Football is the world’s most popular sport. It is also called Association football or soccer. In this game basically two teams consisting of 11 players each play against each other and just like every other game, whoever team scores the most points wins. There are several games that are played with a ball but football is different from all of them as you can hit the ball with any of your body parts except hands and arms. Goalkeeper is the only person who is allowed to handle the ball and can do the same within the penalty area. The rules and required equipment of football are so simple that it can be played anywhere from a very small school playground, park, field to official football grounds.
It has gained a huge amount of popularity on international level over the years. Any kind of organization of football competition on an international level is governed by the Federation international de Football Association (FIFA). The football’s governing body FIFA organizes the FIFA World Cup every four years where National teams compete against each other and do everything to prove themselves the best team. Football is not just the most popular sport in the world but also viewed by plenty of people around the world. Over 26 billion people watch the football premier tournament and World Cup finals every single time.
Game of Football
Football is played with a ball that’s circumference should be 68 to 70 cm and covered by leather. It weighs 410-450 grams that is 14.5-16 ounces. The time limit of a game is usually 90 minutes which is played into two halves. The halftime interval lasts 15 minutes. If the score of both teams coincide, the result is a draw. But one team must get victory for which extra time is given to be played by teams to select the winner.
The Referee
The referee is an individual who supervises the fair and justiciable game and doesn’t let anyone cheat. He also acts as a timekeeper. In older Times the captains of both teams were appointed to act as referee. Nowadays, cameras are also fixed in stadiums to help the referee keep track of red cards and penalties. The recordings can be replayed to catch the cheaters and penalize them.
Penalty Area
If you are a fan of football you must be aware of the penalty area in football. This is a rectangular area in front of the goal which is 44 yards (40.2 metres) and extends 18 yards (16.5 metres) into the field. The size of the area for women, children and older players is usually small.
Uniform
The criteria of uniform did not exist in earlier times as the standardization of rules and uniform was not taken into account. Along with the rules that were unified to be followed by everyone who plays football, Uniform was also set. Opposite teams wear distinguishable uniforms. Players wear jerseys with numbers, shorts and socks that distinguish them from opposing teams. Goalkeepers have to look distinguishable from all the team members and game officials.
History of Football
The game of football you watch today was never established this way. It went through a lot of changes over the centuries to reach this stage. According to some sources football originated in China and was called by some other name. And that time it used to be played in villages and towns as per local rules and customs. The introduction of the ball game was further divided into several other games with different rules and regulations. Basketball, volleyball and football also developed as a result of modification in these local ball games.
When it was first introduced in China the ball was made out of a rock. Gradually if you countries made balls of rubber which was a rare element at that time and could not be found easily anywhere. Only certain countries had it and they took its advantage. As the game went through changes, the rules and regulations began to differ and they developed into new forms of games. You also must have heard people saying that football is a violent and fierce game but it is nothing as compared to what it was like then.
Football actually gained a separate and standardized form when it reached the one of the beaches of England. England became the first country to introduce football as an official game. Since then it started gaining popularity. But still it was played in different manners with their own developed rules, from school to school. Each school had its own rules.
It was only in 1843 when the first attempt was made to standardize the rules of football at the University of Cambridge. In 1848 a meeting was attended by incharges of various football clubs and some rules were adapted called Cambridge Rules. But some countries refused to accept this decision and went on playing their own way. It also resulted in distinct forms of sport such as American and Australian football. Even though some soccer rules were unified, it wasn’t implemented completely till 1963. Before 1963, some countries still played football by hand.
Even after 1963 and the introduction of offside rules, the sport looked much different from what it is today. The changes kept occurring and the sport kept modifying every day. The biggest role in professionalism in football was played by urbanization and Industrialization. Though they left people with a small amount of leisure time and busy lifestyle, it helped the game to gain a professional form and become less fierce and violent.
