Football is a contact sport played between two teams on a field. The game is controlled by a referee, who is also the game’s timekeeper. During the game, two assistants patrol the touchline, signalling when the ball goes out of play and when a player is offside.
The game is similar to rugby league in some ways. A team that gains possession of the ball has four attempts to advance the ball. If it succeeds, it gets its first down. If it fails to do so, it loses possession of the ball. If the offensive team is able to advance the ball ten yards, they are considered to have scored a touchdown.
Football is played in many countries and is usually played for recreational purposes by amateur and youth teams. There are also professional and semi-professional leagues that involve paid players. For example, the NFL has a European league called the NFL Europa, which has teams in five cities in Germany. In Canada, there is a professional league known as the Canadian Football League.
Football rules require players to wear various pieces of protective gear. Those essential pieces are helmets and pads, and some players may opt to wear additional gear. A player may be ejected for violating a rule. The following are the most common penalties: failing to start a new play, a blocking foul, an illegal move, and offsides.
Football’s popularity has continued to grow. It was first played at the London Olympics in 1908 and since then, it has been played at every Summer Games. The international body FIFA grew steadily over the twentieth century and regulated competition. Guinea became the 100th member of FIFA in 1961 and more than two hundred countries are FIFA members in the twenty-first century.
While the origins of football games are not entirely certain, it is clear that the game began in England and western Europe. In the United States, the sport is known as American football. In Canada, the game is also known as gridiron football. In Australia, gridiron football is played on a field. Smaller high schools also play nine-man football.
The game of football involves a lot of strategy. Each team has a playbook that includes dozens or hundreds of different plays. Each play should be strategically sound. Some plays are safe, while others can lead to long gains or costly losses of yardage. Others can result in a turnover. The game of football is similar to chess.
The goal of a game of football is to score more points than the opposing team. In the United States, the game is played by men and boys, but in recent years, some amateur and semi-professional women’s leagues have emerged.