the whole country lapses into depression. Welsh people demand so much from the team, they want victory but also victory with style. Which is hard unless you are a Kiwi. If Wales played like England and were successful, no one would be too happy.
++ [ originally posted by Valley ] ++
OK, my country is Wales. A very minor football nation doing OK for itself recently. Over the years, we have only produced a handful of world class players:
John Charles (Of Course )
Ryan Giggs
Ian Rush
Mark Hughes
These days, not many great players. An ageing side too. However, we have two great attackers in Craig Bellamy who is very very fast, and Rob Earnshaw.
OK, my country is Wales. A very minor football nation doing OK for itself recently. Over the years, we have only produced a handful of world class players:
John Charles (Of Course
)Ryan Giggs
Ian Rush
Mark Hughes
These days, not many great players. An ageing side too. However, we have two great attackers in Craig Bellamy who is very very fast, and Rob Earnshaw.
where's john hartson?
10 man Wales only drew 2-2 with 9 man N.Ireland even with Hartson playing :down:
Now our coach is probably going too.
Wales really messed up. We beat Italy and were top of our Euro Qualifying group after a few games. Then it all went wrong and we came second. Everyone would have taken this position before it all started!
But once we got into the playoffs and got knocked out by the cheating drug scumbags of Russia it was well gutting. How happy I was that the drug cheats had such a terrible Euro. Although nothing made up for the fact that it was our best chance to hit a major finals for about 50 years. We almost got into USA 94 but Romania scored a penalty and put us out. Depressing again :down:
Now our coach is probably going too.
Wales really messed up. We beat Italy and were top of our Euro Qualifying group after a few games. Then it all went wrong and we came second. Everyone would have taken this position before it all started!
But once we got into the playoffs and got knocked out by the cheating drug scumbags of Russia it was well gutting. How happy I was that the drug cheats had such a terrible Euro. Although nothing made up for the fact that it was our best chance to hit a major finals for about 50 years. We almost got into USA 94 but Romania scored a penalty and put us out. Depressing again :down:
I'll talk about Saudi Arabia... Andy or Sergio can talk about the US.
What does football represent in your country?Is it the biggest/most popular sport around?Which league is the perennial favourite etc.?
Football is the main/most popular sport in KSA.
To get the discussion going,lets start with a short questionnaire.(*rate on a scale of 1 to 10).Elaboration would be very welcome as well.
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
<<8>> football "fields/areas" are found everywhere. Most aren't exactly "proper" since most of the fields' surface is sand. There are many grass fields available for rent outside of the cities and in private farms, but it's very expensive to maintain the grass because of the hot and dry condition. When driving through the city, you'll see many kids playing in the street too. Unlike the US, most of the football played isn't with organized teams with dozens of players. A lot of people play it for fun just to kill time. It could be 2v2, 3v3 and so on.
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
<<6>> The government helps, but not as much as it should. More regulations need to be made to deter corruption within the clubs and to help smaller clubs compete with the larger ones.
The biggest changes that is often talked about but not implemented as well:
a) Club honorary officials need to have less power over the transfer (or grip) of players. This'll help the talented young players move abroad to foreign clubs. While Asian MVP Nakata was moving to Italy and making it big in Perugia and Roma, Nawaf Al-Timyat (whom IMO is a hell of a lot better in every aspect of his game) wasn't even allowed to move to Roda FC.
b) The national team coaches should have full power over the lineup that they please.
c) There's so much potential at lower levels. Most of the money needs to be spent at this stage of player development when they are still young and fresh.
KSA also started the confedorations cup (which was first called: King Fahad intercontinental cup"). We hosted the first 3 (1992, 1995, and 1997).
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
<10> everywhere... all year round.
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Yes. <<5>> Compared to Europes, it's pretty bad. However, it's one of the largest in the region along with the egyptian league maybe. Players from all over the region play there. The league even attracts class-B south Americans. Some of bigger teams (whom have very wealthy people backing them) bring in world star veterans to play for a couple of seasons. Players like: Romario, Stoichkov, Donadoni have all played there. If I'd compare the league to a more known league, it's a bit better than the MLS.
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
<<1>> There are no women leagues... some girls (till about 8th grade) play at school, but only for recreation or PE class.
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
<<9>> Football is rarely bumped off the front page of the major sport papers. There's even a paper called: "Al-Riyadhiyah" which is pink, like "La Gazzetta della Sport." The main papers are also up to date with the major europeans leagues (Italian, Spanish, English, German, and French) very often up to date with the Argentinian and Brazilian.
7. What TV coverage do you get?
All Major leagues international leagues and championships games are broadcasted through various sattelite services. (many people/sports cafes/sheesha cafes have sattelite)
8*. How often do you play football?
at least a couple times a week.
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Football laws?! or government laws?!!
government laws were mentioned above.
No special football laws, but here are a few street rules (the probibly applies to other countries too)
(a) If about a quarter of the people are barefoot, everyone else has to take their shoes off too.
(b) If your shoe flies off, a foul is placed for the other team where the shoe lands
(c) If the ball goes over the yard wall or on the roof, it's a PK for the other team.
(d) If we play in a closed area, it's not counted as a goal if the ball goes in after bouncing off a wall.
(e) If nobody wants to play GK (or there aren't many people playing), the closest defender to the ball is at that moment the keeper (a5r wa7d 7ars )
(f) if there's not much space or not many people, we play on one goal.. The GK is neutral so he isn't with any team. Both teams try to score against that GK. The game starts when the keeper kicks the ball up in the air between all the players. We set a limit on the number of goal and the first team to reach that amount wins and the winning team choses a player from the losing team to play GK. (there are more rules to this game to make it work, but i won't explain it now)
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
The name of the league is the King Fahad League. As far as i can remember, it consists of 12 teams. the top 4 go to playoffs (called "The Golden Square"). 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd. the winner of each game plays in the final.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
I wish the mentality would be more towards promoting team work and organization rather than individual skills/dribbling.
What does football represent in your country?Is it the biggest/most popular sport around?Which league is the perennial favourite etc.?
Football is the main/most popular sport in KSA.
To get the discussion going,lets start with a short questionnaire.(*rate on a scale of 1 to 10).Elaboration would be very welcome as well.
1*. How easy is it to find a proper footie pitch or court?
<<8>> football "fields/areas" are found everywhere. Most aren't exactly "proper" since most of the fields' surface is sand. There are many grass fields available for rent outside of the cities and in private farms, but it's very expensive to maintain the grass because of the hot and dry condition. When driving through the city, you'll see many kids playing in the street too. Unlike the US, most of the football played isn't with organized teams with dozens of players. A lot of people play it for fun just to kill time. It could be 2v2, 3v3 and so on.
2*. How much does your country's government support the development of football?
<<6>> The government helps, but not as much as it should. More regulations need to be made to deter corruption within the clubs and to help smaller clubs compete with the larger ones.
The biggest changes that is often talked about but not implemented as well:
a) Club honorary officials need to have less power over the transfer (or grip) of players. This'll help the talented young players move abroad to foreign clubs. While Asian MVP Nakata was moving to Italy and making it big in Perugia and Roma, Nawaf Al-Timyat (whom IMO is a hell of a lot better in every aspect of his game) wasn't even allowed to move to Roda FC.
b) The national team coaches should have full power over the lineup that they please.
c) There's so much potential at lower levels. Most of the money needs to be spent at this stage of player development when they are still young and fresh.
KSA also started the confedorations cup (which was first called: King Fahad intercontinental cup"). We hosted the first 3 (1992, 1995, and 1997).
3. Do you see people,notably youngsters, playing football in the streets,at void decks etc.?
<10> everywhere... all year round.
4. Does your country have a professional league? *If so, rate it's success.
Yes. <<5>> Compared to Europes, it's pretty bad. However, it's one of the largest in the region along with the egyptian league maybe. Players from all over the region play there. The league even attracts class-B south Americans. Some of bigger teams (whom have very wealthy people backing them) bring in world star veterans to play for a couple of seasons. Players like: Romario, Stoichkov, Donadoni have all played there. If I'd compare the league to a more known league, it's a bit better than the MLS.
5*. State the level of participation of women in football (at all levels).
<<1>> There are no women leagues... some girls (till about 8th grade) play at school, but only for recreation or PE class.
6*. How much does the local newspaper focus on football in the sports section, in comparison with other sports?
<<9>> Football is rarely bumped off the front page of the major sport papers. There's even a paper called: "Al-Riyadhiyah" which is pink, like "La Gazzetta della Sport." The main papers are also up to date with the major europeans leagues (Italian, Spanish, English, German, and French) very often up to date with the Argentinian and Brazilian.
7. What TV coverage do you get?
All Major leagues international leagues and championships games are broadcasted through various sattelite services. (many people/sports cafes/sheesha cafes have sattelite)
8*. How often do you play football?
at least a couple times a week.
9. Mention,if any,a couple of laws regarding the playing of football in your country.
Football laws?! or government laws?!!
government laws were mentioned above.
No special football laws, but here are a few street rules (the probibly applies to other countries too)
(a) If about a quarter of the people are barefoot, everyone else has to take their shoes off too.
(b) If your shoe flies off, a foul is placed for the other team where the shoe lands
(c) If the ball goes over the yard wall or on the roof, it's a PK for the other team.
(d) If we play in a closed area, it's not counted as a goal if the ball goes in after bouncing off a wall.
(e) If nobody wants to play GK (or there aren't many people playing), the closest defender to the ball is at that moment the keeper (a5r wa7d 7ars
)(f) if there's not much space or not many people, we play on one goal.. The GK is neutral so he isn't with any team. Both teams try to score against that GK. The game starts when the keeper kicks the ball up in the air between all the players. We set a limit on the number of goal and the first team to reach that amount wins and the winning team choses a player from the losing team to play GK. (there are more rules to this game to make it work, but i won't explain it now)
10. Which league(s) does the local media focus on?
The name of the league is the King Fahad League. As far as i can remember, it consists of 12 teams. the top 4 go to playoffs (called "The Golden Square"). 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd. the winner of each game plays in the final.
11. State one change you could make to the footballing culture in your country.(Be more specific,please.)
I wish the mentality would be more towards promoting team work and organization rather than individual skills/dribbling.
Funny if the penalty taker blasts it over the wall
It's also not counted if the ball rolls rolls over or off the jacket/bag
So who does the keeper distribute to when he makes a save? Isn't the guy gonna blast a shot at goal? or is it like half-court basketball where u have to go to the back of the court and come back
It's also not counted if the ball rolls rolls over or off the jacket/bag
So who does the keeper distribute to when he makes a save? Isn't the guy gonna blast a shot at goal?
or is it like half-court basketball where u have to go to the back of the court and come back