Football 5-a-side

 
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There are two football events at the Paralympics: 5-a-side and 7-a-side. 5-a-side Football is played by visually impaired athletes using a special ball which has a noise-making device inside. Have you ever played 5-a-side Football?
Imagine trying to do it with a blindfold on!

Instructions & downloads

To understand this sport better, first look at the illustration and read about the rules and classification system. Then do the vocabulary exercise. In the second reading you can find out what world class footballers like Messi would have to do if they played Football 5-a-side!

Teachers: the lesson plan is coming soon. Meanwhile why not check out the other sports lesson plans available from the English for the Games section of the Teaching English website?

Rules

Rules and Classification

What is it?

5-a-side football is a type of football played on a smaller pitch, with smaller goals, and a shorter duration. Generally the rules are similar to 11-a-side football, but with adaptations for athletes with a disability.

Who can participate in 5-a-side football at the Paralympics?

5-a-side football is open to visually impaired athletes.

Classification

Classification B1 (totally blind) only

How is it played?
  • Games are played between two teams, each with four outfield players and a goalkeeper.
  • The outfield players are visually impaired, but the goalkeeper may be fully or partially sighted.
  • All outfield players wear eyeshades, which make it impossible to see, and mean that players with different degrees of visual disability can compete together.
  • The ball contains a noise-making device - a bell. This allows the athletes to hear the ball.
  • Teams may use one guide, who is positioned off the field of play, to assist in directing players.
  • The pitch is surrounded with a rebound wall.
  • There are no throw-ins and no offside rule.
  • Each half lasts 30 minutes.

Text

I’d like to see Messi do that!

FC Barcelona’s Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are three of the best football players in the world. If you watch or listen to one of Barcelona’s games, you will hear things like:

“…Xavi catches sight of Iniesta on the left … he sees Messi … Messi goes round two defenders … goal!”

“… Xavi looks upspots Messi … the pass is inch perfect … goal!”
“That was brilliant! Messi observed the goalkeeper off his line, set his sights, and the shot was perfect into the top corner.”

Notice the verbs in bold. They are all verbs of ‘seeing’. The three great players work so well together because they are always looking to see where the others are.

Commentators also often claim that they could perform their ‘tricks’ “with their eyes closed”, “blindfolded” or “without looking”.

But despite what they say, there’s no way that Messi and company could play the same if they really couldn’t see. And yet that’s exactly what Paralympic 5-a-side footballers do every time they take to the field! Without being able to see anything, they pass the ball to each other and score goals in the same way as sighted players! I’d like to see Messi do that!

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion
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Comments

Souradip Mishra's picture

NICE  SCHOOLING SYSTEM.......ITS SUPER.<3

bouba10's picture

my comment is
how the player can pass the ball to him company and he is blindfold and how he can see the goalkeeper and put the goal inside
is so difficult really i can believe

Uguisu's picture

Yes, this worksheet helps me to understand the rules of 5-a-side football. Thank you.
I tried to imagine how I can move around to chase a ball with a blindfold on.
No, I can't imagine !  It's so difficult.
And I wonder if the athletes can hear the ball ringing in the loud noise of a large audience.