Yes, there are plenty of people who don’t like football, but for the majority of the world, it’s the ‘beautiful game’. Supporters and fans flock to games in record numbers, so what is it that makes football so appealing to so many across the globe? Here are some of the top reasons:
It’s actually really difficult to score
One of the things that people love is that ‘edge of the seat’ tension that comes from the fact it’s much harder to score goals than you’d think. What makes it entertaining is seeing athletes achieve something that most of us couldn’t do, so the harder it is to score in a game, the more exciting and wondrous it is when it happens. Practice your shooting skills with Soccer Training Drills from a site like Sportplan
It is tough to score – you can’t use your most dextrous limb, your arms! You kick the ball and it bends and dips in often unexpected ways. Then, you have to get that ball past the one person on the field whose sole job is to prevent you from hitting the back of the net. Factor in the offside rule and it’s a wonder anyone scores at all.
Anticipation before the release
Because of the difficulty in scoring, there is a huge build up, a pent up of desire, hope, frustration and sometimes rage that can suddenly explode into a cacophony of cheering and elation. This is a phenomenon unique to football, as opposed to other higher scoring sports. The average number of goals in an English Premiere League match is 2.6 – so that gives plenty of time for fans to build up the tension and excitement levels to fever pitch. After a 90-minute game of nil-nil tension, that goal celebration can be one of the most amazing moments in a sports fan life.
Teamwork
A soccer team works together as a team unit possibly more than in any other sport. It is quite normal in a game for there to be as many as fifteen passes leading up to a goal, making it a real team effort. Whilst the sport does have many star players, they can only be stars because of the strong team network around them. Watching a game closely, you’ll begin to recognise the cycles of passes between players that carries on almost constantly for 90 minutes. These patterns soon become evident as tactics.
Men and Women
There is generally less difference between the men and women’s game as with other sports. The rules are exactly the same and the enjoyment level for fans is on a par as well. Women’s soccer is becoming increasingly popular, attracting large audiences worldwide and this is another reason to love the ‘beautiful game’.
A sport we’ve played
Most people have a special place in their hearts for football because it’s familiar and they’ve played it. People grow up playing it, whether on the street, a pitch, at school or for a local team and this means that more people know the rules and have internalized football more than any other type of sport.
