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Football - sports information

Soccer - Football

Football is considered the world's most popular sport. The game of football is a team sport which involves players kicking a ball with their foot and attempting to score a goal. In the UK, the most popular version is known as 'football' or 'soccer' but there are other versions around the world including Australian Rules football, American football and even Gaelic football.

Sports clubs dedicated to playing football began back in the 18th century so the sport has been around for some time. The actual footballs were originally made out of animal bladders which were inflated but towards the end of the 19th Century the US inventor Charles Goodyear invented the first rubber spherical football.

The Football Assocation (the F.A. as it is otherwise known) was set up in 1863 to 'establish a single unifying code and regulate the playing of the game among its members'. In the early 1900s the Fédération Internationale de Football Association or FIFA was established to oversee the international aspects of football. Every four years it organises the FIFA world cup.

A football team is usually 11 players (there are also often five aside teams too). The 11 players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league matches is three.

Football is played on a rectangular field of either grass or artificial turf, with a goal at either end. Each team is led by a captain who is involved in the coin toss before the start of the match and also prior to penalty kicks. A standard football match consists of two periods each of 45 minutes, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15 minute break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.

football player

What do I need to be equipped with to play football?

  • Field / football pitch, astro, indoor pitch
  • Team football players
  • Football
  • Football shirt, shorts, socks
  • Shin guards / shin pads
  • Shinnerz Inner socks
  • Footwear - football boots / football astros / trainers

During normal play, players dribble the ball down the pitch, passing to team mates until there is a shot at goal. The opposing team can try to regain the ball by intercepting a pass or tackling the opposition player in possession of the ball. It is quite a free-flowing game with playing only stopping when the ball has left the field or if the referee stops play because of an infringement.

The team score goals by moving the ball to the opposing team's end of the pitch and scoring into the goal. The goal area has two goalposts and the ball must pass over the line to score a point. The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands - all other players have to use their feet or occasionally their torso or head (although they can use their hands when it is a throw in restart). The team that scores the most goals wins. If at the end of the game the score is tied, then either a draw is declared or the game goes to extra time and/or a penalty shootout.

soccer player

There are no specific player positions but there are normally three categories; strikers or forwards who try and score goals, defenders who try and prevent the opposition from scoring and midfielders who specialise in taking the ball off the opposition and passing the ball to the forwards so they can score. The layout of the team is known as the formation and is normally decided by the team's manager.

Shin pads and football

It is said that around 80 per cent of professional footballers' injuries are to the bottom half of their legs, and given the excellent level of play in local leagues and friendlies up and down the country, the level of injury amongst amateurs is possibly much the same.

However, in recognising this high level of potential injury, it is now mandatory that all football players - professional and amateur alike - must wear shin guards. While professionals can quickly be taken to task during a game for not wearing them, amateurs are sometimes seen removing them after the initial inspection by 'officials' because they are seen as "uncomfortable and a hindrance".

And this is where Shinnerz come in. Those who say shin pads are uncomfortable have no excuse if using Shinnerz. The shin pads handle the protection and safety, while Shinnerz look after the comfort. In fact the comfort gained from wearing Shinnerz soon helps the player forget that they are in fact also wearing shin pads, especially as they help with sweat in the summer and offer thermal protection in the winter!

PROTECTION

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A game of football is officiated by a referee and two assistant referees. Often in high level matches there is also a fourth official to help out. A foul occurs when a player commits an offence according to the Laws of the Game - these include handling the ball, tripping an opponent and may lead to either a direct free kick or penalty kick. The referee may punish a player's misconduct by a caution (yellow card) or a sending off (red card). If a player is given a yellow card, they are said to have been "booked". If a player has been sent off, no substitute can be brought on in their place. The famous offside law often causes confusion - to be in an offside position is to be closer to the opponent's goal than the last opposition outfield player (excluding the goalkeeper) and the ball. To commit an offside offence is to have the ball played forward to you whilst in that position.

The basic equipment for football players include a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards and nowadays an inner sock to prevent rubbing from shin pads. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is different from that worn by the other players and the match officials.

Due to the popularity of the sport, players from the major clubs become famous overnight with names like Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and David Beckham recognised across the world. The best players are paid extraordinary amounts of money but their 'lifespan' at the top is limited with most players retiring in their late twenties/early thirties.