Beach soccer first started in Brazil and has quickly grown to be an international game. Beach soccer has been played for many years without rules until 1992 when they were distributed. The very first professional beach soccer competition took place at Miami Beach. The first televised competition was in 1994. Since it has been televised beach football has become one of the most watched sports around the world.

The rules of beach football are similar to association football accept there are no corners given instead there are only throw-ins or kick-ins.

The basic rules of beach football are shown below.

Players

Each team consists of five players, including the goalkeeper and an unlimited amount of substitutions. Throw-ins and kick-ins mean the pace and flow of the game is much higher than regular football. Shoes are not allowed, although ankle guards are permitted. Goal kicks are taken by the goalie using his hands to throw the ball in.

Match length

A game lasts thirty six minutes and is split up into three twelve-minute periods. Every match is won by one team, with the game going into three minutes of extra time, followed by a penalty shootout if the score is still level after normal time. Unlike association football, penalty kicks are decided by sudden death rules.

Referees and Discipline

There are three referees in charge of the match, two on the pitch and one off who controls the team’s benches. Any fouls committed lead to a free kick on goal which has to be taken by the player who was fouled unless awarded for deliberate handling. As in association football yellow and red cards can be issued. However unlike association football, when a player receives a yellow card they must leave the pitch for two minutes and the team must play with four players for that time. When a player receives a red card, he is dismissed from the game entirely.