World Cup Dreams: Getting Children Involved

When you look at kids playing sports, you’ll see that many of them are part of soccer teams. Yes. Terms like soccer dads and soccer moms were coined from the great number of children playing the game. And why shouldn’t they play? It’s practically only the greatest sports in the world.

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All the football stars in the upcoming World Cup used to be children who dreamed of becoming great at football. Players like Messi, Ozil, and Ronaldo all played soccer since they were small, and followed through with their dreams.

Now while only a small percentage of kids playing will get the call to suit up for the grandest stage in all of sports, the rest will still have a number of huge benefits to reap for when they grow up. Not only is soccer one of the best ways for kids to stay in shape and make their bodies stronger, but it is also a game that teaches so many important values such as hard work and discipline. Soccer teaches children to stay the course and persevere no matter what. It also imparts to them the importance of fair play and winning and losing graciously. But probably most important of all, children experience being a part of a team.

It’s one of the best exercises in the world. Running around chasing after each other and the ball makes for healthier heart and lungs. Children’s leg muscles are also fortified, much more than kids who don’t play sports.

It teaches kids the meaning of teamwork. If this is the first team sport a child will join, odds are the only team they’ll ever know is their family. Soccer teaches kids the value of working with their peers. This benefit will serve them later in life as well.

It’s fun. There’s nothing boring about soccer. Children will constantly be on the move. And with their boundless energy, this is a great direction for them.

It’s cross-cultural. More than other games, soccer forges new and strong friendships. This extends far beyond local games. FIFA has more than 200 national member associations and high-profile events allow children to interact with, and see other children of different nationalities and cultures. This helps children become more broad-minded and accepting as adults.

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It is especially important that this is done during the developmental stage of the child (around 5 to 13 years old). This period, psychologists say, is what forges the adult personality.

Hi! I’m John Eilermann. I want to share what I know about football, especially with the World Cup just around the corner. Learn more about me and the stuff I love here.

Soccer’s Funniest Moments

If you’re a fan of soccer, you know it has some of the most epic goal celebrations in sports. And along those epic moments come the funny ones. With so much riding on football matches these days, there are a few moments where players and officials can comically entertain.

Video Source: YouTube

Below are some of the funniest moments of football:

The funniest goal celebrations of all-time

Stjarnan FC has slowly gained the reputation of having the best goal celebrations ever. I don’t if it’s a technique they use to distract the opponent, but they sure crack me up!

Khalid Askri's Oversight

Goalkeeper Khalid Askri comedic moment happened during a Moroccan Cup match between MAS Fes and FAR Rabat. After making a great stop, he turns to salute his fans, only to turn around and see the ball spinning towards the goal line. Check it out here.

Comedy duo Didier Drogba and Jens Lehmann

Flopping and cheating in soccer are what football fans hate the most. But when two controversial players did it blatantly and comically, fans can’t help but chuckle.

Robbie Savage Condensed

Robbie got his own slot for being the center of so many funny moments throughout his career. This clip generally tells the tale of Robbie’s knack of attracting a calamity.

Video Source: YouTube

Hi, John Eilermann here. I’m a sports enthusiast. I’m also deeply interested in WWII facts and memorabilia. Visit my blog for more info.

The Most Unforgettable Moments In Soccer History

Nothing in all of sports is worth celebrating more than a goal in soccer. Especially if it a game-winning goal made during the final seconds of the match. Below are some of these moments worth reliving.

Liverpool’s comeback to secure Champions League Victory

Liverpool was trailing Milan 3-0 at half-time in the 2005 Champions League final. At the second half, the Liverpool made a rally headed by Steven Gerrard and Vladimir Smicer. They secured the victory during overtime drama.

Image source: static.goal.com

Sergio Aguero’s heroics gave Manchester City its first Premier League title

Aguero’s last-minute game-winner in the finals of the 2011-12 season was among the finest in history. United almost took home the trophy when Sergio smashed the ball into the QPR net.

Diego Maradona’s 'Hand of God'

The 1986 World Cup was witness to the greatest individual performance in soccer history when Maradona scored the goal of the century four minutes after poking with his little pinky beyond Peter Shilton.

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John Eilermann here. I’m a football and baseball fan. I’m also interested in WWII stories. Follow me on Twitter to get more updates.

Die Roten Moments: Soccer Spectacle the Hannover 96 Way

Hannover 96 is a German professional soccer club currently playing in Bundesliga, the country’s top-flight soccer league. Although the team has been struggling to barge into the top half for the past two seasons, it is still among the most entertaining squads to root for in the German soccer scene. Below are some of the team’s most unforgettable moments on the turf: 

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1. Jan Schlaudraff scores a goal against Hamburg

 

In late 2011, Hannover 96 had a tough but intriguing tourney against Hamburg. The opposing team has taken the lead, threatening the record set by the Hannover 96 of being unbeaten at home for the season. With Drobny, who netted Hamburg’s opener, being in a terrific form that night, the team found it difficult to score against their opponents. However, Schlaudraff was able to secure a magnificent goal right in front of the net, ending the game in a draw and ultimately protecting their home record. 

2. The win against Bayern Munich

 

Bayern Munich is the top team in the league as of the moment (in fact, for the most of Bundesliga’s history). Fans would not be expecting the number one seed to be beaten out easily by underdogs. However, the seemingly meek Die Roten was able to pull off a show against Bayern, beating them right on their home ground during one of their matches in the 2010-11 season. 

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3. The playoff leg against Sevilla

 

Fans were absolutely ecstatic about this game. Tickets were practically sold out almost immediately. Online servers were crashing because of the massive traffic that they were getting. Spanish side Sevilla was the clear favorite between this match-up because of its history in UEFA. Despite the intense pressure, an underrated Hannover team was able to defeat an absolute behemoth in the field. 

Hey guys, John Eilermann here, soccer fan and Hannover’s biggest supporter. More about our favorite team can be read here.

Training and Conditioning: Fitness Areas Soccer Players Should Focus On

Soccer (or football, if you prefer) is one of the most popular sports today, if not the most popular. For those who would want to train to become soccer players, here are the different components of fitness involved in this sport:

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Endurance 

The soccer field is a wide area, and playing can be extremely exhausting. For this reason, soccer players must have a reliable cardiovascular system and muscular endurance. Stamina training like running for at least an hour at a time can help in building an athlete’s endurance. 

Speed and agility

In soccer, the faster players have an obvious competitive edge. But running fast is not enough; good soccer players can create intense, short bursts of speed and are also able to change direction quickly. Practicing power movements like jump squats, high pulls, and push presses is an effective way to improve speed and explosiveness.  

Strength

While some may argue that strength isn’t needed for soccer, the truth is actually the opposite. As stated earlier, strength is the foundation of speed and power. Players also need strength to fend off tackles from opponents. Furthermore, strength training provides players more energy that they can use in the games.

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Flexibility

Soccer players move in a wide array of motions. But if the athletes aren’t careful, these movements may cause them injuries. By improving flexibility via stretch exercises and mobility drills, players can minimize injury incidences.

My name is John Eilermann. I am a huge sports fan from Chicago. Follow me on Twitter for more updates on soccer and baseball.

Behind the Name: The Origin of The Word Soccer

Have you ever wondered why football is called soccer?  Apparently, since Americans have their own game called football, soccer was used to distinguish between the two.  Many hard-core fans of football have always blamed the Americans for using such an obscure term for their beloved sport, but it wasn’t the Americans who coined the term.  A recent study of the etymology of the word soccer was conducted by Stefan Szymanski, a professor at the University of Michigan and what he found out was quite interesting.

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A lot of our British brothers had always argued about calling football soccer when according to Szymanski’s study, the word actually originated in England.  About 200 years ago, soccer was used to shorten the proper name of the sport, association football.  At the time, there were two kinds of football: Rugby and Association football.  Both were derived from an ancient game of the same name but to promote order, a couple of people came together to consolidate an organized rulebook where the differences of each type were established.  Although at first, rugby and soccer were almost similar, the passage of time has helped rugby evolve into its own sport.

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 Kids started calling rugby football while soccer was used to contract association football to shorten the long names.  When the sport began to gain fame in other countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, they already had sports called football, so the name soccer was preferred.  Eventually though, England began to revert to calling soccer football again until the word soccer came to be believed as an American word.

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