Celebrate the World Cup with a soccer-themed game

In honor of today’s FIFA World Cup face-off between USA and Germany, we’ve dug a soccer-themed game out of the Scouting magazine archives from 1991.so-02

If your boys or Venturing girls have World Cup fever — like so many of us! — use this game at your next unit meeting to help them blow off some steam and have some fun.

Blindfold Soccer

Equipment: Blindfolds for half the Scouts; two soccer balls

Object: Each team tries to kick the ball past the opponent’s end zone as many times as possible. Each successful kick earns a point for that team.

Instructions: Divide the Scouts into two teams or use patrols. Each team then divides into pairs. One member of each pair is blindfolded. The game starts when the referee throws or kicks two soccer balls into the middle of a soccer field or playing area. The winning team is the one with the highest score at the end of play, about 30 minutes.

Rules:

  1. Only the blindfolded Scouts may kick the ball; the sighted Scouts can only offer verbal directions to their partners.
  2. Members of the pair or groups of pairs are not allowed to purposely touch one another. Normal game contact is OK, as long as the touching is not to direct a blindfolded participant toward the ball.
  3. There are no goalies.
  4. If a ball is kicked out of bounds, the referee will throw the ball into the middle of the field. Play then resumes.
  5. Whatever additional rules are needed are up to the referee.

Find more soccer-themed meeting games by searching for “Soccer” in the search tab located on the Scouting magazine digital archive page.


Photo courtesy of FIFA; photography by Vince Heptig (Scouting magazine, September 2005)


About Aaron Derr 429 Articles
Aaron Derr is the senior editor of Scout Life and Scouting magazines, and also a former Cubmaster and Scouts BSA volunteer.