football

Pitch As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within  IFAB , the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in  imperial units . The Laws now express dimensions with approximate  metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though use of imperial units remains popular in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of  metrication  (or only partial metrication), such as Britain. The length of the pitch, or field, for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (344 ft) long and 68...

History According to  FIFA , the Chinese competitive game  cuju  (蹴鞠, literally "kick ball") is the earliest form of football for which there is evidence. [4]   Cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to modern football, though similarities to  rugby  occurred. During the  Han Dynasty  (206 BC – 220 AD),  cuju  games were standardised and rules were established. Phaininda  and  episkyros  were Greek ball games. An image of an  episkyros  player depicted in low relief on a vase at the  National Archaeological Museum of Athens  appears on the  UEFA European Championship  Cup.   Athenaeus , writing in 228 AD, referenced the  Roman ball game  harpastum .  Phaininda ,  episkyros  and  harpastum  were played involving hands and violenc...

Association football Association football , more commonly known as  football  or  soccer , is a  team sport  played between two teams of eleven  players  with a spherical  ball . It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular  field  with a  goal  at each end. The object of the game is to  score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal. Association football is one of a family of  football codes  which emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. The modern game traces its origins to 1863 when the  Laws of the Game  were originally codified in England by  The Football Association . Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play, save for the  goalkeepers  within the  penal...