Association football, also known as just football, is a flat-packed team sport usually played between two teams of eleven players. It is the most popular game in the world, with more than 250 million people playing it in more than 200 countries and dependencies. Aside from being the most well known, it is also the most attended, with more than 90% of matches taking place outside the country where the game originated. In the United States alone, more than 225 million people are registered to play in various football leagues, such as the NFL, the World Soccer Cup, the Continental Football League and the United Soccer Federation.
There are many differences between Association football and soccer, especially the rules and the way the ball is scored. Both games use a ball whose diameter is slightly larger than 20 inches; the difference between the two is that in Association football, the goal cannot be scored if the ball does not touch the ground or any surface. The game also uses a differently shaped ball made of rubber or polyurethane, which gives better grip for the players. The game also requires three different colored balls for each side, with the colors green, white and red, representing the clubs. The refereeing the game can wear any type of clothing he or she wants, but the attire must conform to the league’s dress code.
The Laws of the Game of Association football prohibit the use of the foot in order to determine a fair goal or foul. This is unlike soccer, where the use of the feet is strictly prohibited. As in soccer, the object of the game is to kick the ball into the opponents’ goal using the feet. The Laws of the Game of Association football do not specify how the ball is to be kicked, although they state that “a fair kick” is one that is “designed and executed so as to arrive at the ball.”
Soccer, like Association football, has its own official rules and regulations. These differ slightly from the laws of the game, such as those governing a scrum in the National Football League. Unlike Association football, soccer does not have a protective coating on the footballs used in games. Most soccer matches are played outdoor, during hot summer days when the sun is glaring down on the field. When the referee blows the whistle to stop play, the players scatter around the field to avoid being hit by the high-temperature air.
Unlike Association football and soccer, American football does not have a National Soccer League. Because it is not governed by the United States government or by any international organization, there are no restrictions on how the football may be played or what uniforms may be worn. The rules of the game of football in the United States, including American football, are simply that: the ball must be touched by two hands, the player must be able to kick the ball with his feet, and the goal must be reached by a “fair” shot taken by a player with a proper foot.
As it happens, the word football in association football is actually used three times in one paragraph, although its original meaning is somewhat misleading. American football, as it is commonly known, was created for the amusement of Americans, and the term association football is used only when referring to the league of professional American football. The term soccer in association football refers to both the game of soccer and the soccer league. It can also refer to the game of soccer, which is played between international teams.