Association football, also known as just soccer or football, is a competitive team game played between two teams of eleven players each. It is played professionally by more than 250 million people in more than 200 nations and dependencies, making it by far the world’s most common sport. The most well-known teams in the world are: Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, West Bromwich Albion, Wolves, Rangers, Benfica Lisbon, Fiorentina, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Watford, Celtic, Wolves, Stoke City, Arsenal, Ferencfen and Watford. Some lower league teams play in the top division ( League Two) of English football. All these teams have a different way of playing the game and have a number of different nationalities represented among their players.
A basic football rules are that the ball cannot be touched by an object other than the foot. It travels at a speed of roughly 7 mph, so fast that even the athletes on the field must be able to keep up. Touching the ball requires either the hand or the fingertips. The ball is subject to fouls call by the referee, which are mainly flags for unnecessary contact. For example, a kick off against the ball by an outfield player would constitute a foul.
The object of the sport is simple: There is only one goal, and that is to take the ball into the end zone. The object is to score points, which are measured by the amount of touches by the players on the ball. The sport is usually played in indoor fields; however, it has been played on water and even in open water, but the rules for the latter are different and stricter.
Unlike most sports, football is not a season based sport. It can be played any time of the day or night, and that includes during the daylight. Since it is not a season based sport, more emphasis is placed on a clean and sanitary game environment. This has lead to a number of changes in how football is played. For example, football players are now encouraged to wash their hands before they play the game.
Handball, which is a variation of the traditional sport, has gained popularity among football players. Though contact is made using the feet, handball involves a ball that must be passed with the bare hands. Each team has three members; each player performs various duties according to the position he or she is playing. Thus, a wide variety of strategies are employed by the team during each half.
Though it is the fastest growing sport in the world, foot ball has a long way to go to gain popularity worldwide. However, the sport has enjoyed a rise in popularity in Europe in recent years, and is poised to take over the U.S. football market in the next few years. So as you can see, there is plenty of reason to get involved with this exciting sport.