Soccer: The World Game

Soccer: The World Game

Introduction

Soccer (or also widely known as football) is a team sport that at its core involves kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. Although simple at its premise, it is regarded as the most popular and widely played sport on the planet today, with approx. 250 million players in over 200 countries.

It Is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, played with a spherical ball on a rectangular field, with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball in the opposing net. Football is largely popular due to its simple premise, and its accessibility, as it is relatively easy to set up; almost anywhere, at anytime. It comes in many leagues and variations, and its rules and structure are the basis of many other sports. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the overarching body which governs Association Football, and also organises World Cups for men and women every four years.

History

The Chinese competitive game 'Cuju', literally 'Kickball', is the oldest form of football on record according to FIFA, which involved using the body to kick a ball into a net, in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). Similar variations also took place in ancient Greece and Rome among other countries. The Cambridge Rules in 1848 were a significant development in the introduction of the game, and paved the way for further reiteration of the code, which eventually became unified under the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863. Football sprouted worldwide as a sport, and in 1904 FIFA was founded in Paris. 

Rules

The main rules of Football are as follows.

Players and Referees
- 2 x 11 player teams, which includes one goalkeeper on both teams
- 1 x Referee who governs the match
- 2 x linesman who call offside and assist the main referee in out calls 

The Game 
- 2 x 45min halves
- Usually played on a 100-120m x 45-90m rectangular pitch
- 1 x spherical ball kicked off from centre of pitch

Stoppages
- Kick off: to begin the period of a game, or to continue the game after a goal is scored.
- Throw in: If the ball goes out of bounds, awarded to opposing team
- Corner: If the ball goes out behind the goal line without a goal being scored, awarded to attacking team if the defending team knocks it out
- Goal Kick: awarded to defending team if the attacking team takes it over the goal line without a goal being scored
- Free Kick: awarded by the Referee If bodily misconduct occurs between players
- Penalty: awarded by Referee if a foul takes place within penalty box
- Drop Ball: when the Referee stops the play for any other reason, or there is an injury that stops play

Rules 
- Players can only use there feet, legs, upper chest and head to touch the ball, essentially everywhere but the hands and arm
- Players can use some contact to jockey an opposing player with the ball, however cannot directly tackle to ground 
- The Goalkeeper protects their goal from the ball, and deflects or catches shots
- Misconduct may result in a yellow or red card being awarded by the referee
- Attacking players cannot stay past the last defender's line on the pitch, otherwise they are ruled offside. However, a player can run past the last defender just as the ball has been passed to them. 

Competitions
The main leagues in the world include:
- Bundesliga (Germany)
- Premier League (England)
- La Liga (Spain)
- Serie A (Italy)
- Ligue 1 (France)

Australia also has its own league known as the A-League.

Rankings 
(According to FIFA.com)

1. Brazil
2. Argentina 
3. Germany
4. Chile
5. Colombia 
6. France
7. Belgium 
8. Portugal 
9. Switzerland 
10. Spain

The Future

Football as a sport continues to thrive in a contemporary society, due to its easy-to-play nature and simple premise and set up. The sport continues to evolve in different countries, including Australia's A-League which only continues to grow.

Posted by Jack O'Donoghue