Association football, also commonly called simply football, is a team sports played between two contrasting teams of eleven players each. It is played professionally by about 250 million players in more than 200 different countries and political jurisdictions, making it the most popular game in the world. In its most famous form, tournaments are held every four years in which the winner takes all the cash prize money. Other less well-known types of football competitions are friendly games and community leagues.
In its most pure form, football competitions can be separated into three divisions. These are the top division, the second division, and the lower division. The top and second division usually play against other top teams in the same country; the lower division play against other countries’ top teams; and the national teams, who are representatives of various countries, play against other national teams from around the world in international competitions. The world cup, the most prestigious and also the most attended, is an extra stage that frequently becomes part of the tournament schedule. Every four years, a world cup is scheduled for an entire year; qualifying rounds are done first followed by the main tournament.
The modern-day world cup is quite complicated: it starts with an opening game, the fixtures list is published ahead of time to give fans a chance to know who their favorite teams are, and the actual competition is set against highly regarded teams from all over the world. Although fans are excited about this, they do not take it seriously as the World Cup is a symbol of unprofessionalism and laxity, and many people think that the World Cup is nothing more than a commercial event and nothing more than a chance for football governing body players to earn some easy money. However, the reality is quite different. The World Cup brings teams and clubs from all over the world together and provides them with the opportunity to prove themselves against each other – not just to their national team, but to test themselves against the best and most challenging teams from their own country. Those who don’t play football will have a tough time because they will be missing out on some of the fun.
If you are one of those who do not watch any football games, you might think that the World Cup is just a competition among groups of footballers; but if you watch highlights, you will see that there is much more to it than that. For example, the goalscorer for Brazil is not always the goalie; the goalkeeper competes for the ball, while the goalkeeper tries to prevent the other goalscorers from scoring. In addition, the goalkeeper is also the team’s captain and coach. Furthermore, football competitions allow the referee to make decisions such as relieving a substitute or penalizing a player for misconduct. In association football, a substitute is the player who did not play a certain game due to illness, or even a suspension.
Another interesting thing about football competitions is the goal post. Goal posts are sometimes called “the pole,” because they are the highest point in the field. Usually, the poles are made of concrete and are placed at the very top of the field. The football stands at the bottom of the goal post, while the equipment is then placed on top of the pole.
The goalpost is usually a safety regulation designed to prevent players from taking off or throwing the ball at the ball. However, some countries have rules that allow two teams to use the same goal post, provided that each team agrees to play in this formation. There are many other interesting things about football that you will enjoy. Visit your local public or private school and find out how to play and enjoy football.