PLAY LIKE A PRO

Soccer, football and footy are all names for what is known across the world as ‘The Beautiful Game’. Yes, it’s winter again, so it’s time to pull  those mud-encrusted boots out from under the house, drag those smelly shin pads  out from the place you dumped them at the end of last season, and hunt through the bush for that long lost soccer ball – the new season is about to start!For those of you who aren’t already involved in this fantastic sport, don’t worry, because there are plenty of clubs all over New Zealand, so chances are there will be one in your area. Go to tinyurl.com/yky8uk7 to find a list of clubs in your region.If you want to improve your skills at home, www.soccerxpert.com has some fun drills to improve your fitness and hone your talent. More of an indoors person? Well, there are plenty of games on the world wide web that aim to simulate the soccer experience right in your living room. There are some wonderful soccer games at tinyurl.com/5k3kcy, including one where you use your wheels instead of your feet to kick the ball; that’s right, it’s car soccer! There’s another where you play the part of a hungry squirrel engaging in a traditional match of ‘Nutball’. If you’re looking for a bigger selection, www.soccergamespot.com has hundreds of soccer games in a host of different categories, including soccer shootout games, match-simulating games, and quite curiously, non-soccer games. If you prefer to follow real soccer, boy, are you in for a treat! Next month the biggest sporting tournament in the world, the FIFA World Cup kicks off. Head to www.fifa.com/worldcup to find out the latest news on this legendary tournament. Or to find out about New Zealand’s World Cup chances, www.nzfootball.co.nz has info on New Zealand’s campaign for soccer glory.Get online and before you know it you’ll be playing like a pro.