FOOTBALL

Association football, also known as just soccer or football, is an international team sport played between two competing teams of eleven players each. It is played regularly around the globe by about 250 million players in more than 200 different countries and dependencies. It has been the liveliest and most watched sports for decades and continues to be one of the most-watched games on television. The popularity of football is such that, if you were to count the number of people who watch the game, you would find that out of every person on earth, almost half of them are fans of football.

In many countries around the globe, football is the national sport and the most watched, but like many other popular entertainments, it is also played professionally by independent teams and amateur players who try to make a name for themselves. There are many professional teams including Italian giants Inter Milan and AC Milan, the Spanish first division side Racing Santo de la Torre and German top flight side Wolfsburg. But the most famous and successful teams are English second tier side Bristol Rovers and Scottish giants Celtic.

Football is played differently in different countries, and for different reasons, but all have the following qualities. Firstly, both games use a ball, which travels along a fixed pattern between two rails or posts. It has also been suggested that the origin of the word ‘football’ is derived from a game of ball games played in the courts of ancient Rome. Goals are scored by either team by tackling the ball, using any part of the body apart from the feet, with any part of the body not covered by the feet being considered a free-kick.

Football is played differently in different countries and communities. Some communities have a love/hate relationship with the sport, with some believing that football involves scaring the children and young men while others take it quite seriously. Scotland, for example, has an enormously loyal following of football fans, who travel overseas to watch matches and have organised international tournaments to show their support. Wales, England, Northern Ireland, Australia and Canada all have large national following of football fans. Other countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico have football clubs with passionate following and some of them even play in the FIFA world cup tournaments.

Each side has 11 players; three field players and three goalkeepers. The eleven players on each team are placed 90 degrees to the ground, with the right foot forward placed behind the left goal post and the left foot forward positioned behind the right goal post. The ball is passed from one player to another, with the ball being played back and forth between the two players on each team until it is touched by a defending player. When a goal is scored, the other team has to restart the game in their own half of the field, with the other team playing normally for one more game until the sides finish at least one match. Thus, football is an exciting and gripping sport that can be enjoyed by anyone irrespective of age and gender.

FOOTBALL is a game that involves hard work, acrobatics, endurance and tenacity. The game is governed by the rules framed by the football governing body FIFA. The game of football is a part of the athletic discipline that includes gymnastics, swimming, basketball and tennis. Youth soccer is a part of this discipline that has grown phenomenally during the past few decades. In the United States of America, there are youth soccer programs in every major city and most of these programs are supported by soccer organizations. Professional teams are based in different cities across the US and so you can find a game of football to match your interest wherever you live.