#pickup soccer

[magnesiumandscorn]

I got to watch some hot boys play pickup soccer today at my school ☺️ 'Twas a nice study break. Now if only any of them wanted me...

[playwithapp]

Pickup Soccer in Brazil Has an Allure All Its Own

Known as pelada, pickup soccer has long been a part of Brazilian culture, attracting players day and night who play for the love of the game.

[playwithapp]

The Art of Pickup

By Yael Averbuch

The Cast of a Pickup Game

We call it pickup, but for any of us who play regular small-sided games with a group, let’s be honest–we all know it’s much more serious than that. Good pickup soccer is an art. The proper balance must be met in order for everyone involved to enjoy themselves, get better, and want to come back. Just like in a movie, there are some typical characters in any pickup group. Some are integral to a great game, and some we could all do without. Let’s examine the cast of a typical pickup game…

The Coach: The Youth Soccer Coach is a great addition to any pickup game. He/she is always positive and encouraging, giving just the right amount of verbal instruction without overdoing it or being too intense. Typically The Coach is a good player, but not the best out there, and is fully aware of those limitations. It’s always a bonus to have The Coach on your team because he/she will be reliable and ensure the team is well-organized.

The Trickster: This guy or girl sees pickup as the place to try that Ronaldinho move they saw on Vine. Hey, why not? Because no one wants to put up with that nonsense! It’s annoying whether it’s happening on your team or against you. Yes, pickup is competitive enough environment where you (likely) won’t get two-footed for being a bit cheeky, but it’s not fun when people start trying ridiculous moves and hogging the ball. We all know this player and how annoying it can get when we are trying to win a game and all he/she is thinking of is how to pull off a nifty meg. Pickup IS the place to try things and have the freedom to dribble, but don’t be “that guy” who takes away the competitive element of the game by trying to show off too often.

The Goalkeeper: This player doesn’t actually wear gloves or use his/her hands but might as well. It doesn’t take long to identify The Goalkeeper in a pickup game because no matter where the ball is, he/she will be guarding the net (or cones/shoes/garbage can). It’s always good to have that person who you know will stay back, organize defensively, and be aware of the goal, but it can be taken a bit too far. If you have one Goalkeeper in your pickup group, you might as well have two so at least each team has equal protection.

The Way-Too-Good Old Guy: Any good pickup game features the dude who can barely get out of his car, limps up to the field, hobbles across the line, and then legitimately f***s everyone up out there. It’s like some type of scientific enigma how the body can function so poorly until it’s time to juke a defender or put in a gutsy tackle. These guys are freakishly strong, shockingly nimble, and often have crazy life stories and experiences surrounding the game. No pickup game is complete without The Way-Too-Good Old Guy.

The Wannabe: Pickup is likely the highest level play The Wannabe has ever experienced. An average player all through the ranks, pickup is where he/she gets to play with some elite players and seemingly fit in. You can tell a Wannabe because he/she is usually trying just a bit harder than everyone else and also (although attempting to hide it) getting more excited about success and more angry about failure. For The Wannabe, pickup is not a good training environment or a fun time–it is his/her World Cup.

The Dude Who’s Always Late: No matter what time pickup starts, there’s always that guy or girl who consistently shows up 30 minutes late. There’s an appropriate grace period with pickup–the time when everybody is showing up, tying shoes, stretching a bit, setting up the field. If you show up after that time, it’s not cool! You are disrespecting, and often ruining, the game. Yeah, it is pickup, so it technically is ok to just jump on whenever, but any group that plays often will have a routine. Once play starts, it’s a pain to stop to make changes on teams or add in a latecomer. Everyone has that day now and again when you’re stuck in traffic or a commitment beforehand runs late. But if you are late to pickup every time you play, you’re doing it wrong. Seriously, don’t be The Dude Who’s Always Late.

The One Everyone Likes To Play With: This is the guy/girl who makes everyone happy when they show up. Whether he/she is on your team or not, it doesn’t seem to matter. The One Everyone Likes To Play With just makes the entire game better. Typically this person is one of the best players out there–enjoyable to play with and also fun to play against because they pose a challenge. This player also has a great “pickup attitude.” They take the game seriously enough to make it competitive and fun but never too seriously. They do not get overly upset about anything or want to win so badly that they will cheat or ever hurt anyone to do so, but they try hard to win. The One Everyone Likes To Play With seems to always be in touch with why we play–because soccer is fun when everyone is working as a team for a desired result.

This article was originally published on The Special Ones. Read the original article.

[riversideunitedsc]

Pick-up at Memorial Park at 1pm today!

Followed by USA v Portugal at Mellow Mushroom in Avondale. Meeting up as early as 4pm for the game at 6pm.

[playnify]

Creating Your Playnify Profile

Your Playnify profile is a central piece to getting involved in the many sporting events happening in your area. This central tool will allow you to organize your favorite sports and quickly sort through events that are of interest to you. Your Playnify profile is the first step in becoming part of the sporting community playing.

After logging in with your Facebook account or email you will be prompted to create a profile that lets us know a little bit about you so that Playnify can suggest players, events, and venues you might want to check out based on your location. You can tell us, and the world your age (if you want to) and nationality (in case you or others are looking for compatriots abroad).

You can then add in your favorite sports. This is really where the fun begins. You choose the sports you play, or want to play, and your ability or comfort level in them. Maybe you are an amazing futsal player but not so great at full field eleven a side soccer. That is cool! You can differentiate between the two, or three, or seven sports that you play and what level you are in each. Coupled with your basic information and location, Playnify suggest events based on your favorite sports close to you. Pickup soccer in Boston? Tournament basketball in Manchester? Looking for a tennis partner in Porto? You can find them on Playnify! You are ready to jump in!

For different sports there are different details that you can add. These are to help people find you! Filling in these details is designed to help you and other users find the perfect tennis partner, the missing piece to your soccer team, or a good outside hitter to even out your weekly pickup volleyball game. Whether playing pickup sports, competitive league play or just looking to stay active and fit, Playnify allows you to set the standards for the activities you want to be involved in.

Playnify is the best way to find people to play sports with and places to play anywhere in the world. We are dedicated to bringing you the best sports venues and communities around the globe. Create your Playnify profile today and let’s play!

[ineedtoplay]

Standardized Gameplay: 5 v 5

Typically when we play pickup soccer, we run into a few problems. One of the key things that we would like to see improvements on is the turnover rate of games, which affects the playing time for each player.

We came up with the infographics above to help tackle that problem. The main idea we want to see people adopt is the introduction of a timekeeper to put a time limit on each game. By establishing a max game time, for example 10 minutes per game, it is possible to lower the potential max wait time for teams that are lining up to come on next. 

Test it out at your upcoming pickup soccer session and feel free to share this with your friends!

For a high-resolution version and printouts, click here.

What are your thoughts?

[ineedtoplay]

Pickup Soccer at Colleges

If you're living in a college town that's relatively cut off from big cities, you'll know that sense of a close-knit community. You're stuck with these same people wherever you go but eventually many become really great friends. This can definitely be a positive thing and it applies to soccer communities in this type of setting. 

Students, faculty, and staff who like to play soccer often go to the same fields throughout their time on campus. The pickup game rules and customs are passed on from previous generations. Like most good things in life, better behaviors tend to stick around longer. Not only that but behaviors are contagious, so new guys and girls that join these games don't take long to learn what to do and what not to do. When basically everyone knows each other and knows the 'right' way to play, they tend to respect one other more. Ultimately, a great environment is created for the game and the natural thing to do is to come back for more!

Miami University is an example of such a place. Since the number of soccer facilities are very limited (only two dedicated ones), the effects of being in a small town could be clearly felt.

Miami University (Oxford, OH)

Here at the Oxford campus of Miami University, students can easily access two main facilities for pickup soccer: Cook Field and the Rec Sports Center Court #4.

Cook Field

A big artificial turf, multi-purpose field located on the east side of campus. It could be divided into three 8 v 8 fields (as seen in the photos above). The atmosphere is phenomenal, especially around this time of year when the field is surrounded by the fall foliage. One thing we like about Cook Field is that the full-sized goals have wheels on them so you could move them to desired locations without too much effort. A few dorms are just steps away from the field; what a lucky bunch.

Rec Sports Center Court #4

Situated inside the Rec Sports Center complex, this hardwood indoor soccer court is loved by many students. It's the only place on campus where they can get away from the cold to play a game of pickup soccer. The majority of the games played at 'the Rec' are as 5 v 5 (though intramural league games are played as 4 v 4).

General tips on etiquette followed by the Miami community:

use futsal (low-bounce) ball instead of regular size 5 soccer ball

shirts vs. skins (shirtless) for simple differentiation

no shooting behind the halfway line

the ball is out of play if, a) it hits the side netting, b) it goes above the top red line on the wall

first to 3 goals (2 goals if there are 4+ teams)

last one to take a knee becomes the first goalkeeper

rotation of goalkeepers after every goal

goalkeeper cannot use hands from a back pass

after every goal, restart is from the back (not the center spot)

Once you get used to these rules, you'll realize that they make sense and keep the games flowing pretty smoothly. And as always, no dangerous plays.

So if you're in a college town like Miami, see whether you could apply some of these rules to the pickup games there. As explained earlier, behaviors catch on easily in an environment like this. Go out there, have fun, and be a positive influence for all.

[ineedtoplay]

Chicago Futsal Academy Field #3