South African Victor Matfield takes a lineout against New Zealand in 2006. Rugby league is played both as a professional and amateur sport in Ireland, France, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. It is regarded as the national sport of … Read More
The U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen (left) face off against the Colorado State Rams. Since the 1960s, football has outranked baseball as the most popular spectator sport in the United States [1]. The 32-team National Football League (NFL) is the most … Read More
The New England Patriots (blue) playing offense, against the Philadelphia Eagles (white) in an NFL game. American football, known in the United States and Canada [1] simply as football, is a competitive team sport. The object of the game is … Read More
An over-under or over/under bet is a wager in which a sportsbook will predict a number for a statistic in a given game (usually the combined score of the two teams), and bettors wager that the actual number in the … Read More
An Asian Handicap is a sports betting term used to describe spread betting in football (soccer). Described as Asian because of its Eastern origins, the phrase has little else to do with the region. This form of soccer betting has … Read More
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 … Read More
English public schools Match at Winchester College around 1840. The earliest evidence that games resembling football were being played at English public schools — mainly attended by boys from the upper, upper-middle and professional classes — comes from the Vulgaria … Read More
Throughout the history of mankind the urge to kick at stones and other such objects is thought to have led to many early activities involving kicking and/or running with a ball. Football-like games predate recorded history in all parts of … Read More
Governing bodies The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland. Six regional confederations are associated with … Read More
Football is popular among children as well as adults. Overview of the Laws There are seventeen Laws in the official Laws of the Game. The same Laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for … Read More
