Some can touch the ball with their hands while some cannot. Some can get yellow cards while others can get red. Some always run and are never involved; others cannot cross the line and only wave their flags. What are these words about? Obviously, they are about a wonderful game of soccer. It is truly the Earth's national game. It gathers many millions before their televisions or computers and gets the stadiums full to the rim. It leaves calm very few and can make the most modest and polite people rage and burst the emotions in their support for the favorite team. Few know this game by its official name – association football, and most use the simple name football while in some English speaking countries it is known as soccer. Football is played in 200 countries by more than 250 million players which makes it the most popular game over the globe. Moreover, it is the national game in many countries and some states, the whole culture is built around soccer. It is indeed a wonderful phenomenon for fully depicting which even the hundred of such papers would not be enough. Nevertheless, in this work, I will briefly explain the most important and interesting events in its history, explicate the basic rules of the game and its gameplay, as well as describe the culture connected with these sports.
The roots and origins of the football can be traced back to the ancient times, however as a modern sports game with standardized rules, as we know it now, it is around 150 years old. The earliest mentions of a game with the ball very similar to soccer go back to the ancient China. The game cuju was played before 200 BC. It was a competition in which the players used all parts of their bodies except hands to kick a ball into the net. It were even standardized during Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and the rules were settled. Another historical predecessor of football was the Japanese analog of cuju – kemari, which was not competitive. Ancient Romans and Greeks also played games involving the ball called harpastum and episkyros which resembled both soccer and rugby ("History Of Football - The Origins"). The attempts to standardize the game and devise a universal set of rules for the football were started in England in the mid-nineteenth century. Those days, the game was often played in English schools with the use of different rules and equipment and game standards varied strongly between schools. In 1846, in Rugby, the first rules of the game were devised, they allowed the ball to be carried by hands and allowed kicking opponents in legs below the knee. Many schools adopted this style, however, many rejected to accept these innovations. The situation reached its climax in 1863 when the 11 London schools and clubs held a meeting to settle the rule issue. Football and rugby were finally split, and the Football Association was formed. From there on, the development of soccer was very fast, in 1872, the first competition – FA Cup was established. Originating in England, these sports rapidly spread over the globe and gained its fans. In May 1904, the FIFA (fr. Federation Internationale de Football Association) – central regulatory authority in football – which holds its functions up till today, was founded. The unified rules called the Laws of the Game were initially devised in 1886 and modified several times until their present state. The biggest change occurred in 1937 when original Laws of the Game were revised and put in rational order. The expansion of football was lightning fast, in 1930, the first World Cup was held between 41 countries. New members joined the federation at a steady pace, after the World War II, in 1950, there were 73 member countries, and further in 2007, there were 208 members ("History Of Football - The Global Growth") from every part of the globe. Now, FIFA has major representative governing bodies on each continent. They are Asian Football Association (AFC), Confederation of African Football (CAF), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Also, each of the member countries has its own federation affiliated with the international organs. These regulative bodies are responsible for arranging competitions and setting rules for them. The Rules of the Game are settled by International Football Association Board using a voting process.
Given such elaborate history, football has rather interesting rules and gameplay which makes it this popular. Basically, the point of the game consists in kicking the ball into the goal of the opposing team (scoring a goal). The game is played on a special field. It is rectangular shaped with standardized measurements which has two frames in the middle of its short sides which are called goals. The ball with which the game is played is called football. There are eleven players in each team on the field, one of which must be the goalkeeper. He is the only player who can touch the football with his hands, he stays before his team’s goal and prevents the enemy team players from scoring a goal. He is the only player whose position is regulated by the Laws of the Game; other players are free to move across the field. The ten outfield players cannot touch the ball with their hands (except for the throw-in restart) and can only use their legs, torso, and heads to hit the ball. In contrast to many other sports, in football the players do not have any special equipment except for small shin guards – they are typically dressed in shirt, shorts, socks, and footwear. The referees are an important part of the game. There is a principal referee in the field who is the ultimate authority watching over the game and enforcing the Laws of the Game. There are also two side referees who are situated beyond the field’s long sides and watch the ball crossing the field border. The referee watches that the Laws of the Game are followed and punishes the violations and misconduct. He can caution a player for a foul with a yellow card and dismiss the player from the game with a red card. The referee's decision is always final. Although the positions of the outfield players are not specified by the Laws of the Game, the coaches of the teams devise the elaborate schemes and setups for better performance. Typically, besides the goal keeper, there distinguish three types of players – forwards, defenders, and midfielders. The main task of the first is to score goals, of the second – to defend own goal, and of the third who compromise these two functions and pass the ball to the forwards. The game has two periods named halves, 45 minutes each, with a 15-minute break between them. In tournaments, if the game is a tie after two halves, two additional 15-minute halves are played. If they still end with a tie, the penalty shootout is the final measure to decide the winner (IFAB).
Football would not be itself if it did not have such outstanding and developed culture surrounding it. The main feature making it this special is not the rules or the outstanding performance of the players but insane fan support and popularity of the game among ordinary people. There are football daily newspapers as well as specialized football magazines in many countries. Top football players become celebrities and not only get paid millions of dollars yearly but, more importantly, become role models for people and especially children. They want to become as great and successful as their idols and often pretend them when playing. The major football event FIFA World Cup gathers hundreds of millions of people in a single burst and makes the most loyal fans travel across the world to watch the games at the stadiums and others to be tied to the screens to watch all the matches. There many rituals among the fans connected to watching soccer. One of the most typical is to gather with friends in a sports bar to drink beer and watch the game of the favorite team. There are, however, the negative side of such tremendous fan devotion. This is the hooliganism. The most radical fans form hooligan support groups which stand and support their favorite club very aggressively. The hooligans often break the rules of conduct in the football stadiums by throwing various objects at the field and adhering to violence. They often abuse and start fights with the supporters of the opponent team, vandalize, and cause public disorders. However, apart from the fans, there is a huge amount of people who like to participate in the game and feel the heat of rivalry and competition as well as the team work. Most of the amateur football players over the world especially children do not adhere fully to the rules and adopt the game to the circumstances they’re in. The most interesting is the process of the game itself, with team play and competition. Football is very important as sports for the development of the team work, communication, and cooperation. Due to a large number of players, playing together as a team is the only way to win. Even the best single players are easily outplayed by a well-coordinated team of average players. This aspect is especially important for kids and youngsters in learning cooperation and performing as a team which is crucial to their future business, social, and personal life. Football also develops physical characteristics of the devoted players. It increases strength of the leg muscles and improves mobility, agility, and stamina. But what is more important, football often ignites the flame of passion in the hearts of the followers. This passion for football can last for the lifetime or transform into the passion of a larger scale – passion for life. And the ones who possess this passion will be able to pass through every trial that life can offer them and follow their dreams no matter what.
References
"History Of Football - The Global Growth". FIFA.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 June 2016.
"History Of Football - The Origins". FIFA.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 June 2016.
IFAB. Laws Of The Game 2015/2016. IFAB, 2015. Web. 8 June 2016.
