Association football, commonly called simply football or footballen, is an organized team sport usually played between two sides of eleven players. It is played in more than 200 countries and dependencies worldwide, making it the most popular sport. The game is predominantly played in a rectangular field with goal posts at both ends of the length of the pitch. The ball is normally thrown from the center of the field towards the goal at the opposing side of the pitch.
Each side has five players: two outfielders, three central defenders, one goalkeeper and eleven players in reserve. The objective of the game is for the team to score more goals than the opposition. When the goal is scored, the opposing team will be given an extra time or ” halftime “in which to play again. If, for any reason, the game is not concluded within two full periods of play, a ” penalty kick “by the referee is taken.
In most professional football leagues, a ” penalty kick “is a penalty, since it is not allowed by the rules to begin the restart of a match after a foul has been committed by a player. Therefore, in order to restart the match, a “penalty kick” is given by the referee. The penalty kick is usually followed by five minutes of added time. A few international soccer leagues have adopted a “red card” system in which players may be booked when they receive a red card, whereas in other leagues, a red card lasts for one match only.
As well as each team having fifteen players, each match is also generally played to an allocated ground without any special markings on the pitch indicating the playing zone (a centre circle containing fifteen horizontal lines). Professional football matches are played in a rectangular shape with the goalposts at the corners. The pitches are usually played in thirds with the central part played by the home side and the adjacent sides being referred to as the “away” side. Unlike during certain seasons when the fixtures are based on a points system, the point-goal systems in modern football mean that each team is rewarded for each goal they score.
Football is a very popular sport in the United Kingdom, with over three hundred clubs registered with the Football Association of England & Wales. There are separate football organizations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England & Scotland, with the English FA being the governing body of professional football in the United Kingdom. Although the English FA does not stage a World Cup or another major international tournament, it is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential sports bodies in the sport, with many of its members holding important executive positions at football clubs in England.
Football is played at different levels in different parts of the United Kingdom. The most common type of football played in the English public schools is “football” or “volleyball”, which involves two teams, the offence and defence, with each team trying to score goals. “English football” is also known as “league football” or “rugby” respectively. Another less common type of football is “water polo” or “water football”. Rugby is played between teams of similar playing ability who wear protective clothing including jerseys and socks made from cotton. Touching ball to ball is difficult for players who use the hands only and requires the help of a pole or other equipment such as thongs.