Association football, also known as football Association, is an organized team sport traditionally played between two competing teams of eleven players each. It’s played throughout the world by about 250 million players in more than 200 countries and dependencies. The game was created by the French football player syndicates Medellin & Viaducto in 1902 and since then it has gained tremendous popularity and recognition. It’s main governing body is FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations) and its games are played across different countries and continents. As of this writing, it has been played or held in every continent except Asia and Oceania.
The game has various levels of rules that differ from one country to another. The rules of football governing bodies are not similar from country to country and even internationally so because of differences in culture and time zones. A football match is normally either played for three points (away wins) or for seven points (home wins). The different codes of football differ on the number of games played within a season (regular season) and how those matches are structured (qualifying rounds, etc). It is also important to note that since different leagues play different conferences, there are different rules for the leagues as well.
Currently there are three different codes of football in the United States, the National Football League (NFL) in America, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) and the United States Soccer Federation (USL). The NFL is the governing body for professional football in America while the APFA is the governing body for the amateur National Football League. There is currently a fourth international league, the European Football Association (UEFA) that is not recognized by the United States but is comparable to the NFL in terms of financial and competitive support. The English league is the only major league in the United States that uses a points system to determine results of matches. The average points awarded to teams per game is now set at 0.5. The tournaments and championships currently in the US include the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer, the NCAA Women’s Soccer, and the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championship.
Due to the popularity and the need for a viable spectator sport, there are now weekly televised broadcasts of the NFL, including the NFL Sunday Ticket, which allows fans to follow their favorite teams and players throughout the season. The game can be viewed on cable and satellite television with many different packages including access to live games and on demand. In addition, there are also many independent football leagues that provide a unique and entertaining wayback machine for fans to watch the games.
International soccer tournaments have been held regularly for the last decade and are now the second most popular sport in the world, surpassed only by football. Two teams from Australia, the Western Australian Kangaroos, and Northern Territory Maroons, earn the right to represent the WNFA in the FIFA World Cup. Unlike the NFL, rugby union football does not currently participate in a league format; however, many clubs have made the step to play in the leagues and have become very successful, like the Western Australian Bulldogs who currently stand at the top of the A League ladder.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA, has been playing a part in the football world with conferences and annual championship games. The NCAA does not regulate the football sport itself but does provide guidelines for how conferences and teams must be operated. Many of these guidelines have been taken directly from football and adapted for use in the association football league. The NCAA is in the middle of trying to develop a fully accepted and standardized athletic program as well.