Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer,[3] is a sport played

between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million
players in over 200 nations, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is
played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score
by getting the ball into the opposing goal. The goalkeepers are the only players allowed
to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and only in their penalty area.
Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use their
head or torso to do so instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the
match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the
game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the
competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football
Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International
Federation of Association Football (FIFA; French: Fdration Internationale de Football
Association), which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years.

HISTORY
According to FIFA, the competitive game cuju (, literally "kick ball") is the earliest
form of football for which there is scientific evidence.[11] Cuju players could use any of
the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a
net. It was remarkably similar to modern football though similarities
to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC220 AD), cuju games were
standardized and rules were established.[12] Phaininda and Episkyros were Greek ball
games.
Association football in itself does not have a classical history.[24] Notwithstanding any
similarities to other ball games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no
historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. [25] The
modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to
standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England.
The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century AD.
The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C. W.
Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official
international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England
in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is also home to the world's
first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston

Villa director William McGregor.[31] The original format contained 12 clubs from
the Midlands and Northern England.

Women's association football

Association football has been played by women since at least the time of the first
recorded women's games in the late 19th century.[45][46] It has traditionally been
associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom.
[46]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s women's association football was organised in the
United Kingdom, eventually becoming the most prominent team sport for British women.

International competitions
The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organised by FIFA. This
competition takes place every four years. Approximately 190200 national teams
compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a
place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32
national teams competing over a four-week period. [92] The most recent edition of the
tournament was the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the
continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and
contested between national teams. These are the European Championship(UEFA),
the Copa Amrica (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC),
the CONCACAF Gold Cup(CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA
Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all six continental championships,
the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the
Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm-up tournament for the
upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup
itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental
championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for
example the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores in South
America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.
[96]

TERMINOLOGY

Football Terms
o Attacker: A player whose job is to play the ball forward towards the opponent's
goal area to create a scoring opportunity.
o Back Heel: A ball kicked using the back (heel) of the foot.
o Back Pass: A pass that a player makes back toward their own goal, usually made
back to the goalkeeper. This is often a defensive move to restart a new phase of
play.
o Ball Carrier: The player in possession of the ball.
o Bending the Ball: Striking the ball off-center so that it travels in a curved path,
ideally for shots at goal.
o Bicycle Kick: A spectacular move in which a player jumps in the air in a backflip
motion, kicking the ball backward over their head. The name comes from action
which mimics their legs moving as if pedaling a bicycle.
o Center Spot: The spot marked at the center of the field from which the kickoff is
made.
o Confederation: Organization responsible for football in their region
(see acronyms)
o Corner Flag: The flag marking each of the four corners of the field.
o Corner Kick: A free kick taken from the corner of the field by an attacker. The
corner kick is awarded when the ball has passed over the goal line after last
touching a defensive player. The shot is taken from the corner nearest to where
the ball went out.
o Cross: A pass played across the face of a goal.
o Defender: A player whose job is to stop the opposition attacking players from
goal scoring.
o Direct Free Kick: A free kick in which a goal may be scored by the player taking
the free kick.
o Dribble: Keeping control of the ball while running.

o Dummy Run: A run by a player without the ball, to lure defenders away from the
ball carrier.
o Far Post: The goalpost farthest from the ball.
o FIFA: The acronym used for the Federation Internationale de Football
Association, the world governing body for the game of association football, which
is based in Switzerland.
o Football: The term used for soccer in Europe and other countries outside of North
America and Australia.
o Foul: Any illegal play.
o Free Kick: A kick awarded to an opposition player when an player has committed
a foul. Free kicks can be either direct or indirect.
o Futsal: version of Fottball played indoors
o Give and Go: (also known as a 1-2) When a player passes the ball to a
teammate, who immediately one-touch passes the ball back to the first player.
o Goal Area: The rectangular area in front of the goal in which the goalkeeper may
handle the ball. It is also known as the 18-yard box because of its dimensions.
o Goal Kick: A goal kick is awarded to the defending team when the ball is played
over the goal line by the attacking team. It can taken by any player though it is
normally taken by the goalkeeper.
o Goal Line: The two boundary lines located at each end of the field.
o Goal Mouth: The area in front of the goal.
o Goalkeeper: The specialized player who is the last line of defense, who is
allowed to control the ball with his hands when in the goal area.
o Header: Using of the head to pass or control the ball.
o Indirect Free Kick: A free kick awarded to a player from which a goal may not be
scored directly.
o Inswinger: A kick that curves in toward the goal.

o Kickoff: The kickoff is taken from the center spot at the start of play at the
beginning of each half and after a goal has been scored.
o Man to Man Marking: A defensive system where defenders are designated one
attacking player to track continuously.
o Midfielder: The playing position for players that are responsible for linking play
between attackers and defenders.
o Nearpost: The goalpost nearest the ball.
o Obstruction: Causing obstruction, which is blocking an opponent with the body, is
penalized by awarding an indirect free kick to the opposition.
o Offside Trap: A technique used by defenders to put attacking players in an offside
position, by moving quickly away from their own goal to leave attackers offside.
o Offside: A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponent's goal line
than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent. This does not apply if the
players is is on their half of the field. An indirect free kick is awarded to the
opposing team at the place where the offside occurred.
o One-Touch Pass: A pass in which the ball is played on with a player's first touch.
o Out Swinger: A kick that swerves away from the goal.
o Penalty Spot: The marked spot 12 yards from the goal line from which a penalty
kick is taken.
o Penalty: A penalty kick is awarded when a foul has been committed inside the
penalty area in front of the goal. A penalty is taken by one player opposed only by
the goal keeper.
o Pitch: The soccer field of play.
o Red Card: A red card is issued to a player when that player has committed a
serious infraction or has been issued with two yellow cards within the same
game. The red card held up by the referee to signal that a player is being sent
off. The player sent off cannot be replaced.
o Referee: The official who is in charge of the game.

o Shot: A kick, header, or any intended deflection of the ball toward a goal by a
player attempting to score a goal.
o Sliding Tackle: A tackle in which the defender slides along the surface of the field
of play before making one-footed contact with the ball.
o Striker: An attacking player whose job is to finish attacking plays by scoring a
goal..
o Tackle: To take the ball away from the opponent using the feet.
o Through Pass: A pass played past defenders into free space to allow a teammate
to run onto the ball.
o Throw-In: The ball is thrown in after the ball has crossed the touch line. A player
taking a throw in must have both feet on or behind the touch line, must maintain
contact with the ground, and must use a two-handed throw made from behind the
head. A goal cannot be score directly from a throw-in.
o Touch Line: The line that defines the outer edge of the longer sides of the field of
play.
o Trapping the Ball: Controlling the ball with the sole of the foot.
o Volley: Striking the ball in mid-air with either foot.
o Wingers: Attackers who play on the wings/flanks of the field.
o Yellow Card: A yellow card is held up by a referee to signal a caution for a minor
infringement.
o Zone Defense: A defensive system where defenders mark a designated area of
the field of play instead of tracking players across the field.