Association football (more commonly known as football or soccer) was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier.. The Football Association. Archived from the original on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2007. A large number of football-related terms have since emerged to describe various aspects of the sport and its culture. The evolution of the sport has been mirrored by changes in this terminology over time. For instance, the role of an inside forward in variants of a 2–3–5 formation has many parallels to that of an attacking midfielder, although the positions are nonetheless distinct.Ponting, Ivan (11 February 2009). "Reg Davies: Footballer who renounced singing for sport" . The Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2010. Similarly, a 2–3–5 centre half can in many ways be compared to a holding midfielder in a 4–1–3–2."The Question: Are Barcelona reinventing the W-W formation?" . The Guardian. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

In many cases, multiple terms exist for the same concept. One reason for this is the progression of language over time. The sport itself, originally known as association football, is now more widely known by the shortened term football, or soccer, derived from the word association."Soccer: A different ball game" . BBC. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 20 May 2011. Other duplicate terms can be attributed to differences among varieties of English. In Europe, where British English is prevalent, the achievement of not conceding a goal for an entire match is known as a clean sheet.Smith, Frank (29 November 2010). "England goalkeeper Scott Loach says Watford's clean sheet at Barnsley feels like a hat-trick" . Watford Observer. Retrieved 20 May 2011. In North America, where American and Canadian English dominate, the same achievement is referred to as a shutout.MLS' "Sounders stay unbeaten with 2–0 win over Toronto". USA Today. Associated Press. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

Occasionally the actions of an individual have made their way into common football parlance. Two notable examples are Diego Maradona's goals in Argentina's 1986 World Cup quarter-final win against England. After the match, Maradona described his first goal—a handball that the referee missed—as having been scored "a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona".Cassidy, Sarah (23 September 2004). "Sports stars 'undermine the teaching of fair play'" . The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2011. His second goal was subsequently voted in a 2002 FIFA poll as the "Goal of the century". Both phrases are now widely understood to refer to the goals in that match.

Inclusion criteria This glossary serves as a point of reference for terms which are commonly used within association football, and which have a sport-specific meaning. It seeks to avoid defining common English words and phrases that have no special meaning within football. Exceptions include cases where a word or phrase's use in the context of football might cause confusion to someone not familiar with the sport (such as clean sheet), or where it is fundamental to understanding the sport (such as goal). Entries on nicknames relating to specific players or teams are actively avoided. Other phrases without entries are specific clubs, rivalries, media organisations or works, unless the name also has a more general meaning within football, as is the case with El Clásico and Roy of the Rovers stuff.

0–9

12th man – This expression has two different definitions. It usually refers to fans who are present at a football match, especially when they make such noise as to provide increased motivation for the team.Barkham, Patrick (2 March 2005). "Delia overeggs the half-time crowd, but the Canaries fail to sing" . The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2011. The metaphor is based on the fact that a team numbers 11 active players at the start of a game. The term can also be used where a referee is perceived to be biased in favour of one team, and "They had a 12th man on the pitch" is a complaint made by fans. It also may refer to a player that's not usually part of the starting eleven, but comes off the bench most of the matches, a concept similar to the sixth man in basketball. 2–0 lead is the worst lead – popular cliché describing the situation in which one team is leading by a score of 2–0, causing them to become complacent. 2–3–5 – common 19th- and early 20th-century formation consisting of two defensive players (previously known as full backs), three midfield players (half-backs), and five forward players. Also known as the pyramid formation. Variations include the 2–3–2–3 (the Metodo or WW formation), where the inside forwards take up deeper positions. 3 points for a win – see Three points for a win. 39th game – see game 39. 4–4–2 – common modern formation used with four defenders, four midfielders, and two attacking players. There are many variants of this formation, such as the 4–4–2 diamond, where the four midfielders are assembled in a diamond shape without wide midfielders, and the 4–1–3–2, where one midfielder is expected to adopt a defensive position, allowing the other three to concentrate on attacking."Formations guide" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 4–5–1 – common modern formation used with four defenders, five midfielders and one striker. By pushing the wingers forward, this formation can be adapted into a 4–3–3; teams frequently play 4–3–3 when they have the ball, and revert to 4–5–1 when they lose possession."Formations guide: 4–5–1" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Variants include the 4–4–1–1, where a striker drops deep or an attacking midfielder pushes forward to play in a supporting role to the main striker, the 4–2–3–1, where two holding midfielders are used, the 4–3–2–1 (or Christmas Tree), which uses three central midfielders behind two attacking midfieldersMoore, Glen (7 June 1996) "Method behind the numbers game" . The Independent. Retrieved 22 August 2012. and 4–6–0 which utilizes four defenders and six midfielders deployed as one holding player, two wing-backs and three who rotate between attack and defence positions.Ray, John Sam Allardyce's 4–6–0 and the end of Modern Football , Afootballreport.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013 4th place trophy – Colloquial term for the achievement of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League by finishing in the top four places in the English Premier League. The term was coined by Arsene Wenger, who said that "For me, there are five trophies, the first is to win the Premier League... the third is to qualify for the Champions League". 50–50 – see fifty-fifty 6+5 rule – proposal adopted by FIFA in 2008. Designed to counter the effects of the Bosman ruling, which had greatly increased the number of foreign players fielded by European clubs, the rule required each club to field at least six players who are eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club."FIFA Congress supports objectives of 6+5". FIFA. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2012. The European Parliament prevented the rule from coming into effect in the European Union, declaring it incompatible with EU law – its future remains uncertain.Ennis, Darren (8 May 2008) "Blow for Blatter as EU rejects '6+5' plan to limit foreign players" London: The Independent. Retrieved 6 September 2011.

A

Academy – model used by some professional clubs for youth development. Young players are contracted to the club and trained to a high standard, with the hope that some will develop into professional footballers.Fletcher, Paul (9 December 2010). "Watford break the mould in youth development" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2011. Some clubs provide academic as well as footballing education at their academies.Doyle, Paul (17 July 2010). "How can England win the World Cup? They could start by asking Watford" . The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2012. Also known as a youth academy, or as a cantera in Spanish-speaking countries. Added time – see Stoppage time. Administration – legal process (sanction) where a business unable to pay its creditors seeks temporary legal protection from them, while it attempts to restructure its debt. Clubs going into administration usually incur a points deduction.Farquhar, Gordon (20 March 2008). "Football administration" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 October 2011. Advantage – decision made by the referee during a game, where a player is fouled, but play is allowed to continue because the team that suffered the foul is in a better position than they would have been had the referee stopped the game."Referee's signals: advantage" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2011. AFC – initialism for either the Asian Football Confederation, the governing body of the sport in Asia, or association football club, used by teams such as Sunderland AFC."SAFC FAQs" . Sunderland AFC. Retrieved 20 May 2011. It can also mean athletic football club, as seen in AFC Bournemouth. Against the run of play – a goal scored, or a win or draw achieved, by a side that was being clearly outplayed.Mather, Victor (14 October 2011). "ENGLAND – Goal Blog" . The New York Times Soccer Blog. The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2011. Aggregate or aggregate score – combined score of matches between two teams in a two-legged match. All competitions or all comps – used to describe a team's or player's statistical progress in all senior league and cup matches across a season, career, or other set time period; used particularly when such competitions run concurrent with each other on the calendar (e.g. "Pelé scored 66 goals in all competitions in 1958")."Ranking the 50 Best Player Seasons in Soccer History," from Bleacher Report, 15 December 2012 Players' statistics are often reported separately as "league only" and "all competitions". "A" Match – international match for which both associations field their first team ("A" representative team). Anti-football – pejorative term for a particularly robust and defensive style of play.Aitken, Kevin (12 July 2010). "Johan Cruyff saddened by Holland's 'anti-football" . Metro. Retrieved 2 October 2011. Apertura and Clausura – league format employed by several football leagues in Latin America, in which the traditional August–May season is divided into two separate league tournaments, each with its own champion. Apertura and Clausura are Spanish for "opening" and "closing".Vickery, Tim (18 May 2009). "How football conquered Brazil" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2011.Apertura and Clausura: Exciting Football League Format , Goal Profits, 5 January 2019 Apprentice – see Youth Arena football – see six-a-side football. Armband – worn by a team's captain, to signify that role."Wayne Rooney is ready to wear captain's armband against Brazil" . The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2012. Black armbands are occasionally worn by an entire team in commemoration of a death or tragic event."Fans remember Hillsborough dead" . BBC Sport. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2011. Assist – pass that leads to a goal being scored.Chambers sports factfinder. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. 2008. p. 247. . Assistant referee – one of a number of officials who assist the referee in controlling a match."Know your assistant referee's signals?" . BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2011. – usually refers to a striker, or any player close to the opposing team's goal line. Away – see Home and away. Away goals rule – tie-break applied in some competitions with two-legged matches. In cases where the scores finish level on aggregate, the team that has scored more goals away from home is deemed the winner.FIFA: Laws of the Game. pp. 50–51.

B

Back of the net – goal in which the ball is usually trapped at the back of the net until it is picked back up.