Hi Yas,
Sports photography is a real challenge for any photographer.
The action is often happening 20 or 30 metres away from your position on the sideline, and for this reason you really need to be using a telephoto lens (like a 75-300mm zoom) so that you can zoom in on the players. Then there is the challenge of keeping track of the action and hoping your camera’s autofocus will keep up too.
With this particular photograph I feel that you have captured the moment, but because you have used such a wide lens (18mm on your Canon 500D) the action appears distant in the frame. Below I have cropped the image and you can see what a difference it makes. Using a telephoto lens will give you a very similar image but without the loss of detail.
As another suggestion, I would also look at getting a monopod for yourself. These single-leg camera supports make it a lot easier to keep your camera to your eye through the course of an 80-minute football game.
I hope you can keep on with your sports photography; it is a great skill to master and you will make a few good friends around the football club if you start capturing hero shots of them in action.
Cheers,
Anthony.
Image Doctor's edited version
