Football began as a sport for the working class in Britain, where as many as 30,000 people would watch a big game. As people from Britain migrated abroad, the game spread and soon India and South America developed large fan bases. Today, football is played in over 230 countries and has a global following. Here are some basics you should know about the game.
Rules of the game
Football is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players. The main objective of the game is to score goals. The players may use any part of their body except their hands and arms, although only the goalkeeper may use his hands to handle the ball within the penalty area.
Players’ positions on the field
Football players are divided into different positions according to their roles and responsibilities. Each position has its own unique skill sets and physical attributes. In addition to playing defensive and offensive roles, some players also take up special teams roles. These players help the team by scoring field goals and tacking on extra points after touchdowns. Kickoffs are also performed by this unit.
Goals scored
Goals scored in football are random events, and the results are often unpredictable. Researchers at the German Sport University in Cologne have been studying these events for several years, starting with the 2012/13 season. They have found that chances play a big role in the outcome of football games. A single random goal can make or break the match.
Goalkeepers
A goalkeeper’s job is to prevent goals from being scored by other players. They must be 100% focused and have a very small margin of error. Fortunately, there are a number of ways goalkeepers can improve their game.
Offside law
The Offside Law in football prevents a player from being on the ball when they are not in the correct position. This means there must be at least two players between an attacking player and the opposition’s goal. One of these players is usually the goalkeeper. This is because the goalkeeper is the furthest back during play and can run up to the penalty area to intercept an attacking corner kick.
International competitions in football
There are many international competitions in football around the world. The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest tournaments in football, featuring over one hundred countries and their best national teams. There are qualifying tournaments that precede the World Cup, and the winners advance to the main event, held every four years.
Origins of the game
Although football today has many modern variations, its roots go back to the second and third centuries BC. The first recorded game of football was probably a Chinese version called cuju, which means kick-ball in Chinese. The game involved players kicking a leather ball filled with feathers or fur through a small opening in bamboo sticks and into a net fixed to the ends of the pitch.
