Football Made Simple

The Beautiful Game

Football, aka association football aka soccer, is an athletic sports game, played by 11 players versus 11 players, with one round ball, and two goals on both ends of the field. The objective of the game is to score the round ball into the opposition's goal more times than them, by using any part of your body except your arms (shoulders are fair game). The total duration of a standard game is 90 minutes which is divided into two halves of 45 minutes of play with a half time break of usually 15 minutes. Contrary to other sports, football can often end in a tie if there is no winner after the 90 minutes is up. However, if the game requires there to be a winner such as for a cup final, an additional 30 minutes is played (15 minute halves, with minimal break in between), and if there is still no victor, a penalty shootout will take place until a winner is decided.
The dimensions of play can vary, but according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) the length of the field must be a minimum of 90m (100 yds) up to a maximum of 120m (130 yds), while the width must be a minimum of 45m (50 yds) up to a maximum of 90m (100yds). Fédération Internationale de Football Association or FIFA recommends the dimensions to be 105m (115 yds) in length by 68m (74 yds) in width. As you can see, there is quite a bit of leeway when it comes to the dimensions of play (width can be doubled from minimum to maximum), which is often used by teams to create a homefield advantage depending on their style of play. For example, a team who's style of play revolves around keeping possession of the ball and using as much space as possible may look to build a field that maximizes it's dimensions. On the other hand, a team that prefers to be more aggressive and have the game be played at a faster speed may want to build a field that is on the smaller, condensed side.
All in all, the game of football is a simple game that requires minimal equipment. All that is needed is some sort of round object that can be kicked, a field where the ball can be kicked on, players, and two goals on opposing sides.
Welcome to the Beautiful Game!
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