Games & Sport
HardSoccer Crossword: Football Vocabulary
Category: Games & SportDifficulty: Easy15 × 15
Monday, September 14
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Enter one letter per square. Answers run Across or Down. Omit spaces and accents; any special spelling convention is stated in the clue. This is a freeform themed grid, so some letters are not crossed.
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About This Theme
This soccer crossword explores association football through the vocabulary of the match. It focuses on familiar parts of the match: people, equipment, actions and the playing surface. The clues avoid complicated edge cases in the laws so that you can start with the basic picture of a game. When an answer could have a different meaning in another sport, use the football setting to narrow it down.
Clues
Across
- 4Player designated to lead the team on the field (7)
- 6Ball sent from a wide position toward the area in front of goal (5)
- 9Match official with authority to enforce the Laws of the Game (7)
- 10Instrument a referee blows to signal decisions (7)
- 11Player whose role is to defend the goal and who has special handling privileges (10)
Down
- 1Common British term for the football field (5)
- 2Protective equipment worn over the lower legs, two words (10)
- 3Intentional delivery of the ball to a teammate (4)
- 5One of the two longer boundary lines of a football field (9)
- 7Move with the ball using controlled touches (7)
- 8Play of the ball using the head (6)
- 11Score recorded when the ball legally crosses the goal line between the posts and under the bar (4)
Answers and Explanations
After Your Solve
GOALKEEPER and REFEREE name different roles; neither is simply a person near the goal. CROSS and HEADER describe different aspects of an attacking move: the delivery and the contact. TOUCHLINE names the longer boundary of the field. Keeping actions, roles and places distinct helps the vocabulary fit together. This is an introductory grid, so it deliberately leaves detailed offside interpretations and changing disciplinary procedures to the official Laws of the Game.
- 4 acrossCAPTAIN
The captain is a designated team role.
- 6 acrossCROSS
A cross describes an attacking delivery.
- 9 acrossREFEREE
The referee oversees the match.
- 10 acrossWHISTLE
The sound communicates a stoppage or restart signal.
- 11 acrossGOALKEEPER
The handling privileges apply within the player's own penalty area.
- 1 downPITCH
Pitch names the playing surface.
- 2 downSHINGUARDS
Shin guards are required player equipment.
- 3 downPASS
A pass is a team action.
- 5 downTOUCHLINE
Touchlines run along the sides.
- 7 downDRIBBLE
Dribbling keeps the ball close enough to control.
- 8 downHEADER
A header names the type of contact.
- 11 downGOAL
The whole ball must cross the line for a goal.
Further Reading
- Theme referencetheifab.com
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