Football is a team sport where the objective is to score goals within the opposing team’s goal area. The game is played with a ball and is divided into half-hour periods, with an additional few minutes at the end of each period called “added or injury time”.
The game is regulated by rules and guidelines set out by the sport’s governing body, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The governing body also sets the rules for playing professional football worldwide, and these are enforced by IFAF-licensed referees. These referees are trained to spot potential violations in the game, such as illegal forward passes and tackling without the ball. They also ensure that players wear appropriate protective gear.
In addition to regulating the game’s rules and ensuring the safety of players, IFAF’s main goal is to promote the development of football across the world. It aims to do this by encouraging youth participation in the game and by providing support and training to national associations so they can develop their football programmes and grow their memberships.
One of the biggest benefits of football is the opportunity it provides for children to build meaningful friendships with other children that share a common interest in the sport. The social interaction that the sport offers helps to forge lasting friendships that extend beyond the football field and into other areas of their lives, such as school, family time and other extracurricular activities.
Playing football regularly can help you improve your coordination. This is because the sport requires you to run and move quickly while keeping control of the ball. You will also need to learn how to pass and catch the ball, while also keeping an eye on what other players are doing and changing your tactics based on what they do.
Each team gets four attempts, or downs, to advance the ball 10 yards downfield. Once they reach this distance, they earn a first down and the count resets. If they fail to achieve this, the ball is turned over to the defence.
During the downs, an offensive player called the quarterback calls out a play in code and then snaps or passes the ball to another member of the offense. The offensive players then run with the ball or throw it to a wide receiver, tight end, or running back.
In order to score a touchdown, the ball must be carried or caught in the opponent’s end zone. A team can also earn an extra point by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the uprights. The extra point is awarded only after a touchdown and cannot be scored during a defensive down.