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A football ground is a rectangle. It can be between 90 and 120 metres long, and 45 and 90 metres wide. It must always be longer than it is wide - 90 by 90 is not acceptable.

Each pitch is divided into two halves. At kickoff, each team must begin entirely within their own half, and only the team that kicks off is allowed within the centre circle, which has a radius of 9.15 metres (ten yards). In the second half, the teams swap round to play in the opposite direction, and the other team kicks off. After every goal the team that has just conceded kicks off.

The half that a team is defending is referred to as their half. Players cannot be offside in their own half.

Each corner has a flag. If the defending team touch the ball last before it passes over their goal line, the attacking team get to kick the ball into play from the corner on the side of the goal where the ball went out. No defending player can come nearer to the corner than the penalty area until the ball has been played. If the attacking team kick the ball out, it goes for a goal kick.

Goal kicks must be taken inside the goal area (or box). This box is 5.5 by 18.3 metres. It is next to the goal, inside the penalty area.

The penalty area is a rectangle 16.5 by 40.3 metres, in front of each goal. If a foul is committed within this area by the defending team, a penalty is given. The attacking team place the ball on the penalty spot (11 meters from the goal), and get to shoot at goal. Only the goalkeeper and the penalty taker are allowed to enter the penalty area before the ball is struck, or go nearer to the penalty spot than 9.5 metres, and the goalkeeper must stand on the goal line.

Where the 9.5 metre line falls outside the penalty area, it is marked on the pitch to avoid confusion. It is known as the penalty arc.

Learn more about this author, Jon Eccles.
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