Learning English > English Vocabulary > Football Vocabulary

Football Vocabulary

Football or soccer? Football refers to any of several games played with an inflated leather ball by two teams on a field with a goal at each end. The most common forms of football are: Rugby Football; American Football; Association Football—also known as soccer from (as)soc(iation football). The vocabulary on this page is for Soccer, the form most closely related to the original and the form played in the FIFA World Cup.

attack	to make a forceful attempt to score a goal
attacker	a player that has possession of the ball
away game	a game played at the opponent's ground
away team	the team that is visiting the opponent's ground
beat	to defeat
bench	a long seat for several people
captain	the player who leads and directs the other players on the field
centre circle	a circular marking in the centre of the field from which kickoffs are taken
champions	a team that has beaten all other teams in a sporting contest
championship	a sporting contest for the position of champion
changing rooms	the rooms where players dress to play
cheer	to shout in encouragement and give support
corner kick	a restart of the game where the ball is kicked from one of the four corners of the field
cross	a pass from an attacking player near the sideline to a team player in the middle or on the opposite side of the field (also a verb)
crossbar	the horizontal beam across the top of a goal
defend	to resist an attack
defenders	the players that do not have possession of the ball
draw	a game that ends with both teams having the same number of goals
dropped ball	a way of restarting the game where the referee drops the ball between two players
equalizer	a goal that makes the score even (the same for both teams)
extra time	a further period of play added on to the game if the scores are equal
field	the rectangular, grass area where a game is played
field markings	the straight and curved white lines painted onto the field
FIFA	Federation Internationale de Football Association; the official body of international football
FIFA World Cup	a solid gold statue given to the champion of each World Cup tournament to keep for the next 4 years
first half	the first 45 minutes of the game, before half-time
fit	in form, in good health
fixture	a game played on a particular date
fixture list	a programme of games
forward	one of the three or four players on a team who play at the front and are responsible for most of the scoring
foul	an unfair or invalid piece of play, against the rules
free kick	a kick given to a player for a foul by the opposition; the player kicks the ball without any opposing players within ten feet of him
friendly game	a game that is not part of a serious contest
goal	1. a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar, winning one point 2. the structure consisting of two posts linked by a crossbar into which all goals are scored
goal area	the rectangular area 20 yards wide by 6 yards deep in front of each goal
goal kick	a way of restarting the game where the ball is kicked from inside the goal area away from the goal
goal line	the boundary or line at each end of the field
goalkeeper, goalie	the player in front of the goal who tries to stop the other team scoring
goalpost	one of the two upright posts of the goal, 8 feet high
goal scorer	a player who puts the ball into the goal and so "scores a goal"
ground	the place where a game is played
half-time	the 5-minute rest period between the first half and second half
hand ball	a foul, when a player touches the ball with his arm or hand
header	the striking of the ball by a player with his head
home	a team's own ground.
hooligan	a violent troublemaker
injury	a wound suffered by a player (for example: broken leg, sprained ankle)
injured player	a player who has been hurt or wounded
injury time	time added to the end of the first or second half to compensate for time lost because of player injuries
kick	to strike or hit with the foot (also a noun)
kick-off	the start of a game, or restart after a goal, when a player kicks the ball forwards
Laws of the Game	the 17 main rules for football established by FIFA
league	a group of teams that play each other for competition
linesman	the 2 officials who help the referee; they watch the sidelines and goal lines
match	a game of football
midfield	a region of the field near the midfield line
midfield line	a line that runs across the centre of the field; centre line; halfway line
midfield player	the players that play behind the forwards
national team	the team representing a particular country or nation
opposing team	a team playing against another team
own goal	a mistake, when a team places the ball inside its own goal
pass	when a player kicks the ball to a teammate
penalty area	a rectangular area in front of the goal, 44 yards wide by 18 yards deep
penalty kick, penalty shot	a kick from the penalty spot by a player against the opposing goal keeper; awarded for the most serious violations of the rules or used in the event of a draw
penalty spot	the small circle 12 yards in front of the goal
possession	control of the ball
red card	a small card, red in colour, that the referee holds up to show that a player must leave the game for very bad behaviour
referee	the chief official; he starts and stops play, makes all decisions about the rules, and acts as timekeeper
score (verb)	to put the ball into the goal and gain a point
score (noun)	the amount of goals for each team
score a hat trick	when one player gets three goals in the same game
scorer	a player who scores or gets a goal
scoreboard	a large panel or other display that shows the current score or number of goals for each side
second half	the second 45 minutes of the game, after half-time
send a player off	when the referee tells a player to leave the field for bad behaviour
side	one of the two teams playing a game
sideline	the line that runs along the length of the field on each side; touchline
spectator	a person who watches a game (or other performance)
stadium	a special sports ground with seats for spectators where football (or another game) is played
striker	a team's best forward who plays near the centre of the field
studs	small points on the underneath of a player's boots to help prevent slipping
substitute	a player who replaces another player on the field
supporter	a spectator who supports one of the teams and wants it to win
tackle	to try to take the ball away from another player by kicking or stopping it with the feet
team	the members of one side
tie	when two teams have scored the same number of goals in a game; a draw
tiebreaker	a way of choosing the winner of a game when both teams have the same number of goals, for example by a series of penalty kicks
ball	the hollow sphere that players kick in soccer
coach	a person who trains a team
net	the mesh of cord hung over and behind the goal; can also mean the goal itself
pitch	the football field
ticket tout	a person who tries to sell tickets at a price higher than the official price
to keep goal	to be the goal keeper or goalie
to score a goal	to put the ball into the goal or net
to shoot at goal	to kick the ball towards the goal
touch line	the line that runs along the length of the field on each side; sideline
underdog	a team that is not expected to win
unsporting behaviour	rude or bad conduct
whistle	the instrument that the referee blows to create a loud, high-pitched sound
winger	a forward who plays to the side of the striker or strikers
World Cup	the international soccer competition between nations, organized by FIFA every 4 years
yellow card	a small card, yellow in colour, that the referee holds up to warn a player for bad behavior