Football/Soccer Down Under

Ball
Originally uploaded by rich115.

I’ve been playing quite a bit of football since I arrived in Australia.

At first I just played at Coogee with all my mates, all the English and Irish lads that I know. So that was cool, just the same as playing back home really (except a bit hotter!).

However, now I am working I have started playing football with loads of Aussies (they call it soccer – I’m sticking to calling it football!).

Now this is a bit different...

First, there are the crazy rules that they play.

I played in one game and instead of actually taking corners, they just counted the number of corners a team conceded. When a team had conceded 3 corners the other team got to have a ‘penalty shot’. I had no idea what a ‘penalty shot’ was but soon found out. They stopped the game, took the ball to the other end and one guy from our team had a shot into an open net from the other end of the pitch (what the…?).

Pretty weird eh? He missed by a MILE too!

And then there is the crazy stuff that they say when you are playing.

In that same game, one guy kept saying “Yeah, do it baby, do it!” whenever one of our team was closing in on goal. It kind of put me off my game…

I play in an indoor 5 a side game too. It’s mixed teams and it’s like 5 a side but with different rules. They have 5 team fouls like in Basketball. If you go over this then the other team get a penalty.

There are loads of other rules too, involving lines you have to stand behind for throw ins etc. I haven't figured them all out yet I just wait for the ref to tell me off!

This game is pretty good fun though, I like it!

I have played twice so far and the first game we won 3-0 (2 goals from me) and the second game we won 13-0 (7 goals from me).

The 13-0 was one goal short of the highest score in that indoor league ever.

After the game one of the girls on our team emailed me saying she is “pumped for the getting that soccer record next week!!”

What…!?!??!?!

Football (sorry soccer) is a bit weird down under…

More stories to come on this topic I’m sure.