Association football

Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. Football is played predominantly with the feet, but players may use any part of their body except their hands and arms to propel the ball; the exception to this is the goalkeeper, who is the only member of the team allowed to handle the ball in the field of play.

It is variously known throughout the world as football, association football, or soccer.

Football is played at a professional level all over the world and millions of people regularly go to a football stadium to follow their home team, whilst millions more avidly watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level.

According to a survey conducted by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, published in the spring of 2001, over 240 million people regularly play football in more than 200 countries in every part of the world. Its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements have no doubt aided its spread and growth in popularity. In many parts of the world — particularly in Europe, Latin America, and increasingly in Africa — football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular team sport in the world.

Nature of the game

Two teams of eleven players each compete to get a spherical ball (itself known as a football) into the other team's goal, thereby scoring a goal. The team which scores the most goals is the winner; if both teams have an equal number of goals then the game is a tie. The primary rule for this objective is that players, other than the goalkeepers, may not deliberately touch the ball with their hands or arms during play. Players mainly use their feet to move the ball around, however may also use all parts of their bodies other than their hands or arms.

In typical gameplay players attempt to move towards a goal through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling (running with the ball close to their feet); by moving the ball from team-mate to team-mate by passing the ball; and by taking shoots at the goal. Opposition players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent who controls the ball.

Football is generally a free-flowing game, with the ball in play at all times except when it has left the field of play over a boundary line, or play has been stopped by the referee. When play has been stopped, it recommences with a specified restart (see below).

The game is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, which are summarised below.

The Laws of the Game

History and development

See also: Football (an in depth discussion of the history of games ancestral to association football and the parallel development of other codes).

The Laws of the Game and are based on efforts made in the mid-19th century to standardise the rules of the widely varying games of football played at the public schools of England. The first set of rules resembling the modern game were produced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1848, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury, but they were far from universally adopted. A number of rival and/or revised sets of rules were subsequently proposed, most notably by the Sheffield football club (formed by former pupils from Harrow) in 1857 and the rules of JC Thring in 1862.

These efforts culminated in the formation of The Football Association (FA) in 1863 which first met on the evening of 26 October 1863 at the Freemason's Tavern in Great Queen Street, London. The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer who was the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting, the first which allowed for the running with the ball in hand and the second, obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA but instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union.

Today the laws of the game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1882 after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA, the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the rules laid down by the IFAB. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. Today the board is made up of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.

Overview of the Laws

There are seventeen Laws in the official Laws of the Game. The same laws are designed apply to all levels of football, although the preface to the Laws does grant national associations the ability to authorise certain modifications for juniors, seniors, women, etc. The Laws are often framed in broad terms, which allows flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen Laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football. The Laws can be found on the official FIFA website.

Players and equipment

Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team (this is usually eight).

One player on each team must be designated as that team's goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball with his hands or arms within the penalty area (also known as the "box" or "18 yard box") in front of his own goal. The other players on either side are not permitted to deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms whilst the ball is in play, however they may play it with any other part of their body; the exception to this is when returning the ball into play at a throw-in.

The basic equipment players are required to wear includes a jersey (or shirt), shorts, stockings, footwear and adequate shinguards. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player (including jewellery).

A number (variable by league and nation) of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The usual reasons for a player's replacement include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or to waste a little time at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in the match.

Officials

A game is presided over by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions regarding facts connected with play are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees (formerly called linesmen). In many high-level games there is also a fourth official, who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.

Playing field

Standard pitch measurements (Large version) (Metric version)

The dimensions and markings of an adult football field (or pitch) are defined by the Laws of the Game. Due to the original formulation of the Laws in England and the early supremacy of the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), however popular use tends to continue to use traditional units.

All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define. For example, a ball on or over the touchline is still on the field of play; a ball on the line of the goal area is in the goal area; and a foul committed over the 18-yard line has occurred in the penalty area. Therefore a ball must wholly cross the touchline to be out of play, and a ball must wholly cross the goal line (between the goal posts) before a goal is scored; if any part of the ball is still on or over the line, the ball is still in play.

The field descriptions below apply to adult matches:

Pitch dimensions and markings

The length of pitch for international matches should be in the range 110-120 yards (100-110m) and the width should be in the range 70-80 yards (64-75m). For other matches the constraints are looser: 100-130 yards (90-120m) length by 50-100 yards (45-90m) width. The pitch must be rectangular, this is longer than it is wide.

The longer boundary lines are touch lines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines.

The halfway line divides the pitch in half lengthways. Halfway across the halfway line is the centre spot, from which kick-offs are taken at the start of each playing period and after a goal is scored. The centre circle (radius 10 yards; 9.15m) surrounds this spot, and serves to indicate the distance opposing players must stay from the ball at a kick-off.

In each corner of the pitch is a corner arc (quarter-circle radius 1 yard; 1m) which marks the area from which a corner-kick may be taken. Corner flags (minimum height 5 feet; 1.5m) are required to be placed at each corner; similar flagposts may be optionally placed 1 yard (1m) from each end of the halfway line.

A goal area, penalty area, penalty spot and penalty arc are marked in front of each goal; these are discussed below.

Goals

Goals are placed at the centre of each goal-line. These consist of two upright posts placed equidistant from the corner flagposts, joined at the top by a horizontal crossbar. The inner edges of the posts must be 8 yards (7.32m) apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar must be 8 feet (2.44m) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, though are not required by the Laws.

Penalty and goal areas

See also: Penalty area (provides expanded information on the role of the penalty area)

Two rectangular boxes are marked out on the pitch in front of each goal.

The goal area (colloquially "6 yard box"), consists of a the area formed by the goal-line, two lines starting on the goal-line 6 yards (5.5m) from the goalposts and extending 6 yards into the pitch from the goal-line, and a line joining these. Goal kicks and any free kick by the defending team may be taken from anywhere in this area. Indirect free kicks awarded to the attacking team within the goal area must be taken from the point on the line parallel to the goal line nearest where an incident occurred; they can not be taken further within the goal-area. Similarly drop-balls than would otherwise occur in the goal area and taken on this line.

The penalty area (colloquially "18 yard box") is similarly formed by the goal-line and lines extending from it, however its lines commence 18 yards (16.5m) from the goalposts and extend 18 yards into the field. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being denoting where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a foul by an attacker usually punished by a direct free kick becomes punishable by a penalty kick.

The penalty mark (or "penalty spot") is immediately in the middle of, and 12 yards (11m) in front of, the goal; this is where penalty kicks are taken from. The penalty arc (colloquially "the D") is marked from the outside edge of the penalty area, 10 yards (9.15 m) from the penalty mark; this marks an exclusion zone for all players other than the kicker and the opposing goalkeeper during a penalty kick.

Associated areas

Aside from the field of play, the Laws and by-laws can be used to regulate related areas off the field. The most prominent of these is the technical area, which defines the bench areas and nearby areas to which coaching and managing staff are generally restricted. Note that the referee's authority extends not only to the field of play, but also other areas, including the technical area, players race, and so on.

Duration

Standard durations

A standard adult football match consists of two periods (known as halves) of 45 minutes each. There is usually a 15-minute break between halves, known as half-time. The end of the match is known as full-time.

Football matches are fast-paced and rarely break for the prolonged time periods seen in many other sports like baseball. In turn, this makes it hard for television broadcasters to run commercials without skipping large parts of the game. Even when players suffer injuries, the game usually continues until the ball is next put out of play, except when the referee believes the injury is serious, and the player is removed from the field for treatment as soon as possible so that the match can continue.

Extra time and shootouts

Most games simply end after these two halves, either with one team winning or with a draw (a tied game). However, some games, particularly knockout competition matches, provide for extra time in the event of a tied result at the end of the two halves of normal time: two further periods of 15 minutes are played. Until recently, IFAB have experimented with various forms of 'sudden death' extra time (see below for details); these experiments have now been abandoned.

If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of kicks from the penalty mark (colloquially known as penalty shoot-outs) to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament. Competitions utilising two-leg stages (i.e. where each round involves the two teams playing each other twice) may utilise the so-called away goals rule to attempt to determine which team progresses in the event of the teams being equal on wins; however, should results still be equal following this calculation kicks from the penalty mark are usually required. Other competitions may require a tied game to be replayed.

Note that goals scored during extra time periods count towards the final score of the game, unlike kicks from the penalty mark which are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored not making up part of the final score).

Referee as official timekeeper

The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and it is part of his duties to make allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, cautions and dismissals, sundry time wasting, etc. (although normally no allowance is made for small amounts of time lost during most short breaks in play, such as for throw-ins or free kicks, unless the referee anticipates a large amount of time will be lost before the restart). When making such an allowance for time lost, the referee is often said to be "adding time on". The amount of time is at the sole discretion of the referee, and the referee alone signals when the match has been completed; there are no other timekeepers, although assistant referees carry a watch and may provide a second opinion if requested by the referee.

In matches where a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half the referee will signal how many minutes remain to be played, and the fourth official then signals this to players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number.

Note that there is often semantic debate as to whether the referee is "adding on" time to the end of a half, or rather treating time during stoppages as though it never existed as part of the match time; this distinction has little bearing on the practical conduct of a game, however it may be noted that the pre-1997 wording of the laws stated that the referee "shall ... allow the full or agreed time adding thereto all time lost through injury or accident" (Law V), and later FIFA guidelines regarding the annotation of goal scoring times suggested that time is indeed "added-on" to the end of the agreed half period.

Golden and silver goal experiments

Main articles: Golden goal; Silver goal.

In the late 1990s, the IFAB experimented with ways of making matches more likely to end without requiring kicks from the penalty mark, which were often seen as an undesirable way to end a match.

These involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the first goal in extra time was scored (golden goal), or at the end of the first period of extra time if one team was by then leading (silver goal). Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB.

Starts and re-starts

Each playing period in football commences with a kick-off, which is a set kick from the centre-spot by one team. At kick-off all players are required to be in their half of the field, and all players of the non-kicking team must also remain outside the centre-circle, until the ball is kicked and moved. Kick-offs are also used to restart play following a goal.

From the initial kick-off of a period until the end of that period, the ball is "in play" at all times unless the ball leaves the field of play or play is stopped by the referee; in these cases play is re-started by one of the following methods:

Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team. (Law 8).
Throw-in: when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline; awarded to opposing team to that which last touched the ball. (Law 15).
Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal-line having last been touched by an attacker; awarded to defending team. (Law 16).
Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal-line having last been touched by an defender; awarded to attacking team. (Law 17).
Indirect free kick: awarded to fouled team following "non-penal" foul, or when play is stopped to caution/send-off an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. (Law 13).
Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed ("penal") fouls. (Law 13).
Penalty kick: awarded to fouled team following "penal" foul having occurred in their opponents penalty area. (Law 14).
Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason (e.g. an serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball becoming defective). (Law 8).

The procedure for each restart is described in the relevant chapter of the Laws of the Game.

Offside

Main article: Offside law (football)

The offside law limits the ability of attacking players to remain forward (i.e. closer to the opponent's goal-line) of both the ball and the second last defending player; in this way it attempts to prevent "goal scrouging" or "cherry picking". The details and application of this law are complex, and often result in controversey: for more information on offside please refer to the above main article.

Governing bodies

The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:

Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Central/North America & Carribean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF; also known as The Football Confederation)
Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL)

The recognised various national associations (see football around the world) oversee football within their juristictions. These are affiliated both with FIFA directly and also with their respective continental confederations.

Note that the Laws of the Game are not maintained by FIFA itself; rather they are maintained by the International Football Association Board, as discussed in the history and development section above.

Major international competitions

Worldwide international competitions

The major international competition in football is the World Cup organized by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four year period. Over 190 national teams compete in regional qualifying tournaments for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, now involves 32 national teams (increased from 24 in 1998) competing over a four week period.

There has been a football tournament at the Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles). Originally this was for amateurs only, however since the 1984 Summer Olympics professionals have been permitted as well, albeit with certain restrictions which effectively prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level with a restricted number of over-age players per team; consequently the competition is not generally considered to carry the same international significance and prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, the women's Olympic tournament is played by full international sides without age restrictions; consequently it carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Confederation competitions

The major international competitions of the continental confederations, followed by their major club events where appropriate, are:

Europe: European Championship; UEFA Champions League
South America: Copa América; Copa Libertadores
Africa: African Nations Cup; African Champions League
Asia: Asian Cup; Asian Champions League
North/Central America & Carribean: CONCACAF Gold Cup; CONCACAF Champions Cup
Oceania: Oceania Cup

Names of the game

File:Generic football.jpg

A football

Main article: Football (soccer) names

The rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863, and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other versions of football played at the time. The term soccer first appeared in the 1880s as a derivation of abbreviation of association to assoc.

Today the sport is known by a number of names throughout the English-speaking world, the most common being football and soccer; this has generated debate regarding the "correct" name for the sport. The term used depends largely on the need to differentiate the sport from other codes of football followed in a community. Football is the term used by FIFA, the sport's world governing body, and the International Olympic Committee. For more details of naming throughout the world please refer to the above main article.

External links

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