football
noun /ˈfʊtbɔːl/
/ˈfʊtbɔːl/
enlarge image[uncountable](also formal Association football)(both British English)(also soccer North American English, British English)(also British English, informal footy, footie)a game played by two teams of 11 players, using a round ball that players kick up and down the playing field. Teams try to kick the ball into the other team’s goal.- The kids were outside playing football.
- The team played some impressive football.
- We settled down to watch the football on TV.
- On Saturday we went to a football match.
- a Premier League football team
- a football player
- I'm not a big football fan.
- This was the best game of football I have seen all season.
Culture football - British stylefootball - British styleFootball is the most popular sport in Britain, particularly among men. It is played by most boys and many girls in schools and after-school clubs. Most towns have an amateur football team (= a team which does not get paid for playing) which plays in a minor league. Football is also the most popular spectator sport (= sport that is watched) in Britain. Many people go to see their favourite professional team playing at home, and some go to away matches. Many more people watch football on television.The rules of football are relatively simple: two teams of 11 players try to get a round ball into the opposing team's goal and to prevent their opponents from scoring. The ball may be kicked or headed, but never touched with the hand, except by the goalkeepers. The Football Association was founded in 1863 to decide the rules of football and the resulting game became known as Association football. It is sometimes also called soccer. Many of today's leading clubs were established soon afterwards.Most professional clubs represent large cities, or parts of London. They include Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The most famous Scottish clubs include Rangers and Celtic. In 1992 the structure of football was changed so that the best 20 teams in England and Wales play in the Premier League, while 72 other teams play in three divisions, run by the English Football League. There is a Scottish Professional Football League with four divisions, formed in 2013 when the Scottish Football League joined with the Scottish Premier League. At the end of each season, the top few teams in each division are promoted and the bottom teams are relegated. As well as the Premier League, the main competitions in England and Wales are the FA Cup (the Football Association Challenge Cup) and the League Cup (EFL Cup). A few of the most successful sides have won the Double, the Premier League and the FA cup in the same year. The biggest clubs are now run as major businesses, and top players earn very large salaries. They are frequently transferred (= bought and sold) between clubs for millions of pounds. Many foreign stars also now play for British teams, and in many top clubs British players are in the minority.England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own national sides. England won the World Cup in 1966, when its stars included Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst.An increase in football hooliganism (= violence and damage to property by supporters) in the 1970s and 1980s frightened many people away from football matches. English fans got a bad reputation in Europe and football violence became known as ‘the English disease’. Disasters such as that at Hillsborough, in which many people died, also stopped people from going to matches. In the past, football grounds had terraces, where supporters stood packed close together, and stands containing rows of seats which were more expensive. These grounds have now almost all been replaced by all-seater stadiums, but people complain about the rising cost of tickets. Many clubs have their own fanzine (= a magazine about the club written and published by the fans). Some supporters also buy a copy of their team's strip (= shorts and shirt in team colours).This type of football is known in the US as soccer. Enthusiasm increased after 1994 when the World Cup was played for the first time in the US. In 1999 the US won the Women's World Cup. In 1996 Major League Soccer (MLS) was established, and teams compete for the MLS Cup. Students in colleges and universities also play soccer in three NCAA divisions. The nation's oldest tournament (= series of games that leads to one winner) is the US Open Cup. Many millions of American children now play regularly, and the expression soccer mom (= a mother who spends a lot of time taking her children to sporting activities) has entered the language.Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsa1- Young Italians follow football like we follow the royal family.
- Join Radio 5 for all the top football action.
- Obscene football chants stop people taking their children to matches.
- The Dutch team impressed the fans with their classy one-touch football.
- The World Cup is fascinating for its clash of football cultures.
- The football world was rocked by the scandal.
- The government is trying to tackle violence on the football terraces.
- The police say the players' behaviour is a matter for the football authorities.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- attractive
- good
- entertaining
- …
- game
- play
- watch
- follow
- …
- club
- league
- squad
- …
- (North American English)(British English American football)[uncountable] a game played by two teams of 11 players, using an oval ball which players kick, throw, or carry. Teams try to put the ball over the other team’s line.
- He played football for Iowa State University.
- We often go to football games together.
- a football player/coach
- a football field/stadium
Culture football - American stylefootball - American styleFootball is one of the major sports in the US. In Britain and elsewhere the game is often called American football to show the difference between it and soccer. American football developed from the games of football and rugby. There is a lot of dangerous play, so helmets (= hard round hats) and thick pads must be worn. Each game has cheerleaders (= people that lead shouts of support for a team) and bands of musicians that march on the field between the halves of the game. Whole families go to watch games, and there is almost no violence from supporters. Many games are shown live on US television. British television now also shows some games. In US high schools, colleges and universities, football games are the centre of many social events, such as homecoming.The game is played by two teams of 11 players each, with different players used for defense, offense and kicks, called special teams. The field is 100 yards/91.5 metres long and 53 yards 1 foot/49 metres wide. It is sometimes called a gridiron because the lines across it that mark every 10 yards/9 metres make it look like the metal frame on which meat is cooked outdoors. At each end of the field there is an extra 10 yards/9 metres, called the end zone, with a goalpost in the shape of an ‘H’. The ball is oval -shaped and sometimes called a pigskin because in the past the balls were made from the skin of pigs.A team scores when its players send the ball down the field and across the opponent's goal line for a touchdown of six points. They can then add a point after touchdown (PAT or extra point) if they kick the ball through the goal posts. A team can get three points if the ball is kicked between the goal posts without a touchdown, and two points if their defense stops the opponents in their own end zone.The team with the ball must move it 10 yards/9 metres in four downs (= separate actions). This is done from behind linemen who face the defense's linemen. An action begins when the quarterback takes the ball from between the legs of the center and runs with it, hands it to another runner or passes (= throws) it to another player. Between actions, the team with the ball has a huddle so the quarterback can tell them what to do next. If 10 yards/9 metres are not made in 4 downs, the team can punt (= kick the ball to the other team). The defense can also get the ball by an interception (= a catch of the opponent's pass) or a fumble (= a ball accidentally dropped).The National Football League (NFL) has 32 professional teams. Teams from the American Football Conference and from the National Football Conference play against each other to decide the two that will meet in the Super Bowl. Some well-known teams include the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers.The best college teams play in bowl games, for example the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The best college players are chosen as All-Americans. Famous professional players almost always play in college teams first.Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- attractive
- good
- entertaining
- …
- game
- play
- watch
- follow
- …
- club
- league
- squad
- …
- (also Canadian football)[uncountable] a form of football played in Canada, similar to American football, but with twelve players on each team
- [countable] a large round or oval ball made of leather or plastic and filled with air
- As a child he was always kicking a football.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- leather
- political
- catch
- kick
- kick around
- …
- [countable] (always used with an adjective) an issue or a problem that frequently causes people to disagree or argue
- Healthcare should not become a political football.
