Football vs Soccer
Football is one of the most popular sports in the whole world. We know how enthralled the whole world is when the Football World Cup starts. But then what is soccer? Many say that both words refer to the same game, while some say that both are different games. The truth is that both the games are different while having some similarities.
Football is actually the common name of all those sport which involve the use of the foot and ball to score goals. This term can be applied to any form of football. Some of the different types of football games are association football, gridiron football, Australian football, rugby, and Gaelic football. The game association football is what is commonly known as soccer.
Usually in football, there are two teams of 11 to 18 players, who play within a specified area. To score points, each team has to move the ball over to the opponent team’s field end, either over a specific line or in to a goal area. In soccer, similar to most of the football games, it is played on a field with two teams. The ball has to be moved into the opponent team’s goal area by kicking it. Sometimes, in a game, the use of torso or head to move the ball is used. In this game, only the goalkeepers have the right to use the hands and arm to stop the ball.
For each game there is a certain conduct in which the ball is to be moved. It can be by carrying, kicking, using the whole body, or passing the ball. Soccer uses the method of kicking the ball into the goal area. It is not allowed in the game for the players to use their hands to move the ball.
The scoring nature of the different games in football is common. The team which scores the maximum goals at the end of a match is declared the winner. And if there is a tie, penalty shootouts can be given to the teams or declare the game a draw.
The shape of the ball also differs in the games. In soccer, the ball used is a sphere. This kind of ball is used in Gaelic football also. In other football games like rugby and American football, the ball has more rounded ends. The ball for Canadian and American Football has two pointed ends.
In the United Kingdom, the terms football and soccer refer to the same thing while in United States, soccer and football are two different games. The football there is more like the rugby and the players wear the armor to protect themselves from getting hurt. And in soccer, the teams use the feet to kick the ball around, and do not wear any armors.
Summary:
1. Football is the term used for many common games under the umbrella, while soccer is just one among them.
2. In different football games, the players can use the hands, feet, or whole body to move the ball, while in soccer only the feet can be used.
3. Soccer uses sphere balls, while other football games used rounded or pointed balls depending on the format of the game.