Are you a football purist?
We all grew up playing football on the street or in the nearest park, but there were certain rules that needed to be adhered to.
Here are some of the unwritten rules that we all knew from playing football in the street or park.
We all played with this ball
World Cup knock-out decided the best players
The rules varied, but the the first round of any knock-out competition with your mates was always settled by one goal and there was nothing worse than seeing someone get through via a jammy shot, deflection, big-toe or tap in.
It got harder as the game went on though.
Majority rule settled controversial matters
In the event of someone claiming that the final touch for a goal came off them, the final decision was settled by the Dubious Goal Panel AKA all of your mates.
One of the simpler pleasures in life was winding your friend up by saying that the ball didn’t deflect off them when it clearly did.
This being said, did you ever have a whingey friend that took their ball away in a tantrum after a decision didn’t go their way?
The celebration rules
If you beat three players and score then you’re fully entitled to run off in a Marco Tardelli-esque celebration while screaming your own name at the top of your voice.
On the contrary, if you just plan on hatching for the whole game and only scoring via tap-ins then you’ve no reason to celebrate at all. Name and shame these players lads, name and shame.
Clip via – mcyijsp5
Your neighbours absolutely hated you playing outside their house
We all had one neighbour that used to vigorously scold you while you were playing a game of football on the streets. This person was usually petrified of the ball hitting their flowers or hedges.
In this event, always target their flowers. So, an angry older man that likes scolding young footballers. Who could that be?
The size of the goal always changed
The better the goalkeeper, the wider the distance between the jumpers that acted as goal posts.
It’s a similar rule for heads and volleys, the smaller the goalkeeper in height the smaller the ‘imaginary’ crossbar.
You had a favourite pair of runners
Footballers still have strange superstitions when it comes to their pre-match rituals and street footballers are no different.
I always felt that a certain pair of runners made me play better.
My colleague Eric Lalor still swears that he could run faster in his.
The goalkeeper’s favourite
Were you ever convinced that the goalkeeper in a game of World Cup favoured the other player because he kept kicking the ball to them whenever the match had to be re-started?
There was always a partition between players before a game began and whatever side the ‘keeper kicked it towards would indicate who he preferred. Skullduggery we say.
The ballboy rules
If you kick the ball under a car then it was your sole responsibility to try and hook it out from underneath the chassis.
Cue endless amounts of wild angry kicks and swipes from kids all around Ireland.
Image via – Lolriot
Revenge is cold
If you found yourself knocked out in the early rounds, sitting on the wall, but still seething at being eliminated, then there was only one thing to do if the ball came near you.
Absolutely welly it towards the goal with more power than a Ronald Koeman free-kick.
There’s always a winner
Even if it was 10.30 at night and the light was fading quicker than Arsenal’s title bid after Christmas, all matches had to be settled on the night. No draws.
This rule even applied if your parents were screaming at you because your dinner was on the table.
Streetlights are always your friend.
No lashes
This rule was more a “please, please, please” request from any goalkeeper because they didn’t want the ball to smack them in the face.
Naturally after hearing this, most players lashed the ball at them twice as hard.
Injuries were always serious
If any player went down injured during a game of street football then you really knew they were injured. Ronaldo should take notes.
