How to Make a Paper Soccer Pitch

The paper soccer pitch is one for the books. As part of the classic collection of "Office Games" practiced by terminally bored white-collar workers, the paper soccer pitch combines competitive gaming with resourceful creativity. A "pitch" is what the Brits call a soccer field. Making one out of paper is simple, but the game play is what can sometimes be tricky, especially if you're up against an opponent with nimble fingers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Figure out your soccer pitch dimensions. For American fields, the standard is 100 yards by 60.
2. Reduce this ratio to the size of paper and game play space you have available. If possible, you'll probably want at least 30x50 inches, which you can get by putting several sheets of paper together strategically. For an 8x11 sheet, you'll want to elongate your pitch just a little.
3. Make your center field line, just to keep it fair.
4. Mark off your penalty boxes. For the obsessively detail-oriented, your dimensions for penalty boxes would be 44 by 18 yards within your 100x60 yard game play space. You'll have to do the math and scale these down for your paper pitch. If you're anywhere near the accounting department, there should be a calculator handy.
5. Draw your goal areas. Again, for those who need complete accuracy, the dimensions to scale would be 20 by 6 yards. This should be something like 2 inches by 1/2 inch, but again, don't be afraid to pull out the company calculator for entertainment purposes.
6. Fashion or find your soccer ball. Although you could use a small rubber ball or other round object, lots of players choose to play with wadded-up paper from the margins of their pitch.
7. Get your game on. Your fingers are the players; try a few corner kicks to warm up and then let the Office Games begin.

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