Football

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players. It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to outscore the opposition by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal. The team with the higher number of goals wins the game.

## Rules

### Law 1: Field of Play

#### Pitch Boundary

The pitch is rectangular in shape. The longer sides are called touchlines. The other opposing sides are called the goal lines. The two goal lines must be between 45 and 90 m (50 and 100 yd) wide, and be the same length. The two touchlines must be between 90 and 120 m (100 and 130 yd) long, and be the same length. All lines on the ground must be equally wide, not to exceed 12 cm (5 in). The corners of the pitch are marked by corner flags.

For international matches the field dimensions are more tightly constrained; the goal lines must be between 64 and 75m wide (70 and 82yds), and the touchlines must be between 100 and 110 m (110 and 120 yd) long.

Although the term *goal line* is often taken to mean only that part of the line between the goalposts, in fact it refers to the complete line at either end of the pitch, from one corner flag to the other. In contrast, the term *byline* (or *by-line*) is often used to refer to that portion of the goal line outside the goalposts. This term is commonly used in football commentaries and match descriptions, such as this example from a BBC match report: " Udeze gets to the left byline and his looping cross is cleared..."

#### Goal's

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 7.32 metres (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar must be 2.44 metres (8 ft) above the ground. As a result, the area that players have to shoot at is 17.86 sq. metres (192 sq. feet). Nets are usually placed behind the goal, though are not required by the Laws.

Goalposts and crossbars must be white, and made of wood, metal or other approved material. Rules regarding the shape of goalposts and crossbars are somewhat more lenient, but they must conform to a shape that does not pose a threat to players. Since the beginning of football there have always been goalposts, but the crossbar was not invented until 1875, before which a string between the goalposts was used.

A goal is scored when the ball crosses the goal line between the goal-posts, even if a defending player last touched the ball before it crossed the goal line. A goal may, however, be ruled illegal (and void by the referee) if the player who scored or a member of their team commits an offence under any of the laws between the time the ball was previously out of play and the goal being scored. It is also deemed void if a player on the opposing team commits an offence before the ball has passed the line, as in the case of fouls being committed, a penalty awarded but the ball continued on a path that caused it to cross the goal line.

The football goal size for a junior match goal is approximately half the size of an adult sized match goal.

#### Penalty & Goal Areas

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

The *goal area* (colloquially the *"six-yard box"*), consists of the rectangle formed by the goal-line, two lines starting on the goal-line 5.5 metres (6 yd) from the goalposts and extending 5.5 metres (6 yd) into the pitch from the goal-line, and the line joining these, ie they are a rectangle 6yds by 20yds. 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 are taken from the point on the line parallel to the goal line (the *"six-yard line"*) nearest where the infringement occurred; they cannot be taken any closer to the goal line. Similarly drop-balls that would otherwise occur closer to the goal line are taken on this line.

The *penalty area* (colloquially *"the 18-yard box"* or just *"the box"*) is similarly formed by the goal-line and lines extending from it, but its lines start 16.5 metres (18 yd) from the goalposts and extend 16.5 metres (18 yd) into the field. ie this is a rectangle 44yds by 18 yds. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to denote where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a foul by a defender, usually punished by a direct free kick, becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Both the goal and penalty areas were formed as semicircles until 1902.

The *penalty mark* (colloquially *"the penalty spot"* or just *"the spot"*) is 11 metres (12 yd) in front of the very centre of the goal: this is the point from where penalty kicks are taken.

The *penalty arc* (colloquially *"the D"*) is marked from the outside edge of the penalty area, 9.15 metres (10 yd) from the penalty mark; this, along with the penalty area, marks an exclusion zone for all players other than the penalty kicker and defending goalkeeper during a penalty kick.

### Law 2: The Ball

A **football**, **soccer ball**, **football ball**, or **association football** **ball** is the ball used in the sport of association football. The name of the ball varies according to whether the sport is called "football", "soccer", or "association football". The ball's spherical shape, as well as its size, weight, and material composition, are specified by Law 2 of the Laws of the Game maintained by the International Football Association Board. Additional, more stringent standards are specified by FIFA and subordinate governing bodies for the balls used in the competitions they sanction.

#### Specification

##### Construction

Today's footballs are much more complex than past footballs. Most modern footballs consist of twelve regular pentagonal and twenty regular hexagonal panels positioned in a truncated icosahedron spherical geometry. Some premium-grade 32-panel balls use non-regular polygons to give a closer approximation to spherically. The inside of the football is made up of a latex or butyl rubber bladder which enables the football to be pressurized. The ball's outside is made of leather, synthetic leather, polyurethane or PVC panels. The surface can be textured, weaved or embossed for greater control and touch. The panel pairs are either machine-stitched, hand-stitched or thermo-bonded (glued and bonded by heat) along the edge. To prevent water absorption balls may be specially coated, or the stitches bonded with glue. The size of a football is roughly 22 cm (8.66 inches) in diameter for a regulation size 5 ball. Rules state that a size 5 ball must be 68 to 70 cm (27 to 28 in) in circumference. Averaging that to 69 cm (27 in) and then dividing by *π* gives about 22 cm (8.7 in) for a diameter.

##### Size & Weight

Regulation size and weight for a soccer ball is a circumference of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) and a weight of between 410–450 g (14–16 oz). The ball should be inflated to a pressure of 0.6 and 1.1 bars (8.7 and 16.0 psi) at sea level. This is known as "Size 5". Smaller balls, sizes 1, 3 and 4 are also produced. These are designed for younger players or as training tools.

#### Type's of Balls

There are a number of different types of football balls depending on the match and turf including training footballs, match footballs, professional match footballs, beach footballs, street footballs, indoor footballs, turf balls, futsal footballs and mini/skills footballs.

* **Professional/Premium Match Soccer Balls** are developed with top professional clubs to maximize players natural abilities and skills. They are FIFA-approved for use at the highest professional and international levels and designed for performance, exact specifications, great accuracy, speed and control. Air retention, water-resistance, and performance are far superior when compared to a training ball. Intended for all natural and artificial turf surfaces and all climates. These are the most expensive soccer balls.
* **Matchday Soccer Balls** are high performance range of balls for all playing surfaces. The outer casing is either leather or an approved synthetic and it will typically be water-resistant as well. They are guaranteed to conform to official size, weight, and texture regulations, designed to suit all levels of play and all age groups. These balls cost more than turf or training balls, which is offset by their superior level of quality.
* **Recreational/Practice/Training Soccer Balls** are tough and highly durable balls for extended use. Made of robust materials for use on all playing surfaces and used by players at any level. Practice balls are the least expensive balls when compared with match type soccer balls.
* **Turf Balls** are specifically designed to work on artificial surfaces that mimic grass. They are durable and reasonably affordable, but tend to skip more when used on a natural pitch.
* **Promotional Balls** are usually made to promote a name brand, organization or event.
* **Indoor Soccer Balls** come in the same sizes as the outdoor soccer balls, but are designed to have less bounce and rebound in them, making it possible to control the ball on a smaller court or indoor arena. The cover of an indoor ball is also the strongest of any category, so it can withstand the hard rebound impact on the court flooring and wall surfaces.
* **Futsal Soccer Balls** differ from typical soccer balls in that the bladder is filled with foam. That makes the ball heavier and with less bounce for use on the hard futsal playing surface. Besides that, a futsal soccer ball is smaller in size than a football used in the soccer field.

## Position's

### Basic Soccer Position Terms

**Backs** – Refers to defenders.

**Defender** – A player who works mainly in the defensive third of the field. They are primarily focused on stopping the opposition’s attackers from scoring.

**Forward** – A player who is responsible for most of a team's scoring. They play in front of the rest of their team (or in the attaching third of the field) where they can take most of the shots.

**Fullback** – a rear defender.

**Goalie** – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.

**Goalkeeper** – I bet you know this one. The player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from crossing the goalline; the only player allowed to use their hands and arms, though only within the 18-yard penalty area.

**Keeper** – Abbreviation for Goalkeeper.

**Midfielder** – A player generally positioned in the middle third of the field between the forwards and defenders. Their job is to link the defense and the offense through ball control and passing. They play both an attacking role and a defensive role.

**Striker** – Generally the same as a forward, though it sometimes refers to a forward that is his team’s primary scoring threat.

**Sweeper** – Not always used. In some formations, a single defender that plays closest to their own goal behind the rest of the defenders; a team's last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper.

### Advanced Soccer Positions

**Attacking Midfielder** – The midfielder that plays right behind the forwards; they support the offense by providing passes to forwards to set up goals.

**Central Defender** – A player who guards the area directly in front of their own goal, often considered the strongest defender.

**Central Forward** – A team's best-scoring forward who plays towards the center of the field.

**Central Midfielder** – The midfielder most responsible for organizing play in the midfield area, creating scoring opportunities for the attackers, and often a team's leader.

**Defensive Midfielder** – The player positioned just in front of their team's defense and often assigned to mark the opposition's best offensive player; tends to play more defense as a midfielder.

**Finisher** – A forward or striker who has the ability to "put away" or score when opportunities are given to them.

**Halfback** – Same as a midfielder.

**Midfield Anchor** – Same as a defensive midfielder.

**Midfield General** – Same as the central midfielder.

**Midfield Maestro** – Same as the central midfielder.

**Stopper** – The player that defends or guards the best scorer on the attacking team, often the opposition's striker.

**Wingers** – The outside forwards and midfielders (often the fastest players and best dribblers) who play on the sides of the field. Their primary task is to provide them with accurate crossing passes so they can shoot at the goal.