Association football, also commonly called just football, is a football-themed group game played by a spherical ball containing eleven players. It is played regularly by more than 250 million players across 200 nations and dependencies, making it the most popular sport in the world. It has a long history, going back at least to the fifteenth century, and continues to be the most popular sport in many nations. It has gained popularity in North America, where it is primarily played by men, although some women have been known to play it. In America alone, there are about six major soccer clubs, with thousands of other teams in little leagues.
Football is normally played on a rectangular field with two teams each side consisting of eleven players, which are split into three fields of ten players each. The game is played on special football equipment called football gear. A typical game would have two fifteen-minute halves, although some games may go for extra minutes.
Since football is an open-air game, it is known as “football”, while the game of rugby is an indoor game played behind a goal with the ball kept in an upright ball in a special rugby ball bag. Thus the names of both games generally describe the activities related to the ball, with rugby referring to the ball and football referring to the players who participate in the game. In England, rugby is known as “rugby” while football is known as “fball”. Thus the English refer to the game as “football”, while the American call it “rugby”, thus making the difference of only one letter in the English word “football” (RU) to the difference of one to two letters in the American word “fball”.
There are many different variations of football, including “gridiron” football that features a field divided into three sections with goal posts in between. The football in this game is basically rectangular with six to eight legs, but many differ depending on the country where the game originated. Most football in America is either played indoor with goal posts on the field, or on an outdoor field similar to a baseball diamond. However, other countries have their own unique styles, like the “volleyball” which is played with two-foot goals using a net.
Another type of football in America is the American football which was brought to America by immigrants from Ireland and Germany who played on the streets. Unlike the Irish and German immigrants, most Americans are not of Irish or German descent, and the football that they play is quite different than either of those two nations’ football. In this form of football, there is no goal post, and players hit the ball “out of the goal” instead of attempting to hit the ball into the goal. This style of play has made many professional and college teams from the USA.
The National Football League is another popular form of football in America. Unlike soccer and the Australian rugby league, the NFL has a single season and four divisions. Each division consists of ten teams, and the teams compete for playoff spots. Unlike soccer and the Australian rugby league football in the NFL is played on an open field with grass instead of dirt. The Super Bowl is also played in a different stadium than the NFL’s usual venues.