For those of you interested in how the matches work at the Special Olympics World Games, here's a quick primer:
-games are 4v4 plus Goalkeepers, with 20 minute halves
-goals are a bit smaller than regulation indoor soccer goals
-fields are 50x35
-balls are restarted on the sideline with kick-ins (not throw-ins)
-balls are restarted on the endline with corner kicks or direct distribution from the goalkeeper's hands (no goal kicks)
-goalkeepers cannot distribute the ball past half-field
There is no qualifying for the Special Olympics World Games, but football (soccer) is the most popular team sport at the event. Over 100 teams will be present. As a result, we will spend the first several days of the tournament playing Preliminary Matches, sometimes more than two per day. Officials will watch every team and then categorize the teams into a number (up to eight or nine) of separate tournaments, each filled with teams of relatively equal ability. Each tournament has its own gold, silver, and bronze medals.
No American team has ever medaled, and very few have been legitimate contenders in their tournaments, but officials at our training camp in San Diego said this was the best American soccer team they had ever seen! We're definitely hoping to raise the standard!
For the truly interested, you can read the full rules and regulations here.
-games are 4v4 plus Goalkeepers, with 20 minute halves
-goals are a bit smaller than regulation indoor soccer goals
-fields are 50x35
-balls are restarted on the sideline with kick-ins (not throw-ins)
-balls are restarted on the endline with corner kicks or direct distribution from the goalkeeper's hands (no goal kicks)
-goalkeepers cannot distribute the ball past half-field
There is no qualifying for the Special Olympics World Games, but football (soccer) is the most popular team sport at the event. Over 100 teams will be present. As a result, we will spend the first several days of the tournament playing Preliminary Matches, sometimes more than two per day. Officials will watch every team and then categorize the teams into a number (up to eight or nine) of separate tournaments, each filled with teams of relatively equal ability. Each tournament has its own gold, silver, and bronze medals.
No American team has ever medaled, and very few have been legitimate contenders in their tournaments, but officials at our training camp in San Diego said this was the best American soccer team they had ever seen! We're definitely hoping to raise the standard!
For the truly interested, you can read the full rules and regulations here.
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