Association Football, And How To Play It - free ebook by John Cameron

Association Football

AND HOW TO PLAY IT BY JOHN CAMERON (Late Queen's Park, Everton, and Player-Manager, Tottenham Hotspur F.C.) One Shilling Net LONDON: "HEALTH &amp; STRENGTH," Ltd. 12, Burleigh Street, Strand, W.C. ...

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PREFACE

From the above quotation by Sir Walter Scott, it is evident that football is quite an ancient game. Time alters everything, and it has undoubtedly done so in football. Where one used to play with half the village on one side and the same on the other, it is now restricted to sides composed of eleven players. As I have been requested to write on the modern game it is not worth while dwelling upon how it was played a hundred years ago. Football is really supposed to be a Scottish game, but it was

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CHAPTER I. Goalkeepers and Goalkeeping.

Goalkeepers, like poets, are born, not made. It is really the most difficult position on the field to occupy. If the half-back makes a mistake it can be rectified by the man behind him, but if the goalkeeper makes a blunder it is fatal. It is the one position on the field that I have never occupied, and I never had any desire to figure there. My ideal for that position would be a man who stood six feet and weighed at least thirteen stone, with an eye as keen as that of a hawk. He must be able to

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CHAPTER II. Full-Back Play.

One associates the full back with long and lusty kicking, but he must possess many more qualifications. He must be speedy, a fine tackler, and, above all, a good header of the ball. He must also keep himself thoroughly fit, although in one way he has not so much to do as the men in front of him. He must be strong in defence, but again, when his side is having the most of the play he should be able to put in many a good shot. It is also requisite that he should be able to kick as well with one fo

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CHAPTER III. The Middle Line.

There is no shadow of doubt but that the half-back line is the backbone of a football team, and probably the centre half catches the eye more than any other member of the eleven. He ought really to be a general, as he is in command of both the attack and the defence. For, many reasons he should be the captain of the side, for he can always encourage either the defence or the attack. He is like a wicketkeeper in cricket, who sees more of the game than any other player, and if he be not the captai

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CHAPTER IV. Forward Play.

A good forward line is perhaps a club's chief asset. If the forwards continue to attack, the defence has an easy time, and, as previously mentioned, the best defence is attack. It is not the man who scores that is necessarily the best forward, but to get goals should be the aim of a forward whether he gets the goal himself or leaves a comrade to shoot the ball into the net. From this it will be gathered that a forward should really understand something of the art of goalkeeping, so that he may k

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CHAPTER V. Training.

Not the least important thing about football is the matter of training, and nearly every professional club has a trainer, whose business it is not only to get the men fit, but also to keep them so for eight months. I have spoken to a great many whose work it is to get their men into condition and keep them so, and I find that a great many of them have different methods, but nearly all are agreed that every individual must be taken by himself. The majority of people, however, are not paid players

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CHAPTER VI. Hints to Junior and Amateur Clubs.

It is an old adage that the boy is father to the man, and this applies casually to football circles. The boy of to-day has a great advantage over a boy of say ten or fifteen years ago. Every possible opportunity is put in his way for developing his play, as schoolmasters take a bigger interest in their boys than in olden days. Schoolboy Internationals and shield competitions are the order of the day, while years ago boys used to meet together, pick sides, put their jackets down for posts, and go

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CHAPTER VII. Captaincy.

There are a good many people who think that the office of captain is not very important, but my idea is that the judicious choice of a skipper is very great indeed. I have heard it said that the office is an empty honour in a professional club, but I am sure that this is a great mistake, and in an ordinary club as much depends on the leader as all the rest put together. The best players in the world are sacrificed if placed under an inefficient general, but on the other hand a leader of ability

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CHAPTER VIII. The Referee.

In one way the most important man on the field is the referee, as the success of the game depends a great deal on his ability to control the play and players adequately. He is commonly known as the "Knight of the Whistle," and his responsibilities are manifold. To be a successful referee one must keep thoroughly fit, and be able to turn out on to the field in as good a condition as the player does, for he has got to go through more running than any of the twenty-two players, and must keep up wit

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CHAPTER IX. Football as a Profession.

There are many young fellows who are inclined to take up football as a profession, and to these the writer would say, "Count well the cost before you do it." I have spoken to many players, and few would let their boys take football up as the serious business of life. It is easy to start; any club that has paid players will give you a trial, and if you are capable will sign you on at perhaps a few shillings up to a pound a week. The objections are that the career is very short, and may be interru

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CHAPTER X. Continental Football: Its Growth and Possible Developments.

Football on the Continent is undoubtedly developing greatly, and a great deal of credit is due to the enterprise of the English and Scottish clubs. I have played in France, Germany, and Austria, and the enthusiasm displayed by the players and spectators holds forth great hopes of the game becoming as popular on the other side of the Channel as it is here. It is a few years ago since I last played there, and since then great developments have taken place, such as International matches with Englis

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CHAPTER XI. Football Reform.

Has Association Football reached its zenith? "Certainly not," is the reply I invariably give to any enthusiast or cynic who asks me the question. Remember, there are a good many reforms that must be made, for a game must keep up its position and also retain its popularity with the masses, who are the mainstay of football. As I have al ready remarked, I have a great respect for the F.A., and they have a great deal to do with the game which is recognised now as the game of the country. It is much

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CHAPTER XII. Present-Day Football.

There are not wanting signs that football has not yet finished expanding. Every season sees more clubs in villages as well as in towns, and the County Associations also report a numerical increase. But whether or not there will be a sharper dividing line between amateur and professional is difficult to say. It may be that before long we shall have one authority for the amateur game and another for the professional. It must not be forgotten that there are tens of thousands of the one class, but o

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CHAPTER XIII. A Few Famous Cup-Ties.

The English Cup is probably a bigger attraction to a footballer than any other. To a Scottish footballer his International cap against England is to achieve the height of his ambition, but somehow in England, to participate in the final at the Crystal Palace in April is the heart's desire of the average player. There is a glamour surrounding the English Cup Competition that nothing else can compare with. I well remember when the Scottish clubs were entitled to enter into the arena, and such grea

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Number of Players.—Field of Play.—The Ball.

1. The game should be played by eleven players on each side. The dimensions of the field of play shall be—maximum length, 130 yards; minimum length, 100 yards; maximum breadth, 100 yards; minimum breadth, 50 yards. The field of play shall be marked by boundary lines. The lines at each end are the goal lines, and the lines at the side are the touch lines. The touch lines shall be drawn at right angles with the goal lines [A] . A flag with a staff not less than five feet high shall be placed at ea

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Duration of Play.—Choice of Goals.—The Kick-off.

2. The duration of the game shall be ninety minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon. The winners of the toss shall have the option of kick-off or choice of goals. The game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the field of play in the direction of the opponents' goal line; the opponents shall not approach within ten yards of the ball until it is kicked off, nor shall any player on either side pass the centre of the ground in the direction of his opponents' goal until the b

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Changing Ends.—The Interval.—The Re-start.

3. Ends shall only be changed at half-time. The interval at half-time shall not exceed five minutes, except by consent of the referee. After the goal is scored, the losing side shall kick off, and after the change of ends at half-time, the ball shall be kicked off by the opposite side from that which originally did so; and always as provided in Law 2....

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How a Goal is Scored.—If Bar is Displaced.—If Ball Rebounds or Goes Out of Play.

4. Except as otherwise provided by these laws a goal shall be scored when the ball has passed between the goal posts under the bar, not being thrown, knocked on, nor carried by any player of the attacking side. If from any cause during the progress of the game the bar is displaced, the referee shall have power to award a goal if in his opinion the ball would have passed under the bar if it had not been displaced. The ball is in play if it rebounds from a goal post, crossbar, or a corner flagstaf

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The Throw-in.

5. When the ball is in touch, a player of the opposite side to that which played it out shall throw it in from the point on the touch line where it left the field of play. The player throwing the ball must stand on the touch line facing the field of play, and shall throw the ball in over his head with both hands in any direction, and it shall be in play when thrown in. A goal shall not be scored from a throw-in, and the thrower shall not again play until the ball has been played by another playe

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Offside.

6. When the player plays the ball, or throws it in from touch, any player of the same side who at such moment of playing or throwing in is nearer to his opponents' goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever interfere with an opponent or with the play, until the ball has been again played, unless there are at such moment of playing or throwing in at least three of his opponents nearer their own goal line. A player is not out of play in the case of a corn

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Definition of Terms.

A place kick is a kick at the ball while it is on the ground in the field of play. A free kick is a kick at the ball in any direction the player pleases when it is lying on the ground. A place kick, a free kick, or a penalty kick must not be taken until the referee has given a signal for the same. Carrying by the goalkeeper is taking more than two steps while holding the ball or bouncing it on the hand. Knocking on is when a player strikes or propels the ball with his hands or arms. Handling and

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