Street Football
Street football is the oldest and simplest form of the game. It needs no referee, no stadium and often no proper goals: two schoolbags or two jumpers on the ground are enough. Teams are small, the space is tight and everybody wants the ball.
Cages and courts
In many cities, street football is played in small fenced courts, often called cages. Because the ball rarely leaves the court, the game hardly ever stops. Players learn to keep the ball close, to turn quickly and to use the walls and fences around them.
The panna
The favourite trick of street football is playing the ball through an opponent’s legs. In English it is called a nutmeg. In Dutch street football it is called a panna, and in some games scoring a panna is worth more than a goal.
Football that brings people together
Street football is also used to help people. The Homeless World Cup, first held in Graz, Austria, in 2003, brings together teams of people who have experienced homelessness. Its matches are played four against four on a small pitch of about 22 by 16 metres, with two halves of seven minutes.
Quick facts
- PlayersAny number – often 3 to 5 a side
- PitchCourts, cages, streets, parks
- Famous trickPanna (nutmeg)
- Homeless World CupSince 2003, 4 a side
- NeededA ball and two goals