Soccer is one of the few sports that can be played year-round, regardless of the weather. Be it rain, shine, or snow; you can enjoy a game of soccer in the great outdoors.
Here, we look at what you need to think about when you’re playing soccer in the rain to make sure you’re prepared for the adverse weather and enjoy the match as much as possible.
Should you play soccer in the rain?
Playing soccer in the rain is perfectly fine and is something that players do all the time. Whether it’s lightly drizzling or torrentially pouring, you can still play soccer, and the referee isn’t likely to call the game off. Still, there are some things that you need to know about playing soccer in the rain, as we explain in more detail in the following sections.
Is playing soccer in the rain dangerous?
Playing soccer in the rain isn’t dangerous, providing you take the necessary precautions. Whether you’re playing on grass or a synthetic surface, you will need to wear the correct footwear, as the pitch will be much more slippy after a downpour.
On grass, opt for metal studs or blades on your soccer cleats, as these will help you keep your feet and prevent you from losing your footing.
You will also need to take the overall conditions into account when you’re developing your game plan. If the pitch is in bad condition because of the rain, playing long ball soccer is a better tactic than passing it along the floor, as doing so can lead to mistakes.
Ultimately, providing you’re sensible, you shouldn’t encounter any issues when playing soccer in the rain. In fact, many peoples prefer playing soccer when the ground is wet, as it allows for much sleeker inter-play and often results in a more exciting game overall.
Do pro matches get canceled if there’s rain?
In some instances, the referee might decide to cancel a soccer match if there is too much rain. It won’t be down to the falling rain, rather the rain that stands on the surface of the field. If there’s too much standing water, the referee will call the match off.
The FA issues pitch inspection guidelines to all referees relating to what is deemed safe and unsafe. Typically, you can tell if a pitch is playable if you roll a soccer ball through the puddles that have formed. If the ball sticks in the surface water and these areas are in the center of the field, the referee is likely to call the game off.
After all, too much surface water makes soccer difficult and dangerous to play. Sometimes the referee will call a game off before it starts, while other times, a downpour during the match may result in a postponement, it really just depends on the weather.
In professional soccer, the pitches are typically of a much higher quality than park pitches that are used at the amateur level of the game. As such, you’re much less likely to see pro matches canceled due to a waterlogged pitch, but it does still occur.
What about amateur soccer?
In amateur soccer, postponements due to the rain are much more common than in the professional game. This is primarily due to the quality of the soccer pitches, as fields in amateur soccer don’t receive the same level of care as pro pitches.
This means they don’t necessarily have great drainage, and it also means that the surface is more likely to be ruined by a heavy downpour. In amateur soccer, it’s common for clubs to call matches off before the referees arrive, particularly if the pitch is clearly unplayable.
But if it’s a tight call, the referee will conduct a pre-match pitch inspection. This process sees the referee check all aspects of the soccer field to ensure the surface is safe for the players. If the rain has led to too much standing water on the soccer field, the referee will have no choice but to call the match off.
Four tips for playing soccer in the rain
In most cases, playing soccer in the rain isn’t too different from playing soccer in any other conditions. However, you might need to adapt your approach to the game ever so slightly, and these top tips will help you perform to the best of your abilities:
Check the surface before kick-off
Although the referee is ultimately responsible for deciding if the pitch is playable, it’s a good idea to check the field beforehand. This is particularly important if you’re playing a friendly soccer match and there’s no referee present.
First and foremost, you need to consider whether the pitch is safe for the upcoming ninety-minute match and whether or not the rain is likely to make it unplayable. You can decide this by checking the weather forecast and looking at the pitch in its current state.
Next, you will need to think about the damage that playing on a wet pitch will cause to the soccer field in the long term. After all, you don’t want to cause too much damage to your soccer pitch if you’re a small amateur club, as this will affect your schedule for the remainder of the season.
Wear the correct footwear
We’ve alluded to this already, but choosing the correct footwear is so important when you’re playing soccer in the rain. The rain makes a soccer field more slippery than it usually is, meaning you will need to wear soccer cleats to keep your balance.
Metal studs or blades are best for playing soccer in the rain, as they take to the turf and allow you to keep your feet. Molded or rounded studs are only really good for hard surfaces and synthetic pitches.
If you take to a soccer field in the rain, wearing the right footwear is essential and will ensure you can participate in the match.
Stay on your feet
Diving into challenges isn’t the smartest idea at the best of times, as you’re much more likely to give away a free-kick. But opting for a sliding challenge in the rain is even more difficult to time, putting you more at risk of conceding a foul.
Again, this is because the surface is slippery, and it’s much more challenging to control the timing of your tackles. While the occasional slide across the surface won’t cause you problems, try and stick to your feet more often than not when you’re playing soccer in the rain.
Test the goalkeeper
The position most affected by playing soccer in the rain is the goalkeeper. This is because visibility is slightly impaired, and the ball can skid up off the surface. A goalkeeper’s gloves are also less reliable in the rain.
So, if you find yourself just outside the box, it’s a good idea to test the goalkeeper from a distance. You might find that shots that would typically be easy for the keeper to collect cause much more of a problem when the rain is pouring down.
The verdict: Should you play soccer in the rain?
The bottom line is that playing soccer in the rain is perfectly fine and totally normal in the sport. In fact, soccer matches all over the world take place in the rain every week.
If you’ve never played soccer in the rain before, make the most of the four tips above to prepare yourself and ensure you enjoy your experience of the beautiful game when the weather is far from ideal.