Soccer (Football)
8 differences between indoor and outdoor soccer
The game moves faster indoors than out, and you may need to work on your short passes and footwork to excel on a smaller field without cleats on.
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Forward Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. has long been praised for his dribbling skills, speed and acceleration. Whether he is playing on an indoor field or an outdoor one, it’s his technical skill that many point to as the key to his success.
When he started the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final, he chose modified fields on both indoor and outdoor surfaces for the five-a-side tournament. Now he has players competing from every corner of the world.
Participants at Neymar Jr's Five Qualifiers in Toronto on April 2, 2016
© Mitchell Hubble / Red Bull Content Pool
“I didn't think that we would reach as many people and countries as we have. It makes me really happy and flattered every time I have the chance to watch it live,” he said.
So what are the differences between indoor and outdoor soccer? They include field size, gear requirements, game strategy, and even the penalties! In this article, we will go over eight key differences between indoor and outdoor soccer.
01
Indoor Soccer Fields are Smaller
Playing field dimensions are much smaller in indoor soccer than in outdoor soccer. The United States Soccer Federation states that indoor pitches should be between 175 and 210 feet in length and 100 feet wide. At 360 feet by 225 feet, an outdoor pitch is roughly double the size.
Indoor soccer requires 6 players per team instead of 11 players in outdoor soccer. As you might expect, it makes indoor soccer faster and more intense. Tighter passing windows leave less margin for error, so an errant pass or sneaky footwork from a defender can more easily result in a breakaway.
Even the goals are smaller. Indoor soccer goals are 12 feet wide by 6 ½ feet tall (roughly the same height as goalkeeper Gianliugi Donnarumma). Outdoor soccer goals are twice as wide and a foot and a half taller.
02
Playing Surfaces May Vary
2012: Connor Lade (New York Red Bulls) & Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle Sounders)
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Outdoor soccer players compete on grass or artificial turf, whereas indoor soccer is played on synthetic turf inside of a walled-off playing field. Variations of soccer like Futsal may be played on hard indoor surfaces as well.
The walls of an indoor soccer pitch must be at least eight feet high above the net. Along the perimeter, walls that are at least four feet high are recommended. Players are free to pass off walls to teammates or even themselves, which opens up an entirely new element of possessing the ball in indoor soccer.
03
Outdoor Soccer Games Are Longer
New York Red Bulls
© Getty Images
Outdoor soccer games consist of two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute half-time in between. An indoor soccer game is 60 minutes with a five-minute break at the 30-minute mark.
Playing indoor soccer can help develop your outdoor soccer fitness, and vice versa. The indoor game has far fewer stoppages during gameplay, so you’ll improve your speed and cardio from all that short-distance sprinting. Indoor soccer is also a great time to develop footwork and practice passing in tight windows.
04
Indoor Soccer Players Don’t Wear Cleats
In outdoor soccer, players wear cleats with rubber-coated spikes on the outsole. In indoor soccer, cleats are prohibited.
Outdoor soccer cleats are built to penetrate grass and dig into artificial turf to create a firm holding for your foot. Indoor soccer shoes are designed with more exterior grip near the toes to promote better soccer ball control. Both types of shoes are generally made of leather, but modifications are made based on the style of the game when it’s played inside or out.
05
Indoor Soccer Doesn’t Have Throw-Ins
In both variations of the game, goalies are the only position in soccer where you can touch the ball with your hands. The one caveat is in outdoor soccer. When a ball goes out of bounds, a player from the possessing team throws the ball (using two hands behind their head) to restart play.
If a ball goes outside the pitch or arena in indoor soccer, it’s placed on the ground where it went out and kicked in to restart. Because the ball goes out a lot less often there are also fewer stoppages.
06
Outdoor Soccer Has a Limit on Substitutions
The New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United at the Red Bull Arena in 2012
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
In the professional ranks, only three substitutions are allowed per 90-minute match in most outdoor soccer leagues. Indoor soccer, on the other hand, has unlimited subs. Players can also substitute on the fly, meaning gameplay doesn’t have to stop in order for a substitution to be made. In outdoor soccer, subs can only occur when the game stops, such as when a ball rolls out of bounds.
On-the-fly subbing means the coach and players have to strategize their substitutions. You don’t want to wait so long that a player is exhausted, but you also shouldn’t sub when your team is playing defense. The best times to sub are in transition or when your team has the ball on the opposition’s side of the field.
07
The Card System Is Different
In outdoor soccer, there are only two cards: yellow and red. A yellow card is a warning and a red card means the player must leave the game. Two yellows are equal to a red card.
Indoor soccer actually has three cards: blue, yellow, and red. Receiving a blue card means that player is temporarily removed from the field for a two-minute penalty. As in outdoor soccer, a yellow card is issued if they have a second offense, removing them from the field again. A third infraction would then result in a red card.
08
There’s No Offside Rule In Indoor Soccer
Long periods of possessing the ball are much harder to come by in indoor soccer. In outdoor soccer, you can draw players out wide or even pass back to your goalie to create space. In indoor, even a pass back to the goalie may only be a few feet from the nearest opponent.
After all, there are no offsides in indoor soccer, meaning a player can set up essentially anywhere they want on the field.
Conclusion
The same basic attacking and defending principles apply to both indoor and outdoor soccer. But the game moves faster indoors than out, and you may need to work on your short passes and footwork to excel on a smaller field without cleats on.
The nice thing about indoor soccer is that it can be played year-round, so you can stay in shape. For athletes like Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has easily played hundreds of games, the surface of play never matters.
“The motivation is to … keep winning and keep adding to the trophy cabinet," he said.