"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings, or the directors, or the people who are paid to represent it.
"It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments, or executive boxes.
"It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city.
"It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love." Sir Bobby Robson
A Brief History of Football
Although there is evidence of ball-kicking games dating as far back as ancient Greece and China through to the medieval period, football – or to use its full name, association football – did not come into being until the mid-19th century.
The sport developed across schools and playgrounds around England, with a variety of different rulesets and formats until the uniform “Laws of the Game” were codified by the Football Association in 1863. Among the most important developments was the agreement that only goalkeepers could use their hands.
The world’s first football competition – the FA Cup – began in 1871, while the following year England and Scotland contested the first ever official international match. The Football League – also the world’s first – followed in 1888. Football did not take long to capture the world’s attention, and it quickly spread to almost every corner of the globe in the early 20th century. FIFA – world football's governing body – was formed in 1904, and the first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930.
Although football has, until recently, been predominantly seen as a man’s game, it was similarly popular with women in its early days. Women’s football matches attracted many thousands of spectators; indeed, a record 53,000 fans attended a women’s game at Goodison Park on Boxing Day in 1920, which was the highest attendance ever seen at any football match in England at the time. However, the women’s game was outlawed on Association member pitches by the FA in 1921, a ban that would last 50 years and set women’s sport back decades.
Women’s football has become increasingly professional and mainstream in recent years, particularly following the introduction of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991.
Football Format
Football is contested by 2 teams of 11 players on a large, rectangular pitch. The aim of the game is to kick a spherical ball into the opponents’ goal. A football match is comprised of 2 halves of 45 minutes apiece either side of a 15-minute half-time break, plus any time added on by the refereeing officials for stoppages such as injuries. At the end of the 90 minutes, the team with the most goals wins, or the match ends in a draw.
In knockout matches – such as in the World Cup and other cup competitions – the match may be decided by an additional 30 minutes, known as extra time, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the teams still cannot be separated. Penalties are single shots from 12 yards out, usually taken if a defending player has committed a foul in the 18-yard box, also known as the penalty area. In a shoot-out, 5 players from each team take penalties in turns; if the teams are still level on penalties, they proceed to sudden death.
Aside from throw-ins – in which outfield players return the ball to the field of play if it goes out of play along the sidelines – the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands are the goalkeepers, who can only do so in their own penalty area.
Attending a Football Match
The ticket purchasing process varies from club to club. Due to high demand, many Premier League clubs, for example, require supporters to have a paid membership in order to purchase tickets; it’s also common for bigger games for clubs to require a certain number of loyalty points accrued by attending matches. At other clubs, tickets may go on general sale after a priority window for members, while for smaller teams who don’t tend to sell out, it is often possible to purchase upon arrival at the stadium on the day.
Although many of the best seats are often taken up by season ticket holders, single matchday tickets are often available in a variety of locations in relation to the pitch; seating along the sidelines is most highly prized, followed by those in the corners and behind the goals. Away supporters are also given a designated section within the stadium from which to cheer on their team.
Hospitality – which can range from a padded seat and a free pint to all-inclusive fine dining, depending on the club – is also available at most grounds.
Doors often open around 90 minutes before kick-off. While fans often don’t take up their seats until shortly before the first whistle, arriving early can be a great way to experience that matchday buzz and purchase some food or a drink before the game.
More than perhaps any other sport, football fans are known for their passion and matches are renowned for their incredible atmosphere thanks to supporters’ songs, chants, and cheers throughout the 90 minutes. For many, that is central to the appeal of attending a game live rather than simply watching on TV, but many clubs also offer family sections and other such areas for fans seeking a more casual viewing experience.
Whichever kind you’re seeking, the matchday experience is sacred to football fans around the world, and nothing beats being there in person. Football is the world’s most popular sport for a reason – or rather, a multitude of reasons. It’s fast-paced and technically complex, yet simple to pick up. With 45 minutes of unbroken action in each half, it has a natural ebb and flow compared with some more stop-start sports. And quite simply, it can more consistently deliver top-class sporting drama than anything else. David vs. Goliath upsets, last-gasp winners, and stunning comebacks; football has it all!