Goal!

A feast of soccer facts, plus everything you need to know about action on the field and behind the scenes at the stadium.

About Goal!

This book is a visual guide to the world’s most popular game, From the rules of the game to the top tournaments – the information leaps right off the page! Learn about historic ball games and the birth of soccer. Study up on the laws of the game and the new technology that referees use to make vital decisions. See what it takes to run a club and keep the players in tip-top shape. There’s a chapter, too, on all the international trophies and tournaments, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Copa América, and the Olympic Games. This new edition includes updates to soccer’s roll of honor to include the latest tournament winners.

Packed with vital tips and tricks, as well as astounding facts and mind-boggling stats, GOAL! is a winner!

Our Thoughts

“For the game. For the world.” – Quote from Goal! (Quote from FIFA’s motto).

Soccer, for us, has been our second world – it brings together our family around the world, we have made amazing friends, learned new skills, shed some tears but have grown as individuals and teams. Due to COVID, all soccer practices and games for our boys were cancelled the week of March break and they have not yet been back on the pitch with their team in the last five months. We went from six to seven days a week on the pitch to none. Needless to say it was quite a shock to the system! We miss soccer – we miss the team building, the drills and just the fun of being with our friends. The boys train on their own but as many of you that may have participated on a soccer team, it just quite isn’t the same.

Goal! is a soccer fan’s best friend – we learn about the history of this beautiful game, the rules, individual skills, how this comes together as a team, the club side and all of the amazing tournaments (that we have been sadly missing and have loved watched the slow re-introduction on t.v.).

We loved learning how this game evolved and quickly spread around the world after the Football Association was established in England in 1863. We knew about the UEFA, FIFA and CONCACAF leagues but it was really neat to learn about some new leagues to us like the CONMEBOL, CAF, OFC and AFC. We also learned about the struggles and achievements of the Women’s league as it became its own league (I had no idea that the Football Association had a ban on women’s soccer until 1971 and that it was not until 1996 that women’s soccer was included in the program of events at the Olympics for the first time). Women have truly fought hard for this sport that they love and they deserve to be centre stage along with their male counterparts.

We loved how each section of the book not only explained the significance and the how to’s but also the historical components and even a really interesting fact (like a penalty shoot-out in the 2005 Namibian Cup finished 17-16, I can’t even begin to imagine that stress!). Large and small photographs and illustrations help bring the passion, love and pain that this beautiful game brings. While it made us miss participating in the game, it brought the game inside to us as we re-lived a few of our favourite matches that the kids played in or ones that we have watched on t.v.

Goal! will make an excellent gift to the young, aspiring soccer player in your life as they navigate this new normal on the field and their role in the global soccer community.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Indigo.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.