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Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sports. The most popular of these world-wide is association football (also known as soccer). The English word "football" is also applied to American football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby football (rugby union and rugby league), and related games. All of these codes (specific sets of rules) are referred to as "football" by their followers.

These games involve:

• a spherical or prolate spheroid ball, which is itself called a football.
• a team scoring goals and/or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line.
• the goal and/or line being defended by the opposing team.
• the ball being moved mostly by kicking, carrying and/or passing by hand, depending on the code.
• goals and/or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts.
• in some codes, points being mostly scored by players taking the ball across the line.
• players scoring a goal, in most codes, being required to put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts.
• players in some codes receiving a free kick after they take a mark/make a fair catch.
• players being required to use their feet (and possibly other specific parts of their bodies) to move the ball and/or score, depending on the code.
• the winning team being the one that has the most points or goals, when a specified length of time has elapsed.

Many of the modern games have their origins in England, but many peoples around the world have played games which involved kicking and/or carrying a ball since ancient times.

Etymology

While it is widely believed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, there is a rival explanation, which has it that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports often played by aristocrats. While there is no conclusive evidence for this explanation, the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball.

History

Early history

THE MAN HOO DISCOVERED FOOTBALL WAS COMPLETELY GAY AND FAT AND LIVED WITH HIS MOM ONE DAY ANOTHER GAY FATASS MET THE MAN AND THE FUCKED FOR 3 DAYS STRIGHT THEN THEY SAID I THOUGH OF AN IDEA AND THE 2 GAY GUYS MADE THE SPORT FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Football today

Use of the word "football" in English-speaking countries

The word "football", when used in reference to a specific game can mean any one of those described above. Because of this, much friendly controversy has occurred over the term football, primarily because it is used in different ways in different parts of the English-speaking world. Most often, the word "football" is used to refer to the code of football that is considered dominant within a particular region.

In most English-speaking countries, the word "football" usually refers to Association football, also known as "soccer" (the name was originally a slang abbreviation of Association). Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, only three (Canada, Samoa and the United States) use "soccer" in their name, while the rest use football (although the Samoan Federation actually uses both). However, in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, use of the word "football" by soccer bodies is a recent change (or a reversion to a long-abandoned name) and has been controversial.

The different codes are listed below and are described more fully in their own articles.

Present day codes and "families" of football

Association football (soccer) and games descended from it

• Association football, also known as football, soccer, footy and footie.
• Indoor/basketball court varieties of Association football:
  • Five-a-side football – played throughout the world under various rules including:
    • Futsal – the FIFA-approved five-a-side indoor game.
    • Minivoetbal – the five-a-side indoor game played in East and West Flanders where it is hugely popular.
    • Papi fut — the five-a-side game played in outdoor basketball courts (built with goals) in Central America.
  • Indoor soccer – the six-a-side indoor game as played in North America.
• Paralympic football – modified association football for athletes with a disability. Includes:
  • Football 5-a-side - for visually impaired athletes
  • Football 7-a-side - for athletes with cerebral palsy
  • Electric wheelchair soccer
• Beach soccer – football played on sand, also known as sand soccer.
• Footvolley – football & beach volleyball combination played on sand, played by many famous footballers (Brazilian greats) around the world
• Street football – encompasses a number of informal varieties of football.
• Bossaball — mixes football with volleyball and gymnastics on inflatables and trampolines.
• Rush goalie – is a variation of football in which the role of the goalkeeper is more flexible than normal.
• Headers and volleys – where the aim is to score goals against a goalkeeper using only headers and volleys.
• Fouling football – all tackles except the use of weapons and (usually) kicks to the groin are allowed, teams can be of sizes upwards of 5 but usually less than 15, injuries are par for the course.

Rugby school football and games descended from it

• Rugby football
  • Rugby league – usually known simply as "football" or "footy" in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland, and by some followers of the game in England. Also often referred to simply as "league".
    • Rugby league nines (or sevens)
    • Touch football (rugby league) – a non-contact version of rugby league. In South Africa it is known as six down.
    • Oz Tag - a non-contact version of rugby league, in which a velcro tag is removed to indicate a tackle.
  • Rugby union
    • Rugby sevens
    • Tag rugby – a form of rugby union using the velcro tag
  • Beach rugby - rugby played on sand
  • Touch rugby – generic name for forms of rugby football which does not feature tackles.
• American football – called "football" in the United States and Canada, and "gridiron" in Australia and New Zealand.
  • Arena football – an indoor version of American football.
  • Touch football (American) – non-tackle American football.
    • Flag football – non-tackle American football, like touch football, in which a flag that is held by velcro on a belt tied around the waist is pulled by defenders to indicate a tackle.
• Canadian football – called simply "football" in Canada; "football" in Canada can mean either Canadian or American football depending on context.
  • Canadian flag football – non-tackle Canadian football.

Irish and Australian varieties of football

These codes are all united by the absence of an offside rule, the requirement to bounce or solo (toe-kick) the ball while running, handpassing by punching the ball rather than throwing it, and other traditions.

• Australian rules football – officially known as "Australian football", and informally as "Aussie rules" or "footy". In some areas (erroneously) referred to as "AFL", which is the name of the main organising body and competition.
  • Auskick – a version of Australian rules designed by the AFL for young children.
  • Metro footy (or Metro rules footy) – a modified version invented by the USAFL, for use on gridiron fields in North American cities (which often lack grounds large enough for conventional Australian rules matches).
  • 9-a-side footy – a more open, running variety of Australian rules, requiring 18 players in total and a proportionally smaller playing area. (Includes contact and non-contact varieties.)
  • Rec footy – "Recreational Football", a modified non-contact touch variation of Australian rules, created by the AFL, which replaces tackles with tags.
  • Touch Aussie Rules - a non-contact variation of Australian Rules played only in the United Kingdom
  • Samoa rules – localised version adapted to Samoan conditions, such as the use of rugby football fields.
  • Masters Australian football (a.k.a. Superules) – reduced contact version introduced for competitions limited to players over 30 years of age.
  • Women's Australian rules football – played with a smaller ball and (sometimes) reduced contact version introduced for women's competition.
• Gaelic football – Played predominantly in Ireland. Sometimes referred to as "football" or "gaah" (from the acronym for Gaelic Athletic Association).
  • Ladies Gaelic football
• International rules football – a compromise code used for games between Gaelic and Australian Rules players.

Surviving Mediæval ball games

British Shrove Tuesday games

• • Alnwick in Northumberland
  • Ashbourne in Derbyshire (known as Royal Shrovetide Football)
  • Atherstone in Warwickshire
  • Corfe Castle in Dorset – The Shrove Tuesday Football Ceremony of the Purbeck Marblers.
  • Haxey in Lincolnshire (the Haxey Hood, actually played on Epiphany)
  • Hurling the Silver Ball takes place at St Columb Major in Cornwall
  • Sedgefield in County Durham
  • In Scotland the Ba game ("Ball Game") is still popular around Christmas and Hogmanay at:
    • Duns, Berwickshire
    • Scone, Perthshire
    • Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands

Outside the UK

• Calcio Fiorentino – a modern revival of Renaissance football from 16th century Florence.

Surviving public school games

• Eton field game
• Eton wall game
• Harrow football
• Winchester College football

Recent inventions and hybrid games

• Based on Mediæval football:
  • Murder Ball
• Based on FA rules:
  • Cubbies
  • Three sided football
  • Triskelion
• Keepie uppie – is the art of juggling with a football using feet, knees, chest, shoulders, and head.
  • Footbag – is a small bean bag or sand bag used as a ball in a number of keepie uppie variations, including hacky sack (which is a trade mark).
• Freestyle football – a modern take on keepie uppie where freestylers are graded for their entertainment value and expression of skill.
• Based on Rugby:
  • Scuffleball
  • Force ’em backs
• Hybrid games
  • Speedball (American) – a combination of American football, soccer, and basketball, devised by Elmer D. Mitchell at the University of Michigan in 1912.
  • Wheelchair Rugby – previously known as Murderball. Invented in Canada in 1977 and initially derived from ice hockey and basketball rather than rugby football.
    • Wheelchair power tag rugby
    • Wheelchair rugby league
  • Austus – a compromise between Australian rules and American football, invented in Melbourne during World War II.
  • Universal football – A hybrid of Australian rules and rugby league, trialled at the Sydney Showground in 1933.

Tabletop games and other recreations

• Based on association football (soccer):
  • Subbuteo
  • Blow football
  • Table football – also known as foosball, table soccer, babyfoot, bar football or gettone)
  • Fantasy football (soccer)
  • Button football – also known as Futebol de Mesa, Jogo de Botões
• Based on rugby:
  • Paper football
• Based on American football:
  • Blood Bowl
  • Fantasy football (American)
  • Madden NFL
  • NFL
• Based on Australian football:
  • List of Australian rules football computer games
    • AFL Premiership 2005
  • AFL Dream Team

Notes

1. Professional Football Researchers Association Origins of Football
2. Sean Fagan, Breaking The Codes, RL1908.com, 2006

References

• Mandelbaum, Michael (2004); The Meaning of Sports; Public Affairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1
• Green, Geoffrey (1953); The History of the Football Association; Naldrett Press, London
• Williams, Graham (1994); The Code War; Yore Publications, ISBN 1-874427-65-8

See also

• Players who have converted from one football code to another
• Kick-to-kick

External links

• Wilfried Gerhardt, "The colourful history of a fascinating game" (from the FIFA website)

• Football
• Ball games