Alternative Soccer Viewing

Most people associate watching football in the 21st century with going to a soccer stadium, listening to the commentary on the radio or watching the match live on TV, but people rarely mention other alternative viewing. Is this because it is seen as uncool and not classed as following a soccer match properly?

Since the introduction of Ceefax in the 1970s and other technological improvements in the 1990s (like sky/cable television and the internet), there have been other alternative ways to keep track on how a team is getting on which has a kind of ?cult? feeling to it.

The oldest alternative viewing to the traditional avenues is Ceefax (phonetic for ?See Facts?), which was introduced by the BBC in 1974 (who at he time were working on ways of providing television subtitles for the deaf). Their system was the first teletext system in the world. It was a basic information system with the absence of sound, pictures, or anybody giving your basic information.

It was basically simple pages of blue-and-white text that you could access via your television remote. But what does this have to do with football? Well the Ceefax service holds information on a wide range of topics, such as News, Sport, Weather, TV Listings and Business and these pages are kept up to date (usually being the first to report a breaking story or headline).

Most people in the British Isles that you speak to have in the past used Ceefax on a match day (especially before the development of the internet). Everybody looks at football scores on Ceefax as it is the original internet. People will leave Ceefax on in their living rooms on a Saturday afternoon to keep track of how their team is doing and will wait anxiously for the blue-and-white text on the screen to refresh hoping that their team holds on in the dying minutes or scores that dramatic last minute equaliser. Some people are anxious whilst starring at the blue-and-white text and I have know people to spend a large part of the match sat in front of their TV waiting for the black rectangles to change in favour of their team.

Some people would argue that it is sad to sit in front of your TV waiting for the screen to refresh, but it is surprisingly engrossing. If all you are interested in is the score, then it is the ideal medium. Think about it this way, you have no annoying adverts, no annoying analysis from inapt soccer commentators and just the scores which you are interested in. With the plans to replace all analogue TV signals with digital in the British Isles for 2008, sadly this alternative viewing is going to disappear.

A similar version to Ceefax has developed on the internet over the past decade due to technological improvements. There are many versions of the TV Ceefax system on the internet in one form or another and usually comes under the form of ?Live Scores?. If you do a simple search on the internet for soccer Live Scores you will be amazed at how many sites are returned in the results. In essence it is just a modern day version of Ceefax.

Instead of sitting in front of your TV watching Ceefax refresh you are sat in front of your computer watching an internet site refresh. There is no real difference in the service which is provided, just the fact that it is coming from a different medium. Like with the Ceefax service, if you ask most soccer fans in the British Isles who use the internet, they will be able to name a site they use to keep track of their team on match day. If you were to pick out differences between the two it would be the fact that websites take advantage over the number of people accessing the site by placing advertisements alongside the scores.

During the 1990s, Sky Sports was launched in the British Isles and their introduction was to have a massive impact on soccer. Sky revolutionised soccer with their live matches, showing live games on Friday?s, Sunday?s and Monday?s. Sky also introduced a live manned version of Ceefax called Sky Sports Saturday. Their service is just an advanced version of Ceefax on a match day, with an anchorman and various ex professional soccer players talking about the action as it happens.

All that Sky have done is taken hold of Ceefax and expanded on it. They use ex professional soccer players to provide key moments from one of the matches they are watching and they then report back to the anchorman, telling him that player X has just won a free-kick but it?s still 0-0 at Old Trafford. Admittedly it is more interesting then sat watching blue-and-white text refresh as it tells you more, but at the end of the day it is still a basic score service. I would say their service (which is similar to the one that the BBC run) is an overly-manned version of Ceefax with a human face.

The last alternative version to watching soccer is live commentaries which various websites provide. Again this is just another basic version of Live Scores and Ceefax. You will visit a website and have the option to watch live commentary on a match of your choice. It will give you details of the match action as it happens like ?attacking throw-in Chelsea Cole right channel?, but like the other services the score will remain the same.

Soccer fans will class watching Ceefax, Live Scores and Live Commentary as not properly following a soccer match, but to some people this alternative viewing adds more entertainment to the match day. Instead of watching a dire 0-0 match being played out on TV, it is sometimes more entertaining listening to the moans and groans of an ex professional on Sky Sports Saturday as he describes players missing chance after chance. Also alternative viewing gives fans of lower leagues clubs a chance to see how their team is getting on as they are not given the same TV/radio coverage as the more illustrious clubs. Alternative viewing might be seen as uncool by certain fans, but to many it is still cult viewing.

Steven Gore is the editor of SoccerManager.com, the free online soccer game

Soccer Fitness Programs

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is a game that requires great strength and endurance. The game, which goes on for 90 minutes, requires incredible amounts of stamina because of the constant running and jogging involved.

Due to these strenuous activities, soccer players need to constantly maintain a proper fitness regime. Professional soccer players should not be bulky in order to be active and agile on the field. Therefore strength, endurance and aerobic exercises play an important role in soccer training. There are different fitness programs that are specifically designed for soccer players. These programs concentrate on increasing speed, agility, and stamina of the players. They also help in increasing the overall strength and skill of the players.

Soccer demands high levels of physical activity. A professional fitness program can tap the full potential of a player. These programs ensure high standards of performance even with limited practice. Repetitive exercise is very important for endurance training. These programs also have tests after each training session. They periodically test endurance, strength and agility of the participants. The results are then compiled and if necessary, plans are changed to suit new requirements. Stretching exercises increase flexibility that is otherwise an undervalued aspect. All these activities together compile the perfect soccer fitness program.

There are various programs available for soccer players in many of the fitness centers. However, soccer fitness programs are highly specialized and require professional athletes to coach participants. Former soccer players who have played at national and international levels usually conduct such coaching sessions.

Soccer fitness programs are extremely beneficial for players who want to perform at the highest level. Joining these fitness programs gives the players an advantage by increasing their stamina, agility, speed and skills. All these aspects are necessary for those who desire to be the future soccer stars of the world.

Fitness Programs provides detailed information on Fitness Programs, Fitness Training Programs, Golf Fitness Programs, Kid Fitness Programs and more. Fitness Programs is affiliated with Gym Equipment.

Soccer Training Equipment - The Basics

You cannot imagine a soccer training session without proper soccer training equipment. There are certain equipments that a coach must have and there are certain other equipments that each and every player should have. Let?s go exploring.

Equipments For Coach

Well, there is not a very long list of equipments for the coaches, but whatever it is, the coach must have the following ready at the time of the training session.

? Perhaps, the most important equipment for a coach is a whistle. A whistle is essential for a coach because it works as an effective mean to get attention from the players. The coach can also use the same to start or stop a particular activity.

? If the coach has designed some timing activities in the training session, he must have a stopwatch with him.

? Lots of soccer drills and games require the coach to use cones. Therefore, he must have proper number of small cones. Cones are basically used to mark a specific area in the field.

? The duties and responsibilities of the coach are vast. He also needs to look after the players. Since soccer involves lots of physical activities and therefore, the coach must have a first-aid kit to cure the minor injuries.

? Last, but not the least, the coach must not risk running a training session on his own alone. It is very difficult to manage everything alone and no matter how efficient a coach you are, in order to get effective and productive results from the training session, it is important that you take the help of assistants.

Equipments For Players

? The players must come in their uniform.

? If it is outdoor soccer training, they should wear Rubber soccer cleats. On the other hand, if it is indoor soccer training, tennis shoes will do.

? Each and every player must come with their own ball. Again, the size of the ball must be in proportion to the specfic age of the players. Here, I must add that the coach should also have some spare balls because most often than not some of the players forget to come with their own balls.

The goalkeeper however requires some specialized soccer training equipment, such as brightly colored uniform so that he could easily be recognized, gloves to protect the hands and Elbow and hip pads because they have to dive several times on the ground.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer training equipment. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.