Football is a sport where teams of eleven players compete to score more points than their opponent by running, passing or kicking the ball through an upright goal post. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Football matches are split into two halves of 45 minutes each, with a 15-minute rest period between the halves. The game’s scoring and timekeeping is conducted by a referee who uses a clock, but does not stop the match when the ball is out of play.
The game’s rules are governed by the official Laws of the Game. These laws apply to all levels of play, although there are some modifications for groups such as juniors and seniors.
Each team has a field, called a pitch or field, which is about 100 yards long and is divided into a grid of 20-yard lines. A kicking tee is used to kick the ball.
When the ball is kicked from a kicking tee, the opposing team’s kick returner tries to catch it and advance it as far as possible. Where he is stopped is where the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays.
A touchdown is when a player runs or passes the ball through an upright goal post, and is worth 2 points. A fumble is when an offensive player drops the ball and a defender picks it up.
Interceptions are when a defensive player intercepts a forward pass and runs with the ball until tackled or forced out of bounds. A fumble is also sometimes called a lost fumble or a tipped pass.