How to Keep Score in Soccer

If you have the responsibility to keep score for a soccer team or league or if you have a child or friend on a team and want to learn, you will find that keeping score in soccer is a simple task.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Stopwatch
• Paper
• Pen or pencil

Keep Track of the Players

1. Keep a list of the players on the field at any given time. If a goal is scored, you or an assistant scorekeeper may need to know who was on the field during the goal.
2. Mark off player substitutions. Coaches can substitute players at various times throughout the game during pauses in play, like free kicks or throw-ins. Mark down who substituted for who and what time the substitution occurred. You can recognize players by their jersey numbers.
3. Keep count of which players have received penalties for violations. If a player on either team receives a yellow card, mark this down. There may be a time when a referee will need to double-check his facts with a sideline score keeper.

Keep Count of the Goals

4. Keep a tally of how many goals each team scores. This may sound like the easiest thing in the world and it is. Soccer is a low scoring game.
5. Write down who scored the goal. Don't forget to also write down who scored an assist on the goal (who passed the ball to the scorer). These facts will be very important for the record books later on.
6. Write down what time the goal was scored. Coaches will appreciate knowing how much time was spent scoreless between goals. Like all statistics, it is better to have it recorded than not.
7. Count all goals scored in a penalty kick as full goals, even in the case of a shootout. If the game is tied after overtime and a shootout is required, each team will take five shots on goal from the penalty mark. If one team scored four goals in the shootout, the other team scored three, and the original score was one to one, then the final score would be five to four.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have some trouble with the rules of soccer, consult a book on the subject or visit a helpful website like like SoccerHelp.com (see Resources below).
• Compare your score book with other spectators at the game. You may be able to share useful knowledge that the others have missed.

Who Can Help: