Football

A football game refers to a group of team sports where players try to kick a ball into a goal to score points. The most popular type of football sports in different countries can have different names, such as soccer or gridiron football. 

In addition, there were also other types of football sports. There are:

• Australian football
• Rugby union
• Rugby league
• American football
• Gaelic football

All these types of football share a common origin and are known as “football codes”.

It is the most popular and famous ball game in the world. Football plays by many people and is watched by many fans. It so is simple to play and can be enjoyed in many places, like fields, gyms, streets, and parks. 

The governing body of football, FIFA, estimated that around 2000, there were 250 million football players and over 1.3 billion people interested in the sport. In 2010, over 26 billion people watched the World Cup, the biggest football sports tournament every four years.

What is Football?

Football is also known as soccer. It is a popular team sport where 11 players participate from each team. In a football game, they use a spherical ball. The game aims to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team’s goal.  Whereas also preventing the other team from scoring. 

Players use their feet, legs, torso, and head to control and also move the ball around the field. It is played on a rectangular field. And also there is a goalpost at each end. It is the world’s most popular and widely played game. It has millions of fans and players around the world. 

The game is typically played in two 45-minute halves, with a 15-minute halftime break. However, the actual duration of the game can vary depending on the competition and the level of play. In addition to regular time, it matches can also go into extra time or a penalty shootout to determine the winner if the game ends in a tie.

It is governed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and has several professional leagues and international competitions. Overall, football sport is a highly competitive and exciting sport that requires skill, teamwork, and strategy.

Common Elements of Football

Different types of football games have some similarities. They can be grouped into two main classes: 

• carrying codes 
• kicking codes 

In carrying codes like American football, Canadian football, rugby union, Australian football, and rugby league, the ball is carried in the hands or thrown. 

The ball is moved with the feet in kicking codes like Association football and Gaelic football. In football games, players cannot touch the ball with their hands except for certain players in specific areas.

Most sports have some standard rules, which include:

• Two teams with a certain number of players, usually between 11 and 18 players per team. In some variations, there may be fewer players per team, but typically, there are at least five players.
• A specific area is defined for the game to take place.
• The game’s objective is to score points or goals by moving the ball to the opposing team’s end of the field. This can be done by placing the ball into a designated goal area or by getting the ball over a specific line.
• Points or goals are earned by players when they put the ball between two goalposts that are designated for scoring.
• The opposing team is responsible for defending their goal or line, preventing the other team from scoring.
• Players must use only their bodies to move the ball around, without the help of additional equipment such as bats or sticks.

Early History of Football

Ball games have been played for thousands of years in different parts of the world. The rules of modern football were developed in the 19th century at English public schools, where they codified traditional games. 

The spread of the British Empire helped to popularize these rules outside of England. So now, let’s learn the early history of football:

Ancient Games

However, the football game has a long history that dates back to ancient times. The game of harpastum was played by the Romans, while La soule was played in Northern France. These games had simple and early rules but already included elements that would later become part of rugby, such as passing the ball and scrums. Let’s see from across the world:

Ancient China

The Chinese game of cuju, which was played during the Han and Qin dynasties around 2000 years ago, is similar to modern football. It is described in a military manual from that time. The Japanese version of cuju is called kemari. It was developed during the Asuka period around 600 AD. In Kemari, various people stand in a circle and try to keep a ball in the air by kicking it to each other without letting it drop to the ground. 

Ancient Greece and Rome

The ancient Greeks and Romans played many ball games, some of which involved using their feet. For example, the Roman game of harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a Greek game called “Episkyros” or “chaining.” These games were similar to rugby. 

A Roman politician named Cicero tells a story about a man who was killed by a ball while getting a shave in a barber shop. The ball used in these games was already filled with air, and they are considered early forms of football by FIFA.

Native Americans

People around the world have played ball games for a long time. For example, in the 16th century, English explorer John Davis played football with the Inuit people in Greenland. In North America, Native Americans played a game called Pahsaheman and Pasuckuakohowog, which is similar to modern association football. 

However, there were also ball games played with rubber balls in Mesoamerica that were more like basketball or volleyball. The Iroquois Confederation played a ball game called lacrosse which used net racquets, but it is not usually classified as a form of football.

Oceania

In Australia, many indigenous leagues played games where they kicked and caught stuffed balls, known as Marn Grook. This game may have been one of the origins of Australian football rules. 

Football has a long and diverse history, with several forms of the game being played by different cultures around the world. One such game is Ki-o-rahi played by Māori in New Zealand. However, modern football codes, including soccer, seem to have originated in Western Europe, particularly England.

Medieval and Early Modern Football

During the Middle Ages, annual Shrovetide football matches became popular throughout Europe, especially in England. Boys playing ball in Britain was first mentioned in the 9th century Historia Brittonum. 

In northern France, a game called La Soule or Choule was played in the 12th century, which involved propelling the ball with hands, feet, and sticks. Early forms of football sport played in England were known as “mob football,” which involved an unlimited number of players from different towns or villages struggling to move an item. The game was played primarily during religious festivals like Shrovetide, Christmas, or Easter.

People played a game similar to football in England and Ireland as early as the 1200s. In 1314, London Mayor the Lord Mayor banned the game because it caused too much noise. Also, in 1363, King Edward III also banned football sport, along with other games like handball and hockey. 

In Scotland, football was banned in 1424, and the law stayed in place until 1906. However, the earliest reference to the word “football” comes from a proclamation by King Henry IV in 1409. This football game was played with a ball that was kicked along the ground.

In addition, people were allowed to use their hands. In the late 1400s, a chronicler described a game played in Nottinghamshire, which was the first known account of a “kicking game” with dribbling.

Florentine Football

In the 16th century, Italy had a special game called “calcio storico”. It was played between Epiphany and Lent. The young rich people of the city would dress up in fancy clothes and play a violent version of football. They could hit, push and kick each other and even hit below the waist. It was thought to have started as a way to train soldiers. 

Count Giovanni de’ Bardi di Vernio put down certain regulations for the game in 1580, which is regarded as one of the first codes of rules for any football game. The game was discontinued in 1739 but was resurrected in May 1930.

Official Disapproval and Attempts to Ban Football

It has faced many attempts to ban it over the years. The first law against football was passed in England in 1314, and many more followed in England alone until 1667. In 1921, women were banned from playing football sport in England and Scotland. It took until the 1970s for that ban to be lifted. Some women footballers still face similar problems in some parts of the world.

American football also faced pressure to ban the sport in the 19th century due to its resemblance to a violent medieval game called mob football. As a result, several municipalities banned the sport’s play. And also, by the 20th century, the game had evolved into a more rugby-like sport.

In 1905, American football was going to ban in the US due to its violence. A meeting was hosted by American President Theodore Roosevelt that year, which led to significant rule changes and caused the sport to become more like it is played today.

Establish of Modern Code

The rules for modern football sport were created in the mid to late 1800s, as were the rules for other sports like lawn bowls and tennis. This was made possible by the invention of the lawnmower in 1830, which allowed for the creation of proper playing fields.

The codes developed at public schools were mostly only played at those schools, but some are still played there today. Day by day football established its modern code from country to country. Let’s see the modern code of football games:

English Public Schools

Football sport continued to be played in Britain in various forms. But the public schools played a key role in creating modern football codes. They helped turn the game into an organized team sport. Many early descriptions and references came from people who had studied at these schools. In addition, teachers, students, and former students from these schools were the first to create rules for the game, allowing matches to be played between schools. 

The division between “kicking” and “running” games also originated from these schools. The earliest evidence of games resembling football being played at English public schools comes from a Latin textbook by William Herman in 1519., He had been headmaster at Eton and Winchester College.

In addition, football was introduced to public schools in England as a way to encourage competition and fitness among students. Each school made its own rules, which were different from each other and changed with each new group of students. 

Some schools allowed carrying the ball, while others emphasized kicking and dribbling. The reasons for these differences had to do with the size of the playing areas at each school. Schools with limited space couldn’t allow rough-and-tumble running games.

Modern Balls

In the past, footballs were made by inflating animal bladders, mostly pig’s bladders. Later, leather coverings were added to keep their shape. But in 1851, two shoemakers from Rugby, Richard Lindon, and William Gilbert, showed round and oval-shaped balls at an exhibition in London. 

Richard Lindon won medals for inventing the “Rubber inflatable Bladder” and the “Brass Hand Pump.”In 1855, an American inventor named Charles Goodyear exhibited a spherical football made of vulcanized rubber at an exhibition in Paris. It became popular for early forms of football in the U.S. The ball with hexagons and pentagons pattern became famous in the 1960s and was first used in the World Cup in 1970.

Rugby Football

Rugby started in Rugby School, England, around 1845. But forms of football sport where the ball was carried and tossed date back to medieval times. By 1870, there were 49 clubs playing variations of the Rugby school game in Britain and other countries like Ireland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. 

However, it was not until 1871 that 21 London clubs formed the Rugby Football Union (RFU). So there was no widely accepted rule allowing passing the ball until official rules were adopted. This led to the first international match between England and Scotland in 1871. 

Over time, rugby split into different codes like Rugby union, Rugby league, American football, and Canadian football. Tom Wills, who played Rugby in England, founded Australian Rules football.

Cambridge Rules

In the 1800s, students from different public schools wanted to play football with each other but each school had their own rules. So, the University of Cambridge made some rules for everyone to follow. These rules are called the Cambridge Rules. They were important because the rules influenced the Football Association to ban carrying the ball like in Rugby.

Sheffield Rules

In the late 1850s, many clubs were formed around the world. Sheffield Football Club is recognized as the oldest club playing association football. They initially played their code of football called the Sheffield Rules, which was different from the public school rules. 

The Sheffield Rules introduced several new features such as free kicks, corner kicks, handball, throw-ins, and the crossbar. Later it became part of association football. By the 1870s, the Sheffield Rules became popular in the north and midlands of England. 

Over time, the rules of both the London and Sheffield football associations became similar, and a common code was adopted in 1877.

Australian Rules Football

Football games were played in various parts of Australia in the 19th century. Australian Rules of Football sport organized the game in Melbourne in 1858. Other Victorian clubs adopted the Melbourne football sports rules. These rules were updated at various times. At this time in the 1860s to accommodate the rules of other influential Victorian football clubs.

The football game quickly became known as “Victorian Rules,” with players bouncing the ball while running and performing amazing high marking. This game swiftly spread to other Australian colonies and had a period of decline during World War I, but it has since increased in popularity across Australia and other areas of the world. In addition, the Australian Football League established itself as the main professional league.

The Football Association

In the early 1860s, there were attempts to unify public school games, and a revised version of the Cambridge Rules was drawn up. Then, on 26 October 1863, representatives from football sports clubs in the London Metropolitan area held the inaugural meeting of the Football Association (FA) to establish a unifying code and regulate the game. 

However, six meetings were conducted, and on December 8, the FA issued the “Laws of the Game,” the first full set of regulations for the game that would eventually be known as Association Football. Furthermore, the earliest FA regulations included aspects that are no longer seen in association football but may be found in other sports such as Australian football and rugby.

North American Football Codes

Football originated in England, with different versions emerging as early as the 14th century. By the 19th century, North American schools and universities had developed local games, including Old Division football and the Boston game. Unfortunately, these violent games caused widespread protests, leading to the banning of all forms of football at Yale and Harvard.

However, kicking and running games evolved, and a hybrid version known as the Oneida Football Club played the Boston game. The first documented football match in Canada was a practice game played in 1861. American intercollegiate football began in 1869 with a match between Rutgers and Princeton. 

North American football grew out of a match between McGill and Harvard in 1874. Yale’s Walter Camp made major innovations in 1880, including the line of scrimmage and the down-and-distance rule. In addition, US President Theodore Roosevelt held a meeting with football representatives in 1905. 

They called for drastic changes, leading to the introduction of the legal forward pass in 1906. As a result, Canada absorbed some of the developments in American football, but the two codes remain different.

Gaelic Football

In the mid-19th century, traditional football games collectively called caid were popular in Ireland, with two main forms: the “field game” and the “cross-country game.” However, rugby and association football began to gain popularity in Ireland in the 1870s, leading to a decline in traditional card games. 

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded in 1884 to promote traditional Irish sports, including hurling, and reject imported games such as rugby and association football. The GAA drew up the first rules for Gaelic football in 1887. Which drew on hurling’s influence and aimed to create a distinctly Irish football code by eliminating the offside rule.

Schism in Rugby Football

In the late 1800s, there were tensions in rugby football about whether or not players should be allowed to be paid. Also, in England, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) banned professional players, which caused issues for working-class players who couldn’t afford to take time off work to play rugby. 

As a result, northern clubs formed the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU) in 1895, which eventually allowed players to be paid but required them to have a job outside of rugby. The NRFU eventually merged with the Lancashire and Yorkshire competitions in 1901 to form the Northern Rugby League, which officially used the name rugby league. Rugby played by clubs that remained members of national federations affiliated with the IRFB became known as rugby union over time.

Globalization of Association Football

As it became more popular around the world, people realized there needed to be one organization in charge of it. The English Football Association tried to create one, but nothing happened. So, seven other European countries got together and formed FIFA in 1904. Football’s first president was Robert Guérin, and it’s still called FIFA today.

Use of the World “Football”

“Football” can mean different games in different parts of the world. In some countries, it refers to association football, while in others, it refers to games like rugby or American football. In some places, the word “football” is used without any extra words to describe which round is being talked about. So it depends on where you are and what “football” means.

Moreover, most English-speaking countries use the word “football” to describe their dominant code. For example, in the United Kingdom, it is association football. At the same time, it is American and Canadian football in United States and Canada, respectively. 

In New Zealand, the word “football” refers to rugby. But now it usually refers to association football. In Australia, “football” can mean either Australian rules rugby league, depending on which is more prevalent in the area.

Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, most use “Football” in their official names. However, the Canadian and United States affiliates use “Soccer.” In addition, some FIFA affiliates have recently changed their names to use “Football,” like Australia’s association football governing body and Samoa’s football federation.

Football Code Board

The Football Code is a scientific approach that aims to remove the unpredictable elements of chance from matches. Doing so provides a clearer understanding of what is happening on the field. So, it can help managers make better player signings, and pundits offer more accurate judgments about matches.

Football Equipment

It is a sport where you need to do a lot of running and physical contact. Therefore, players wear specific equipment to protect themselves and enhance their performance on the field to play the game. Here is a breakdown of the essential football equipment:

Cleat Shoes

These shoes are made exclusively for playing football. They have spikes or studs on the bottom of the shoe to improve traction and grip on the field.

Socks 

Football socks are typically composed of a sturdy material that can endure wear and tear. They are long enough to cover the shin protection and keep them from falling down throughout the game.

Shin Protectors

These are worn to protect the lower legs from accidental kicks or collisions during the game. It is made of a hard plastic shell and is often covered with foam padding for added protection.

Headgear

While not mandatory, some players choose to wear headgear to protect their heads from collisions during the game. Headgear can be made of soft foam or hard plastic and can cover the entire head or just the forehead.

Football Tournaments

Without a doubt, the World Cup is a big and famous Football tournament organized by FIFA. It happens every four years, and around 190 to 200 national teams try to qualify. In the final, 32 teams from different countries played against each other for over four weeks to win the championship.

Tournaments

After the World Cup, the most famous tournaments are the continental championships organized by each continent’s confederation. They are −

• European Championship (UEFA)
• The Copa America (CONMEBOL)
• African Cup of Nations (CAF)
• The Asian Cup (AFC)
• The CONCACAF Gold Cup
• The OFC Nations Cup (OFC)

However, there are many champions league tournaments conducted between Football clubs. Now, here are the 10 most famous Football clubs among them are:

Conclusion

In conclusion, football is a popular sport played around the world. It involves 2 teams of 11 players each and they try to score goals by kicking the ball into the opponent’s net. Various organizations govern the football sport, the most notable being FIFA. 

In addition, it has a rich history and cultural significance in many countries. It was played at both amateur and professional levels, with various tournaments and competitions organized at national and international levels.

Moreover, a football game is a sport that requires skill, teamwork, and physical fitness, making it a favorite among players and fans alike.

Football FAQs

So, do you need a quick and simple answer to a football game? Well, you can ask us through the comment. Still, I’m listing here some common questions that you may need to know: