Soccer

The ladder

1. Ages 3–5
   • Two TeamsTap friends onto two fair teamsOpen →
2. Ages 6–8
   • The Clock Never StopsRead the match clock with added minutesOpen →
   • Make a FormationPick three numbers that add to tenOpen →
   • The League TableScore a league table and break a tieOpen →
3. Ages 9–14
   • Kicker and KeeperMix your kicking sides so the keeper cannot guessOpen →
   • Pentagons and HexagonsCount a ball's corners, seams and panelsOpen →
   • What the Shooter SeesMeasure the angle between the posts from different spotsOpen →
   • 104 MatchesCount the matches in groups and a knockoutOpen →
4. Ages 15–18
   • Fifty Frames a SecondWork out how far a sprinter moves between framesOpen →
   • Goals by ChanceUse a goal model to find the likely scoresOpen →
   • Expected GoalsAdd up chance values to compare two teams' chancesOpen →

Two rules every rung keeps

The Fade Rule. Every game ends on a plain screen: the same numbers with the soccer words gone, so the maths leaves with you.

The Own-Lane Rule. Your numbers are compared only with your own past, never with anyone else's, and they stay on this device.

Problems built on something you love help most when the context carries the maths, not when it decorates it. These ladders are a design, not a promise.

Ask a grown-up tonight: “Where on the pitch did the goal look biggest to you today?”