Association football, also called simply football as well as surface football is a competitive team game played between two teams of eleven players. It is the most popular sport in the world, with over 250 million players registered in more than 200 countries and dependencies. The game is played in a neutral venue such as a country club or international arena, or even a street side in front of TV cameras. Professional players wear football kits which consist of short sleeves, long sleeves, ankle and knee guards and special boots with spikes, designed to increase acceleration and traction.
The term “football” actually derives from the English word “fansue”, which means to play or roll with an empty hand. In its earliest forms of play, the game was mainly a game played by groups of men, with the ball either thrown or served by the receiver of the ball. It is usually played in a field without any back or side walls, although some nations have changed this rule in recent years, giving football a “fancy” look, as in the England v Spain game; the officials use yellow and black cards, rather than the traditional red and white cards, which are only used in major tournaments like the World Cup. This type of football has only been played internationally since England played Italy in the World Cup quarter finals in 1996.
Nowadays, the game has gained popularity in the United States as well, particularly with youth and recreational levels of play. Although football can be played by men of all ages, it is predominantly played by men between the ages of thirteen and forty-four. Although women can play football as well, it is not the popular game that it is in Europe or South America. In the United States, the only people to ever set foot on an American football field were the Polo Shirts worn by Polo manufacturers during the early days of the sport. Due to the lack of contact in play, the sport was often played by college students as a recreation activity. As this sport became more popular with the Americans, it was soon introduced to the professional football leagues and became the prototype for the modern American football.
So what exactly is American football? The first game that we know of in the United States to have some sort of national following is the American football, which evolved from the British rugby football. The game itself is very different from its precursor, however. In rugby, there is only a small area of the football field which is actually played on, the rectangular field. On the American playing field, there is no such restriction, and the players are divided up into two teams.
The object of the game is for the team to get the ball into the end zone, which is approximately sixty yards away from the end zone. Each team receives two points for each point they get on the playing field, regardless of whether they get their ball into the end zone or not. Once the game is over, the teams switch places, and the winner is the team with the most points. If there is a tie after the first twenty-five minutes, overtime will be played as well, with the winner of the overtime game receiving the prize, which is usually the trophy.
Since there are only two points, each team must receive at least three points in order to win. There are no penalties for losing a football game to a team that receives one point. However, if the game has not gone past the halftime marker, the game will be considered a tie, and the teams will be forced to play a draw. The draw will require the teams to play on the remaining length of the playing field for five minutes. This drawing system was implemented to prevent ties from becoming too prevalent in the game of football.