How soccer enthusiasts can become more involved

Sports games engage people, foster team spirit, encourage fitness, and teach the players skills that they can transfer into the rest of their life: hard work, dedication and resilience. Soccer is more than just a game though.

It is one of the few sports that it is enjoyed across the globe, and rises above the limitations of ethnicity, politics, gender and religion. If you look across the board at the players that are top of their game, you will identify that many of the top players have come from not just the economic powerhouse countries, but from the developing countries too:

soccer breaks through the glass ceiling of economics.

You may not have the soccer skills of Lionel Messi, but you share the passion (one which may irritate your better half). You love the freeform nature and often chaotic low scoring route to winning or even defeat. Here are 4 ways that you can become more involved in soccer.

Choose a European Soccer Team

One of the benefits of supporting a team that is so far away from you geographically is that you are not supporting a team that you feel obliged to either because of birthright or bloodline. You are liberated. Sure, you can support your local city’s NFL team, you would be a fool not to, but choosing a team to support is a whole new ball game.

You can choose a soccer team for the most tenuous of reasons; perhaps you always win Xbox Fifa games with Manchester United, perhaps you like the gold and black strip of the Wolverhampton Wanderers, or maybe you like guns and can appreciate that Arsenal are called the Gunners.  It really doesn’t matter. Your choice can be as arbitrary as you wish, but once you have made your choice, you have to stick to it.

Soccer fans never swap allegiance.

You will have to set your alarm clock to get you up to watch the matches, so your team choice must incentivize you to give up your lie-in.

The Unspoken Rules to Choosing a Team

1. You must not choose the front-runners. This automatically takes out Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Go for the underdog; games will be far more exciting if you watch them with your hand in your mouth and on the edge of your seat.
2. You must not choose a team whose fans are repeatedly in the media for hooliganism. No explanation is needed for this other than you do not want to be associated with violence.
3. You must not choose a team whose owners are slightly dubious. Do your homework: some of the teams have questionable funding. European soccer has many colorful

Technology to Follow Soccer

Now you have picked a soccer team, you are in the position to get fully immersed in the culture.

The absolute joy of living in this digital age is that you can follow your team’s progress via their website, fan Facebook page or Twitter account.

Nothing will go unreported. There are forums, Instagram accounts and Pinterest pages all devoted to the beautiful game. Once you get knowledgeable about the premier league, divisions and the all-important offside rule, you will find that there is a whole community of like-minded souls cheering on the digital sidelines. Football betting is almost a sport itself with the opportunity to back your team with sites such as Betway Sports making the process simple.

Start a Team

Why just cheer from across the Ocean? Check out the United States Adult Soccer Association to find a local team that you can join, or use your strengthened passion to start your own team if there are none locally. It is a great way to exercise for a full 90 minutes with a group of people that will soon become your friends.

Fast footwork, agility and endurance are essential for playing soccer, but the benefits of playing soccer are plentiful:

1. You only need a handful of players.
2. You can play in any open space.
3. You will increase your aerobic capacity as you run with varying intensity for 90 minutes.
4. You will improve your cardiovascular health. The average player runs between 5 and 7 miles per game. The constant movement while you run, walk and jog keeps your heart rate up, burns calories and reduces your blood pressure.
5. You will improve muscle tone as your body switches between anaerobic and aerobic pathways throughout the game.

Do not keep this sport to yourself, if you have children of either gender, they too can get in on the act. There are so many sports to choose from, but not all are accessible across the genders and age-groups.

The reason why soccer is so popular around the world is that it is available to all, so what are you waiting for?

Source: Daily News Hungary PR