Association Football

Association football, more famously known as football or soccer, is an organized team sport usually played between two parallel teams of eleven players each. It is the most popular sport in the world, playing a role not only in the financial development of nations like Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina but also in the social development of countries such as China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The game is usually played on an artificial turf, which can be either artificial or natural and used during warm-up before matches. Professional teams play regularly in international tournaments, which attract millions of fans from every corner of the world. A number of popular international teams and prominent domestic sides compete for the same trophies, namely, the European, American and World Cups.

The basic rules of Association football are relatively simple, unlike other sports which have complex rules associated with the ball. Each team is composed of eleven players, including three goalkeepers and five outfield players. The game is completed when there are no more players on the field than the rest of the team. The game is normally played at a single central point called the ‘heart’ or ‘ground’.

A number of countries have adapted the game to their own needs, adding features to it to make it more attractive to fans. Although football has become a very popular sport throughout the world, especially in Europe, America and Asia, it is governed by a separate governing body, the FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations) soccer organization. The U.S. State Department, along with other international and regional organizations are in agreement that the sport should be governed by a governing body in order to provide a standard set of laws and standards of behavior. This would ensure a level playing field for all football players around the world.