page_title: Glossary of association football terms
section_title: A
hierarchical_section_title: Glossary of association football terms / A
caption_attribution_description: English: Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard.Norsk bokmål: Liverpoolspilleren Steven Gerrard.Русский: Футболист «Ливерпу́ля» Стивен ДжеррардSvenska: Liverpoolspelaren Steven Gerrard.
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: Academy: model used by some professional clubs for youth development. Young players are contracted to the club and trained to a high standard, with the hope that some will develop into professional footballers. Some clubs provide academic as well as footballing education at their academies. Also known as a youth academy, or as a cantera in Spanish-speaking countries.
  Added time: see Stoppage time.
  Administration: legal process where a business unable to pay its creditors seeks temporary legal protection from them, while it attempts to restructure its debt. Clubs going into administration usually incur a points deduction.
  Advantage: decision made by the referee during a game, where a player is fouled, but play is allowed to continue because the team that suffered the foul is in a better position than they would have been had the referee stopped the game.
  AFC: initialism for either the Asian Football Confederation, the governing body of the sport in Asia, or association football club, used by teams such as Sunderland AFC.
  Against the run of play: a goal scored, or a win or draw achieved, by a side that was being clearly outplayed.
  Aggregate or aggregate score: combined score of matches between two teams in a two-legged match.
  A Match': International “A” Match is a match for which both Members field their first Representative Team (“A” Representative Team) in association football.
  Anti-football: pejorative term for a particularly robust and defensive style of play.
  Apertura and Clausura: league format employed by several football leagues in Latin America, in which the traditional August–May season is divided into two separate league tournaments, each with its own champion. Apertura and Clausura are Spanish for "opening" and "closing".
  Apprentice: see Youth
  Arena football: see six-a-side football.
  Armband: worn by a team's captain, to signify that role. Black armbands are occasionally worn by an entire team in commemoration of a death or tragic event.
  Assist: pass that leads to a goal being scored.
  Assistant referee: one of a number of officials who assist the referee in controlling a match.
  Attacker: usually refers to a striker, or any player close to the opposing team's goal line.
  Away: see Home and away.
  Away goals rule: tie-break applied in some competitions with two-legged matches. In cases where the scores finish level on aggregate, the team that has scored more goals away from home is deemed the winner.
caption: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard wearing an armband.
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