There are few sports which are popular and practiced all over the world. Soccer is mostly a team game of constraints and concentration, rather than a game of short bursts of intensity and repetitions that focuses on individual performances. Maybe we just do not value those qualities as much. Soccer is challenging footy as the sport in which most people are interested, according to the 16th annual Sweeney Sports Report. These reports have recorded almost a continual increase in soccer's popularity since summer 1988-89 based on a range of measures of interest, including participation, attendance, radio listening, television viewing and print media readership.
In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore the most popular sport in the world. Because of this it is often dubbed the World's Favourite Pastime.
A soccer game is won or lost in a common effort. This simple fact, combined with the innate desire to win, leads towards socialization of the individual. Generally, children who play a team sport are socially well-integrated, have friends, have less problems with their parents and master typical crises of childhood and adolescence more easily. Through their sport they have acquired conflict management skills as well as the ability to act with respect for others. Due to soccer’s popularity, children also experience social acceptance, recognition and support outside their team.
Physical Activity can help condition the body
- Some activities improve flexibility, some build muscular strength and some increase endurance.
- Some forms of continuous activities involve using the large muscles in your arms or legs. These are called endurance or aerobic exercises. They help the heart by making it work more efficiently during exercise and at rest.
- Brisk walking, jumping rope, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing and dancing are examples of aerobic activities that increase endurance.
Health benefits
Soccer can be a great workout and lots of fun. The health benefits include:
- Increases aerobic capacity and cardiovascular health
- Lowers body fat and improves muscle tone
- Builds strength, flexibility and endurance
- Increases muscle and bone strength
- Improved health due to shifts between walking, running and sprinting.
Other benefits
There are many other benefits from playing a team sport like soccer. For example it:
- Is generally a non-contact sport
- Teaches coordination
- Promotes teamwork and sharing
- Teaches you to think on-the-go
- Helps to increase skills in concentration, persistence and self-discipline
- Is a great way to meet people and exercise with friends
- Can provide an opportunity to increase your confidence and self-esteem, and help to reduce anxiety
- Requires very little equipment so can be played in the backyard or park
- Is relatively easy to learn, so beginners can easily join in on the fun and play basic soccer for recreation
- Is an international sport.
Soccer gives you a cardiovascular workout while working on stamina, strength and endurance. You can build a team spirit and have fun at the same time. It is 90% mental and 10% physical. You can kick the ball around, but it's your mind doing all the work. So through soccer you can build concentration, which really helps if you start young.
Soccer is an all-round form of practice because it keeps the pulse up and has many high-intensity actions. When you sprint, jump and tackle your opponents, you use all the fibers in your muscles. Regular exercise through this game lowers body fat and improves muscle tone. This sport builds strength, flexibility and endurance. It increases muscle and bone strength.
Some activities are especially beneficial when done regularly:
activities such as soccer and basketball that include continuous running.
