page_title: Glossary of association football terms
section_title: F
hierarchical_section_title: Glossary of association football terms / F
caption_attribution_description: English: A female player commits a foul by tripping an opponent during an association football match. Nederlands: Meisjes in een voetbalteam kunnen heel gemeen zijn!
context_page_description: Association football was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier. A large number of football-related terms have since emerged to describe various aspects of the sport and its culture.
  The evolution of the sport has been mirrored by changes in this terminology over time. For instance, the role of an inside forward in variants of a 2–3–5 formation has many parallels to that of an attacking midfielder, although the positions are nonetheless distinct. Similarly, a 2–3–5 centre half can in many ways be compared to a holding midfielder in a 4–1–3–2.
  In many cases, multiple terms exist for the same concept. One reason for this is the progression of language over time. The sport itself, originally known as association football, is now more widely known by the shortened term football, or soccer, derived from the word association. Other duplicate terms can be attributed to differences among varieties of English. In Europe, where British English is prevalent, the achievement of not conceding a goal for an entire match is known as a clean sheet.
context_section_description: FA Cup: English knockout competition – the oldest cup tournament in the world.
  False nine: A centre forward who regularly drops back into midfield to disrupt opposition marking.
  Fan: follower of a football team or someone who simply enjoys watching the game. Also known as supporter.
  Fan park: area away from grounds – often in city centres – used to screen matches on large television screens for fans, normally for big tournaments such as the World Cup or other important matches.
  Fans' favourite: player that is extremely popular with fans of a club or nation.
  Favourite: team that is expected to win a particular match or tournament. Opposite of underdog.
  FC: initialism for football club, used by teams such as Watford FC.
  Feeder club: club whose role is to provide first-team experience for younger players with a formal or informal agreement that successful ones can move on to the bigger club.
  Feign injury: see play-acting
  Fergie time: the idea that Manchester United, when managed by Sir Alex Ferguson ("Fergie"), got what rival fans considered to be generous and/or excessive added time when Ferguson's team were losing, particularly at home.
  Field of play: see pitch.
  FIFA: acronym for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), the world governing body of the sport; pronounced "fee-fa".
  Fifty-fifty: a challenge in which two players have an equal chance of winning control of a loose ball.
  Final whistle: see full-time.
  First eleven: the eleven players who, when available, would be the ones usually chosen by the team's manager to start a game.
  First team: the most senior team fielded by a club.
  First touch: skill attribute for a player which signifies their ability to bring the ball completely under control immediately upon receiving it.
  Fixture congestion: situation where a team is required to play many matches in a short period of time.  Extended runs in cup competitions or prolonged spells of bad weather can cause matches to be postponed, causing fixture congestion as the team is required to catch up all the postponed matches.  A team may appeal to a governing  body to extend their season but it is not compulsory for a governing body to act upon a request.
  Flag: small rectangular flag attached to a handle, used by an assistant referee to signal that they have seen a foul or other infraction take place. One assistant referee's flag is a solid colour (often yellow), and their colleague's has a two-colour (often red and yellow) quartered pattern. Some flags have buttons on the handle, which will activate an alarm worn by the referee to attract their attention. Can also refer to the corner flag. The action of an assistant referee signalling with the flag is called flagging.
  Fixture: scheduled match which has yet to be played.
  Flat back four: defensive positioning system, in which the primary first position of each member of a four-man defense is in a straight line across the pitch; often used in conjunction with an offside trap. In formations with three centre backs, the phrase "flat back three" is sometimes used.
  Flick-on: when a player receives a pass from a teammate and, instead of controlling it, touches the ball with their head or foot while it is moving past them, with the intent of helping the ball reach another teammate.
  Football: a widely used name for association football. Can also refer to the ball.
  Football League: English league competition founded in 1888, the oldest such competition in the world.
  Football programme: also known as match programme; booklet purchased by spectators prior to a football match containing information relevant to it, including lists of players, short articles penned by commentators and the like. Older programmes may have considerable value as collectables.
  Football pyramid: also known as league system; hierarchy of leagues which teams can be promoted or relegated between, depending on finishing positions or playoffs. They are often referred to as "pyramids" due to their tendency to have increasing number of regional and local division
caption: A player (red/black) commits a foul by tripping her opponent (green/white)
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