What is Celtic Football?
Celtic Football is the concept for a major new sport to be developed and promoted over the next 15-25 years. It was specifically designed to be the best football code in the world.
Celtic Football combines the best from Gaelic Football and Soccer. It can be considered an improved version of either sport, but identifies most, with the Irish code.
Gaelic Football
Celtic Football is an insanely fast, free-flowing, & highly skillful football code. It uses the same equipment, field & laws of Soccer, has an improved scoring system, and allows the playing of the ball with your hands.
Celtic Football was invented -- and already fully tested -- by the creator of the best ever improvement technique, called Deltanism. He saw how exciting Gaelic Football was to watch and play, but also how complicated laws, archaic restrictions & politics were preventing it from becoming a major World Football code. He decided to simplify & improve the sport by using all the laws of Soccer(with 3 ammendments), and adding three new laws.
Celtic Football is a Deltan sport and is meant to show how effective, & powerful, Deltanism is as an improvement technique. It was designed to rival & beat Soccer as the best football code in the World.
Laws of the Game
Celtic Football uses the same 17 Laws of Soccer -- with 3 amendments -- and adds three new laws(18-20):
- Law 1 Amendment The Goal Posts -- Celtic Football is played on a Soccer field with regulation soccer Goals made up of four tall posts at each end of the field -- like Australian Rules Football. The outer posts are located at the corners of the goal line and goal box and are shorter than the inner posts.
- Law 10 Amendment Scoring -- A Goal is worth 10 points; a Double is worth 2 points and is scored by kicking the ball above the Goal and between the two inner posts; a Single is worth 1 point and is scored by kicking ball between two outer posts. After a Single or Double is scored, play is restarted with a Goal Kick from the Penalty Mark.
- Law 15 Amendment Catching a Throw-in -- Like a Goal-Keeper in Soccer, all players cannot catch a throw-in on the full, as this is an Indirect Free Kick offense. Other than a throw-in, a player cannot deliberately put the ball into the Penalty box with the hand(s) -- an Indirect Kick offense.
- Law 18 Groundball -- All players can play the ball with their hands, and in any way they wish, so long as the ball is 'clearly' outside the Penalty Box and above the knees. It is a Direct Free Kick offense to touch the ball that is 'clearly' below knee level -- a Groundball. Only Soccer rules apply when the ball is in the Penalty Box.
- Law 19 Heldball -- a moving Ball Carrier that changes direction suddenly(a dodge), must immediately bounce, kick, or get rid of the ball. You only need to do this once, every dodge. If the moving Ball Carrier changes direction gradually -- not suddenly -- then the player does not have to bounce, kick or get rid of the ball. Note also that another form of a Heldball offense, is when the Ball Carrier is stationary and holding the ball for more than a second.
- Law 20 Contact or Charge -- The Ball Carrier, whether stationary or moving, must ensure defenders never get close enough for any bodily contact, by creating separation distance or getting rid of the ball. If there is bodily contact AND it was clearly within the Ball Carrier's ability to avoid the contact, then the Carrier will be penalized for Charging. All other contact must be harmless else will be a Contact offense. These are Direct Free Kick offenses.
Note 1
Using all the laws of Soccer will be key to Celtic Football's future success.
Soccer is the most popular world field sport, with most nation's familiar with it and possessing the fields and equipment to play it.
Celtic Football's use of all the Soccer laws means it can be easily learnt and enjoyed by Soccer players, officials, & fans from most nations of the world.
The Laws of Celtic Football were deliberately kept as simple as possible for extremely fast adaptation to the game, by any person familiar with Soccer.
Celtic Football was designed to be, and will become, a major World sport, and a true rival to Soccer as the best Football code in the world.
Note 2
Unlike Association Football(Soccer) or Gaelic Football, Celtic Football has two versions of the sport:
- Touch -- is the major version and has the same light contact rules of Soccer. This will be the World game, and the version used for the Celtic Football World Cup.
- Tackle -- is the minor version and is for people from Nations that enjoy hard & physical contact sports like Rugby Union Football, Rugby League Football, Australian Rules Football, & American Football. For this version, Laws 19, and 20 are amended so you no longer have to bounce, kick or get rid of the ball if you do a dodge, or stop. You can now bodily smash into, or fend off, an opponent while carrying the ball, and rugby tackle the ball carrier, but these must always be done safely so as not to cause serious injury, harm, or death. You still cannot be stationary holding the ball for more than a second.
Although Celtic Football uses all the Laws of Soccer, the Commissioner(its creator from New Zealand) controls the sport not FIFA. The Celtic Football Association will eventually be the controlling body of the sport.
Playing Advice
Just play it like Soccer
If you are having trouble remembering the Heldball, Groundball, and Charging rules, just play the game like Soccer but with the added advantage of being able to score points more regularly. Celtic Football is mostly Soccer.
Know the Zone
You need to always be aware of the area or space on the field where you can play the ball with your hands. Remember that it is the space that is clearly outside the penalty box AND clearly above the knees. Alternatively, just remember to only play Soccer when the ball is in the Penalty Box, or clearly below your knees, otherwise anything else goes.
Bounce, Bounce, Bounce
You need to remember that when moving with the ball in hand, you need to bounce the ball immediately after you do a dodge, or stop. Don't ever be stationary holding the ball. Think dodge-bounce, stop-bounce, dodge-bounce, stop-bounce, etc. You can run the entire length of the field carrying the ball without having to bounce it, so long as you don't stop or suddenly change direction(dodge).
Keep your distance
You need to remember that when you have the ball in hand, always ensure there is space between yourself and a defender so that there is no possibility for body-to-body contact. You are responsible for any bodily contact if you could have prevented it -- by creating distance or getting rid of the ball.
Shoot, shoot, shoot
You should be regularly taking shots at the Goal(10 pts) as you will likely be rewarded with a Double or Single for getting close. There's no frustration -- as in Soccer -- for just missing a Goal, or having scoreless games.
Defenders need to:
- Pressure attacking players constantly -- make it difficult with close marking of opposing players. Don't allow the other team to score easy Singles/Doubles, or to roam freely about the field because they were not being closely marked. Pressure them to make a mistake, and earn yourself a free kick.
- force a 'Heldball' -- by constantly being in path of the attacker & close
- force a 'Charge' -- with body-to-body contact with the ball carrier. Remember that the ball carrier should not have allowed it to happen in the first place. But don't blind side or sucker hit the Ball Carrier. You will get a Red Card for dangerous and/or unsporting play.
Celtic Football is a field sport and needs the open spaces for players and spectators to fully enjoy the sport. It is not meant to be played indoors so no rules will be made for any indoor game. It is recommended that if you are intending to play indoor sports, to consider soccer and basketball as they will ensure you have all the necessary Celtic Football skills.
So try Celtic Football now. Grab a few of your friends, a Soccer ball, and head on down to your local footy field to enjoy the most thrilling football code to date.
Association Football (Soccer) is the Beautiful game.
Celtic Football is the Great Game
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