Association football, also called simply football, is an organised team game played between two sides of eleven players each. It is the most popular sport in the world and is played by more than 250 million people in more than 200 countries and alliances. The game has its roots in France, where it was first christened Ligue F Lesbos (Ligue Football of Lesbos). Since the early 20th Century, the game has been adopted and adapted for other countries, such as the United States and Canada. But it is still the most popular European sport.
The game of football has several levels of skill: The offensive and defensive players on either side of the field must work as a unit, working together to create scores by gaining yards at a fast pace. The object of the game is to score more points than the opposition. Although there are several different types of football in America, the most popular and played in America is American football. Many different styles of play have evolved from the original game, but all require the same four things to play: passing, kicking, defense, and running.
To play, teams must line up in a hash mark: and use a ball provided by the referee to form the perimeter of the hash mark. Two teams play against each other, with each team having eleven players on the field. All players on one team must stand shoulder to shoulder and chest to chest, using their hands to support themselves. On the opposite team, there are eleven players dressed similarly, using their hands to support themselves, and wearing uniform jerseys made by Nike, Adidas, or another sport brand. Each team must form a rectangle with the right and left corners of their respective half-space; the opposing team, using their own corners, will form a square.
There are two types of scoring in American football: Extra points are scored when a team scores three points after a kick is kicked. The last point scored is a touchdown. Touchdowns are awarded to the offensive team only and cannot be returned by the defensive team. The object of the game is for the team on offense to first gain ten yards then net a touchdown, then the defense can then block a scoring kick.
When the football offensive player scores a touchdown: the game ends either at the beginning of the extra period, or at the end of the game. When a defensive player blocks a field goal or an extra point attempt, the team receiving the points becomes the “field goal” team. When a team scores a touchdown against the “end zone”, the game is considered “conceding”.
In the NFL, a touchdown is defined as an act of completing one of the following actions: passing a pass, picking up a fumble, or running to a loose ball. A “foul” is not a valid scoring play. If a team scores a touchdown and the other team do not have a kicker, the winning team must obtain the ball through the “end zone” by touching it with their feet. This is referred to as a “fair catch”.
In most cases, the defensive team must recover the ball before it can be scored.