Football today

Use of the word “football” in English-speaking countries

The word “football“, when used in reference to a specific game can mean any one of those described above. Because of this, much friendly controversy has occurred over the term football, primarily because it is used in different ways in different parts of the English-speaking world. Most often, the word “football” is used to refer to the code of football that is considered dominant within a particular region.

In some English-speaking countries, the word “football” usually refers to Association football, also known as “soccer” (the name was originally a slang abbreviation of Association). Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, only three (Canada, Samoa and the United States) use “soccer” in their name, while the rest use football (although the Samoan Federation actually uses both). New Zealand Soccer changed its name to Football New Zealand in May 2006. [5] In Australia, the governing body’s renaming and increased usage of “football” rather than “soccer” (the name used by most Australians) has caused controversy as the word football has traditionally been used to refer to Australian rules football and rugby league. It should be noted, however, that members of the Australian association football team are still known as the “Socceroos”.

The different codes are listed below and are described more fully in their own articles.

Games descended from the FA rules of 1863

Association football, also known as football, soccer, footy and footie.
Indoor varieties of Association football:
- Five-a-side football – played throughout the world under various rules including:
  - Futsal – the FIFA-approved Five-a-side indoor game.
- Indoor soccer – the six-a-side indoor game as played in North America.
Paralympic Football – modified association football for disabled competitors.
Beach soccer – football played on sand, also known as sand soccer.
Street football – encompasses a number of informal varieties of football.
Rush goalie is a variation of football in which the role of the goalkeeper is more flexible than normal.
Keepie uppie is the art of juggling with a football using feet, knees, chest, shoulders, and head.
- Footbag is a small bean bag or sand bag used as a ball in a number of keepie uppie variations such as hacky sack.
Freestyle Football a modern take on Keepie uppie where freestylers are graded for their entertainment value and expression of skill.

Games descended from Rugby School rules

Rugby football
- Rugby league – usually known simply as “football” or “footy” in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland, and by some followers of the game in England. Also often referred to simply as “league”.
- Rugby Union
  - Rugby Sevens
- Touch Rugby – a name used for various forms of rugby union and rugby league which do not feature tackles.
  - Touch football (rugby league) – a non-contact version of rugby league; the best-known and most popular form of touch rugby worldwide. In Australia this code is often referred to as touch football or Touch. In South Africa it is known as six down.
- Tag Rugby – generic name for non-contact forms of rugby league and rugby union, in which a velcro tag is taken to indicate a tackle.

American football – called “football” in the United States and Canada, and “gridiron” in Australia and New Zealand.
- Arena football – an indoor version of American football.
- Touch football (American) – non-tackle American football.
  - Flag football – non-tackle American football, like touch football, in which a flag that is held by velcro on a belt tied around the waist is pulled by defenders to indicate a tackle.
Canadian football – called simply “football” in Canada; “football” in Canada can mean either Canadian or American football depending on context.
- Canadian flag football – non-tackle Canadian football.

Australian and Irish varieties of football

Australian rules football – usually known simply as “football” by fans; although officially Australian football, and informally as “Aussie rules” or “footy”. In some areas (erroneously) referred to as “AFL”, which is the name of the main organising body and competition.
- Auskick – a version of Australian rules designed by the AFL for young children.
- Metro Footy (or Metro rules footy) – a modified version invented by the USAFL, for use on gridiron fields in North American cities (which often lack grounds large enough for conventional Australian rules matches).
- 9-a-side Footy – a more open, running variety of Australian rules, requiring 18 players in total and a proportionally smaller playing area. (Includes contact and non-contact varieties.)
- Rec Footy – “Recreational Football”, a modified non-contact touch variation of Australian rules, created by the AFL, which replaces tackles with tags.
- Samoa Rules – localised version adapted to Samoan conditions, such as the use of rugby fields.
- Masters Australian Football (Superules) – reduced contact version introduced for competitions limited to players over 30 years of age.
- Women’s Footy – reduced contact version introduced for women’s competition.
Austus – a compromise between Australian rules and American football, invented in Melbourne during World War II.
Gaelic football – played almost exclusively in Ireland. Often referred to as “football” or “gaah”.
International rules football – a compromise code used for games between Gaelic and Australian Rules players.
Universal football – A hybrid of Australian rules and rugby league, trialled at the Sydney Showground in 1933.[6]

Surviving Mediæval ball games

Traditional Shrove Tuesday matches in the UK – annual town- or village-wide football games with their own rules. Alternative names include mob football, Shrovetide football and folk football.
- Alnwick in Northumberland
  Ashbourne in Derbyshire (known as Royal Shrovetide Football)
  Atherstone in Warwickshire
  Corfe Castle in Dorset – The Shrove Tuesday Football Ceremony of the Purbeck Marblers.
  Haxey in Lincolnshire (the Haxey Hood, actually played on Epiphany)
  Hurling the Silver Ball takes place at St Columb Major in Cornwall
  Sedgefield in County Durham
- In Scotland the Ba game (“Ball Game”) is still popular around Christmas and Hogmanay at:
  - Duns, Berwickshire
    Scone, Perthshire
    Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands

Outside the UK other Mediæval games include:
- Calcio Fiorentino – a modern revival of Renaissance football from 16th century Florence.

Other surviving public school games

Eton Field Game
Eton Wall Game
Harrow Football
Winchester Football

More recent inventions and derivations

Based on Mediæval football:
- Murder Ball
Based on FA rules:
- Cubbies
  Three sided football
  Triskelion
- Keepie uppie is the art of juggling with a football using feet, knees, chest, shoulders, and head.
  - Footbag is a small bean bag or sand bag used as a ball in a number of keepie uppie variations such as hacky sack.
- Freestyle Football a modern take on Keepie uppie where freestylers are graded for their entertainment value and expression of skill.
Based on Rugby:
- Scuffleball
  Force em’ Backs
Hybrid games
- Speedball (American) – a combination of American football, soccer, and basketball, devised by Elmer D. Mitchell at the University of Michigan in 1912.
- Wheelchair Rugby – previously known as Murderball. Invented in Canada in 1977 and initially derived from ice hockey and basketball rather than rugby football.
  - Wheelchair power tag rugby
    Wheelchair rugby league

Tabletop games and other recreations

Based on FA rules:
- Category:Football (soccer) computer and video games
  Subbuteo
  Blow football
  Foosball (also known as table football/soccer, babyfoot, bar football or gettone)
  Fantasy football (soccer)
  Button football (also known as Futebol de Mesa; Jogo de Botões)
Based on Rugby:
- Paper football
Based on American Football:
- Blood Bowl
  Fantasy football (American)
  Madden NFL
Based on Australian Football:
- List of Australian rules football computer games
  - AFL Premiership 2005
- AFL Dream Team