1.
Tackle (gridiron football position)
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Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions, the offensive tackle is a position on the offensive line, left and right. The term tackle is a vestige of an era of football in which the same players played both offense and defense. A tackle is the position on the offensive line. They power their blocks with quick steps and maneuverability, the tackles are mostly in charge of the outside protection. If the tight end goes out for a pass, the tackle must cover everyone that his guard does not, usually they defend against defensive ends. In the NFL, offensive tackles often measure over 6 ft 4 in and 300 lb, the Wonderlic is taken before the draft to assess each players aptitude for learning and problem solving, a score of 26 is estimated to correspond with an IQ of 112. The right tackle is usually the teams best run blocker, most running plays are towards the strong side of the offensive line. Consequently, the tackle will face the defending teams best run stoppers. He must be able to gain traction in his blocks so that the back can find a hole to run through. The left tackle is usually the teams best pass blocker, of the two tackles, the left tackles will often have better footwork and agility than the right tackle in order to counteract the pass rush of defensive ends. When a quarterback throws a pass, the quarterbacks shoulders are aligned roughly perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. Right-handed quarterbacks, the majority of players in the position, thus turn their backs to defenders coming from the left side, creating a vulnerable blind side that the left tackle must protect. A2006 book by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side, Evolution of a Game, made into a 2009 motion picture, the book and the films introduction discuss how the annual salary of left tackles in the NFL skyrocketed in the mid-90s. Recent examples include Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, Lane Johnson, Matt Kalil, Trent Williams, Jake Long, and Joe Thomas
2.
National Rugby League
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The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league clubs in Australasia. It is regarded as the worlds elite rugby league championship and, the National Rugby League is Australias top-level domestic rugby-league club competition. It contains clubs from the original Sydney club Rugby League competition and this partnership was dissolved in February 2012, with control of the NRL going to the independently formed Australian Rugby League Commission. NRL matches are played in Australia and New Zealand from March to October, in addition, the NRL premiers also play in the World Club Challenge, a pre-season match against the champions of the European Super League competition. The reigning premiers are the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks winning their maiden premiership after 50 years, the New South Wales Rugby League ran the major rugby league competition of New South Wales from its inception in 1908 until 1994. Following the 1983 season, Sydney foundation club Newtown Jets were ultimately forced to withdraw from the competition because of financial difficulties, the Brisbane and Newcastle sides proved to be successful and popular and paved the way towards a push for a truly national competition. This was attempted in 1995 with control of the passing from the NSWRFL to the Australian Rugby League. The ARL undertook moves to invite the traditional clubs that had moved to the Super League competition back into a re-unified competition. Following a period of negotiation with News Corporation, on 23 September 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new company to conduct the competition in 1998, on 7 October News Manaaki Ranginui announced that he was confident that there would be a single competition in 1998. As a result, in the months the National Rugby League, jointly owned by the ARL. Clubs on both sides of the war were shut down, One condition of the peace agreement between the ARL and News Limited was that there would be a 14 team competition in 2000. The 20 clubs that played in 1998 would be assessed on various items such as sponsorship, crowds, on-field success and it was also announced that clubs that merged would receive a large sum of money, as well as a guaranteed position in the 2000 NRL Competition. The St. George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers were the first clubs to take up the offer, the 1999 NRL Grand Final brought about a new official world record attendance for a game of rugby league. 107,999 spectators saw the Melbourne Storm defeat the newly created St. George Illawarra Dragons in the decider at Stadium Australia. Balmain and Western Suburbs formed the club, the Wests Tigers at the end of 1999, while North Sydney. As part of another image makeover, a number of teams also released new club logos, the most notable of these was the Sydney Roosters, dropping the City section of their name for the 2000 season and beyond. Souths were controversially axed from the competition at the end of 1999 for failing to meet the criteria and this move was highly controversial and on 12 November 2000 about 80,000 marched in protest at their continued exclusion. South Sydney challenged the decision in the Federal Court claiming that the NRL agreement was exclusionary, intended to unfairly exclude South Sydney, justice Paul Finn ruled that the agreement did not specifically exclude any club and dismissed the Rabbitohs claims for re-instatement into the national competition
3.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
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The Manly–Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby Leagues Telstra Premiership, the rugby league competition of Australia. The Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club competed in the NSWRL, ARL and NRL every season until 1999. At the end of 1999, the club entered into a joint venture with the North Sydney Bears to form the Northern Eagles, which Rugby League statisticians regard as a different club. The Northern Eagles competed in 2000 and 2001, before the joint venture collapsed and they abandoned the Northern Eagles brand at the start of the 2003 season. Since winning their first premiership in 1972, the club has won a total of eight First Grade titles, the clubs eight titles span five consecutive decades. Since their first Grand Final appearance in 1951, the club has appeared in 19 Grand Finals across seven consecutive decades, the club has never won the wooden spoon in its 70 seasons, the longest period of any current club. Cliff Lyons holds the record for most first-grade games for Manly-Warringah with 309, Steve Menzies played 349 games, the record for most points scored is held by Graham Eadie with 1,917 points and Matthew Ridge has the highest total in one season, scoring 257 in 1995. The NSWRL accepted Manlys application and, along with Parramatta, they were granted admission to the 1947 competition, the North Sydney Bears endured an exodus of players to the newly formed team. The Bears lost half of their games in 1947, before spending the four seasons at the bottom of the ladder. For their emblem they chose the sea eagle – the native bird of prey of the Sydney coastline, although a number of media writers referred to Manly as the sea gulls, the club maintains that it has always officially been the Sea Eagles. Manlys first premiership game was against the Western Suburbs Magpies at Brookvale Oval on Saturday 12 April 1947, max Whitehead, who had first played for Norths in 1942 and was a member of their 1943 Grand Final team, was Manlys first captain. Whitehead was a big barrel-chested second rower who was used by Bonds as the model for their iconic Chesty Bond character and their first win was against the Parramatta Eels and the club finished their first season in second last place. Manlys first Grand Final appearance was in the 1951 season, which they lost to South Sydney, Manly-Warringah played in five Grand Finals before winning their first premiership in 1972. They then won the year in 1973 and again in 1976 and 1978. The 1973 final against Cronulla is reputed to be one of the hardest and toughest grand finals, there were several incidents of players being hurt, in particular very tough and hard English import Mal Reilly was taken out early and didnt take any further part in the game. Manly were powerful in the early 80s but were beaten in two consecutive Grand finals by Parramatta, in 1982 and 1983 and their next premiership was won against the Canberra Raiders in the 1987 Grand final. Coached by Bob Fulton, the Sea Eagles returned to the play-offs in 1993 and 1994 but were beaten on each occasions in the first elimination semi-final by the Brisbane Broncos
4.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
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The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League, Australasias premier rugby league competition, the club competed in every premiership season since then and, during the Super League war, joined the rebel competition before continuing on in the re-united NRL Premiership. The Sharks have been in competition for 50 years, appearing in four grand finals, Cronulla earned immediate recognition when they beat Eastern Suburbs at the Sydney Sports Ground in their first match. They had only two wins, against Norths and Parramatta, and finished last on the competition table. In mid-1968 the club moved permanently to Endeavour Field at Woolooware and their first match there was against Parramatta and the Cronulla Sharks won 10–7. Cronulla made their first grand final in 1973 against Manly Warringah losing 10-7, Cronulla met the Sea Eagles again in the 1978 grand final, leading 7–2 well into the second half, before Manly came back and brought the scoreboard to 7-11. It took a penalty goal from Steve Rogers to level scores at 11-all by full-time. The replay saw the Sharks opportunity pass by as they fielded a team due to further injuries. Cronulla were without suspended stars Greg Pierce and Dane Sorensen in both games, while hooker John McMartin, fullback Mick Mullane and Barry Andrews were all injured for the replay, Cronulla suffered major financial trouble in 1983, with the NSWRL appointing an administrator and providing a loan. Western Suburbs and Newtown, both in a predicament, were refused a loan, with Newtown being forced out of the competition. Cronulla also made the final of the mid-week KB Cup, but lost again to Manly, in 1985, Cronulla was buoyed by the arrival of super coach Jack Gibson, who had coached Easts and Parramatta to premierships. However, Russell dislocated his shoulder two weeks before the finals, and missed the semi-final where Cronulla went down to Canterbury and he was rushed back in for the final against Balmain, but he was severely hampered by the injury, and Cronulla were bundled out. A bright spot for the Sharks, though, was the selection in the Australian team of Miller, and young centres, Ettingshausen and Mark McGaw. In 1989, Cronulla sneaked into the finals after thrashing Illawarra 46–14 in the final round, however, they could not repeat the performance in their semi-final against eventual premiers Canberra, in what was their third game in seven days. Gavin Miller was rewarded for another year with both the Dally M Player of the Year award and the Rothmans Medal. However, Cronulla were forced into receivership in 1993, beetson was replaced as coach in 1994 by John Lang, a former Australian hooker, and coach of the Brisbane Easts team. Lang brought halfback, Paul Green, down from Brisbane with him, a golden age for the club had begun, signalled by the two lower grade teams winning their competitions. During John Langs coaching period, from 1994 to 2001, Cronulla made the semi-finals every year except for 1994 and 1998, the club had a glamorous image and attracted record crowds, with a corresponding financial improvement
5.
Football
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Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. Unqualified, the football is understood to refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears. Sports commonly called football in certain places include, association football, gridiron football, Australian rules football, rugby football and these different variations of football are known as football codes. Various forms of football can be identified in history, often as popular peasant games, contemporary codes of football can be traced back to the codification of these games at English public schools during the nineteenth century. The expanse of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread to areas of British influence outside of the directly controlled Empire, in 1888, The Football League was founded in England, becoming the first of many professional football competitions. During the twentieth century, several of the kinds of football grew to become some of the most popular team sports in the world. They tend to use throwing and running as the ways of moving the ball. Body tackling is a skill, and games typically involve short passages of play of 5–90 seconds. Association football, Australian rules football and Gaelic football tend to use kicking to move the ball around the pitch, body tackles are less central to the game, and players are freer to move around the field. Common rules among the sports include, Two teams of usually between 11 and 18 players, some variations that have fewer players are also popular, a clearly defined area in which to play the game. Scoring goals or points by moving the ball to an opposing teams end of the field and either into a goal area, goals or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts. The goal or line being defended by the opposing team, players being required to move the ball—depending on the code—by kicking, carrying, or hand-passing the ball. Players using only their body to move the ball, in all codes, common skills include passing, tackling, evasion of tackles, catching and kicking. In most codes, there are rules restricting the movement of players offside, there are conflicting explanations of the origin of the word football. It is widely assumed that the word refers to the action of the foot kicking a ball. There is an explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe. There is no evidence for either explanation. The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played ball games
6.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities
7.
Navy Midshipmen football
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The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Naval Academy completed its season as an FBS independent school in 2014. The team has coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007. Navy has 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame and won the football national championship in 1926 according to the Boand. The 1910 team also was undefeated and unscored upon, the mascot is Bill the Goat. The Naval Academys football program is one of the nations oldest, there were two separate efforts to establish a Naval Academy football team in 1879. The first was guided by first-classman J. H. Robinson, the team played the sport under rules that made it much closer to soccer, where the players were permitted only to kick the ball in order to advance it. The second effort, headed by first-classman William John Maxwell was more successful in its efforts, Maxwell met with two of his friends, Tunstall Smith and Henry Woods, who played for the Baltimore Athletic Club and officially challenged their team to a game with the Naval Academy. A team was formed from academy first-classmen, which Maxwell led as a manager, trainer, the team would wake up and practice before reveille and following drill and meals. The squad received encouragement from some of the faculty, who allowed them to eat a late dinner and this was against the direct orders of the school superintendent, who had banned football and similar activities. The years sole contest was played on December 11 against the Baltimore Athletic Club, the oppositions team was reportedly composed of players from Princeton, Yale, Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins. The Naval Academy hosted the Baltimore team on a temporary field drawn on part of the cow pasture. Rules decided upon between the teams established that the game was to be played under rugby rules. The Baltimore American and Chronicle, which covered the contest, described it as such, The game, played rugby rules, was a battle from beginning to end—a regular knock down. Both sides became immediately excited and the audience was aroused to the highest pitch of enthusiasm by the spirited contest, the ball oscillated backward and forward over the ground without any material result. The scrimmages were something awful to witness—living, kicking, scrambling masses of humanity surging to and fro, each individual after the leather oval. If a Baltimorean got the ball and started for a run, he was caught by one of the brawny Cadets. The game was fought and was finally declared a scoreless tie by the referee about an hour after it began
8.
Quarterback
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A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
9.
UMass Minutemen football
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The Massachusetts Minutemen football team is a collegiate football team representing the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Minutemen currently compete as an Independent, UMass began play in 1879 and have since appeared in three FCS National Championship games, winning the title in 1998. The Minutemen began a two-year Football Bowl Subdivision transition period in 2011, UMass announced that it would look for a more suitable conference for the team. Possibilities included going independent or joining the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, in September 2014, UMass announced that they would be going independent in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Mark Whipple is the football coach. UMass began playing football on November 22,1879, when the school was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College, and the team was known as the Aggies. They were first organized the previous fall by Francis Codman, but did not play their first game until November 22,1879, defeating the Amherst College freshman team 4–0. As this was their game that year,1879 is noted as their first undefeated season, matched only by the 1889 season. The first meeting between the Aggies and each of the schools resulted in a shutout win for Massachusetts, as they defeated Connecticut, 36–0, in 1897 and Rhode Island, 46–0. Massachusetts won their 100th game on October 2,1920, topping rival Connecticut in a 28–0 shutout, the team played their 1000th game on November 11,2000, losing to conference foe Delaware, 19-31. The teams nickname has endured several changes throughout the years, though the official nickname remained Aggies, Statesmen was also used interchangeably beginning when the school was renamed to Massachusetts State College in 1931. The nickname was changed to the Redmen when the name of the college became the University of Massachusetts in 1947. Pittsburgh assistant coach Vic Fusia took over the Redmen football program in 1961 and under his tutelage, the Fusia era included an undefeated 8–0–1 campaign in 1963 as well as records of 8–2, 7–2, 6–3 and 7–2 in the following years. However, two losing records in three seasons led to Fusias dismissal after the 1970 season, denver Broncos linebackers and defensive backs coach Dick MacPherson, a former UMass assistant from 1959-1960, took over after Fusias firing. Under MacPherson, the Redmen compiled a record of 45–27–1, bob Pickett was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach of the Minutemen football program in 1978. Under Picketts tutelage, the Minutemen won four championships and compiled a record of 36–28. Despite the successes, back-to-back losing seasons in 1982 and 1983 led to Picketts dismissal, under Stull, the Minutemen struggled to a two-win campaign in 1984 but improved to seven wins in 1985. Jim Reid was promoted from defensive coordinator following Stulls departure and led the Minutemen for six seasons, Reid and UMass parted ways after the 1991 season
10.
Linebacker
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A linebacker is a playing position in American football and Canadian football. Linebackers are members of the team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen, and therefore back up the line. Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a two point stance, the goal of the linebacker is to provide either extra run protection or extra pass protection based on the particular defensive play being executed. Another key play of the position is blitzing. A blitz occurs when a linebacker acts as a pass rusher running into any exposed gap. When a blitz is called by the defense, it is mainly to sack or hurry the opposing offenses quarterback. Linebackers are often regarded as the most important position in defence, due to their versatility in providing hard hits on running plays or a layer of pass protection. Similar to the safety position, linebackers are required to use their judgment on every snap. Before the advent of the two platoon system with units for offense and defense, the player who was the teams center on offense was often, though not always. Hence today one usually sees four defensive linemen to the five or more. Most sources claim coach Fielding H. Yost and center Germany Schulz of the University of Michigan invented the position, Schulz was Yosts first linebacker in 1904 when he stood up from his usual position on the line. Yost was horrified at first, but came to see the wisdom in Schulzs innovation, william Dunn of Penn St. was another Western linebacker soon after Schulz. However, there are historical claims tied to the linebacker position. For example, Percy Given of Georgetown is another center with a claim to the title first linebacker, despite Given, most sources have the first linebacker in the South as Frank Juhan of Sewanee. In the East, Ernest Cozens of Penn was one of the first of the centers, another, archaic term for the position. Walter E. Bachman of Lafayette was said to be the developer of the roving center concept, edgar Garbisch of Army was credited with developing the roving center method of playing defensive football in 1921. In professional football, Cal Hubbard is credited with pioneering the linebacker position and he starred as a tackle and end, playing off the line in a style similar to that of a modern linebacker. The middle or inside linebacker, sometimes called Mike or Mohr, is referred to as the quarterback of the defense
11.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
12.
Canadian football
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In Canada, the term football may refer to Canadian football and American football collectively, or to either sport specifically, depending on context. The two sports have shared origins and are related but have significant differences. Rugby football in Canada originated in the early 1860s, and over time, active teams such as the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have similar longevity. The CFL is the most popular and only major professional Canadian football league and its championship game, the Grey Cup, is one of Canadas largest sporting events, attracting a broad television audience, though it has been shrinking in recent years. In 2009, about 40% of Canadas population watched part of the game, in 2014, it was closer to 33%, great achievements in Canadian football are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame located in Hamilton, Ontario. Other organizations across Canada perform senior league Canadian football during the summer, the first documented football match was a practice game played on November 9,1861, at University College, University of Toronto. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was Sir William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. The first written account of a game played was on October 15,1862 and it was between the First Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Second Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards resulting in a win by the Grenadier Guards 3 goals,2 rouges to nothing. In 1864, at Trinity College, Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, Frederick A. Bethune, the game gradually gained a following, with the Hamilton Football Club formed on November 3,1869. Montreal formed a team April 8,1872, Toronto was formed on October 4,1873, and this rugby-football soon became popular at Montreals McGill University. McGill challenged Harvard University to a game, in 1874 using a game of English rugby devised by the University of McGill. Later both the Ontario and Quebec Rugby Football Union were formed, and then the Interprovincial and Western Interprovincial Football Union, the CRFU reorganized into an umbrella organization forming the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891. The original forerunners to the current Canadian Football League, was established in 1956 when the IRFU and WIFU formed an umbrella organization, and then in 1958 the CFC left The CRFU to become the CFL. The Burnside rules closely resembling American football that were incorporated in 1903 by The ORFU, was an effort to distinguish it from a more rugby-oriented game, the rules were an attempt to standardize the rules throughout the country. The CIRFU, QRFU and CRU refused to adopt the new rules at first, the primary differences between the Canadian and American games stem from rule changes that the American side of the border adopted but the Canadian side did not. The Canadian field width was one rule that was not based on American rules, as the Canadian game was played in wider fields, initially an amateur competition, it eventually became dominated by professional teams in the 1940s and early 1950s. The Ontario Rugby Football Union, the last amateur organization to compete for the trophy, the move ushered in the modern era of Canadian professional football. Canadian football has mostly been confined to Canada, with the United States being the other country to have hosted high-level Canadian football games
13.
Dead ball
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In baseball, when the ball is alive, the game can proceed. The pitcher may pitch the ball, the batter may attempt to hit such a pitch, baserunners may attempt to advance at their own risk, and the defense may attempt to put the batter or baserunners out. The ball becomes live when the pitcher is on the pitchers plate ready to pitch, the batter, catcher, and the umpire are all ready, the ball remains alive until it becomes dead by a number of different occurrences. Thus, the ball remains alive even after playing action ends. Technically, the ball remains alive between half-innings, though no action can occur after the end of a half-inning until the first pitch of the next half-inning, participants must always be alert and attentive when the ball is alive, vigilance can be relaxed when the ball is dead. Thus it is important for players to know whether the ball is alive. One infamous incident occurred in Game 2 of the 1998 American League Championship Series, with Enrique Wilson on first base and no outs, the Indians Travis Fryman laid down a bunt that first baseman Tino Martinez fielded inside the line. Martinezs throw to Chuck Knoblauch, covering first base, hit Fryman in the back, instead of chasing down the ball, Knoblauch ignored it to argue with umpire Ted Hendry, claiming interference by Fryman. During the debate, Wilson rounded the bases to score the go-ahead run, Knoblauch later confessed that he saw the play as a no-brainer interference call, and he likely assumed that the ball would become dead. However, this call was the very call in dispute. The Yankees thus lost that game but went on to win the series anyway
14.
Quarterback sack
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A quarterback that is pressured but avoids a sack can still be adversely affected by being forced to hurry. In the National Football League, it is possible to record a sack for zero yards, the QB must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack. A sack is also credited when a defender causes the quarterback to fumble the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage, to be considered a sack the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass. If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush the ball, if the quarterbacks intent is not obvious, statisticians use certain criteria, such as the offensive line blocking scheme, to decide. Unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterbacks rushing total are kneel downs, a player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback, even if more than two players contributed. In the NFL yards lost on the play are added as negative yardage to the teams passing totals, however, NCAA continues to subtract sack yardage from individual rushing totals. The term sack was first popularized by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones in the 1960s, according to former NFL coach Marv Levy, it was Washington Redskins coach George Allen who actually coined the term when referring to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton. Allen purportedly stated before a game, Before we play those Dallas Cowboys, we’re going to take that Morton salt, prior to sack, the term dump was often used, and the NFLs statistical office recorded all sacks under dumping the passer. The NFL only began to track of times passers lost yardage in 1961. Researcher John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association estimated that Jones recorded 173 1⁄2 sacks in his career, of all forms of defensive pressure against the oppositions passer, sacks provide the most immediate impact by ending the offensive play. However, quarterbacks sometimes avoid a sack by throwing a pass or risking an interception. According to Football Outsiders, a quarterback hurry is the most common form of pass pressure. In the 2009 NFL season, there were 1,106 sacks and 3,268 hurries,30,2007 NFL Game More Sacks Taken than Yards Passing, Five sacks and four yards passing by Colin Kaepernick on Dec.4,2016. NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, single game, 3*** Reggie White – Green Bay vs, new England, XXXI Darnell Dockett – Arizona vs. Pittsburgh, XLIII Kony Ealy – Carolina vs. Denver,50 Grady Jarrett – Atlanta vs. New England, LI NFL Super Bowl Most sacks, career,4, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Michael Strahan is attributed the single season record. **Al Bubba Baker had 23 sacks in his rookie 1978 season, however, as sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point, Jevon Kearse is attributed the single season rookie record. Since 1982, when the NFL first began keeping track of sacks, only 31 players have managed to reach the 100 sack milestone
15.
Line of scrimmage
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In American and Canadian football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end of the most recent play, a line of scrimmage is parallel to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground prior to the snap. Under NFL, NCAA, and NFHS rules, there are two lines of scrimmage at the outset of each play, one restricts the offense. The area between the two lines is called the neutral zone, only the center, the offensive player who snaps the ball, is allowed to have any part of his body in the neutral zone. In Canadian football, the team on defense must line up no nearer than a yard to the line of scrimmage, in American football, they must only be beyond the line. Many fans and commentators refer colloquially to the neutral zone as the line of scrimmage. Others use the term to refer specifically to the defensive line of scrimmage. Referees, when explaining a penalty, will refer to the spot instead of the line of scrimmage in order to avoid confusion. Modern video techniques enable broadcasts of American football to display a visible line on the screen representing the line of scrimmage, the line is tapered according to camera angle and gets occluded by players and other objects as if the line were painted on the field. The line may represent the line of scrimmage or the distance that the ball must be moved for the offensive team to achieve a first down. Scrummage Glossary of American football Walter Camp, formal creator of the line of scrimmage in 1880 Comparison of Canadian and American football
16.
Football helmet
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The football helmet is a piece of protective equipment used mainly in American football and Canadian football. It consists of a plastic shell with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more plastic-coated metal bars. Helmets are a requirement at all levels of organized football, except for variations such as flag football. Although they are protective, players can and do still suffer head injuries such as concussions, one of the first instances of football headgear dates to 1896 when Lafayette College halfback George Rose Barclay began to use straps and earpieces to protect his ears. It is not certain who invented the football helmet, reeves had been advised by a Navy doctor that another kick to his head would result in instant insanity or even death, so he commissioned an Annapolis shoemaker to make him a helmet out of leather. Later, helmets were made of padded leather and resembled aviators helmets or modern day scrum caps, at least in professional football, they were optional. Some National Football League players, notably Hall-of-Famer Bill Hewitt, played all or most of their careers without a helmet, one innovation from the early 1900s period was hardened leather. 1917 marked the first time helmets were raised above the head in an attempt to direct blows away from the top of the head, ear flaps also had their downfall during this period as they had little ventilation and made it difficult for players to hear. The 1920s marked the first time helmets were widely used in the sport of football. These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside, in addition, they lacked face masks. As a result, injuries were very common, early helmets also absorbed a lot of heat, making them very uncomfortable to wear. In 1939, the Riddell Company of Chicago, Illinois started manufacturing plastic helmets because it felt that plastic helmets would be safer than those made of leather, plastic was found to be more effective because it held its shape when full collision contact occurred on a play. These helmets were also more comfortable and had more padding to cushion the head in an impact. Included with the helmet came plastic face mask, which allowed the helmet to protect the entire head. By the mid-1940s, helmets were required in the NFL and they were still made of leather, but with improved manufacturing techniques had assumed their more familiar spherical shape. By the 1950s, the introduction of polymers ended the leather helmet era, the NFL also recommended face masks for players in 1955, reducing the number of broken noses and teeth, but also necessitating new rules prohibiting opposing players from grabbing the face mask. Vin Ferrara, a former Harvard quarterback, accidentally discovered a new way to cushion football helmets, one night, Ferrara was looking for an aspirin when he saw a squirt bottle in his medicine cabinet. As he pumped it and then punched it, he realized that the bottle withstood the blows of different forces, Ferrara immediately came up with the idea to encase football helmets with a number of inflatable pockets in order to cushion the blows a football player receives to reduce concussions
17.
Helmet-to-helmet collision
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Helmet-to-helmet collisions are occurrences in American football when two players helmets make head-to-head contact with a high degree of force. Despite its long association with the sport, this type of contact is now considered to be dangerous play by league due to the potential of causing serious injury. Intentionally causing a collision is banned in most, if not all, football leagues. The crackdown on helmet-to-helmet collisions has resulted in reappraisals of the sport, an image of two helmets smashing together—which had been a staple for 20 years—was dropped in 2006 from Monday Night Football on ESPN. The NFL also ordered Toyota Motor Company to stop using a similar collision in its advertisements. Helmet-to-helmet hits are banned in the NFL, with a penalty of 15 yards for violations, in 2010, the NFL placed its policies pertaining to these incidents under review, considering heavy fines and suspensions. In addition to prohibiting these hits during actual play, the NFL does not allow the sale of these hits on its site in hopes of reducing them, the Canadian Football League prohibits the use of the helmet to butt, ram, or spear an opponent. Players are penalized for what is not deemed to be a football play. In the NCAA, helmet-to-helmet collisions have been banned for years, in 2005, the NCAA took the word intentional out of the rules in hopes of reducing these incidents even further. If the ejection occurred in the half or in overtime. This rule was revised in 2014 to overturn the yardage penalty in addition to the if the players hit is not flagrant. The rule was revised in 2016 to allow replay officials to call penalties if they were missed by on-field officials. In 2011, a Frostburg State player died from a helmet-to-helmet collision, on October 17,2011, a 16-year-old high school football player in Homer, New York died from bleeding in the brain suffered from a helmet-to-helmet collision. On December 13,2011, the NFL suspended Steelers linebacker James Harrison for one game for a hit that caused Browns quarterback Colt McCoy to suffer a concussion. It was the first time the NFL ever suspended anyone for this violation, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he chose to suspend Harrison because it was his fifth such hit in three years. The suspension cost Harrison $215,000 in salary
18.
Glossary of American football
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The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football, for a list of unique to that code. 2-4-5 defense A type of formation with two linemen, four linebackers, and five defensive backs. More common among teams with 3-4 base defenses than the 3-3-5 and this maximizes versatility for the defense against three- and four-WR offensive sets. A safety will often cover the fourth receiver, and a linebacker will cover the end or halfback. The 2-4-5 is most often used against the offense, when substituting players may be difficult. 3–3–5 defense A variation of the formation with three linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs. 3–4 defense A defensive formation with three linemen and four linebackers, a professional derivative in the 1970s of the earlier Oklahoma or 50 defense, which had five linemen and two linebackers. The 3-4 outside linebackers resemble stand-up ends in the older defense and it is sometimes pronounced thirty-four defense. 4–3 defense A defensive formation with four linemen and three linebackers, first used by coaches Joe Kuharich and Tom Landry. It is sometimes pronounced forty-three defense,46 defense Usually pronounced forty-six defense, a formation of the 4-3 defense featuring several dramatic shifts of personnel. The remaining safety, which is the safety, stays in the backfield. It was invented by Buddy Ryan during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and was popularized by the Bears during their Super Bowl XX championship season,50 defense or 5-2 defense A once popular college defense with five defensive linemen and two linebackers. Also known as the Oklahoma defense, it is very similar to the 3-4. In the 50 defense, the uses a nose tackle. It maximizes size along the line of scrimmage and is used in high school against teams that run the ball a lot. 53-man roster The most players a National Football League team can carry on its roster at the start of the regular season. To reach the deadline, teams can cut players, add players to their practice squad, 7-box or 7-2-2 defense A defensive formation with seven linemen, two linebackers, and two defensive backs
19.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
20.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
21.
Alessandro Diamanti
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Alessandro Diamanti is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Palermo. At club level, he has played for Prato, Empoli, Fucecchio, Florentia, AlbinoLeffe, Livorno, West Ham United, Brescia, Bologna, Fiorentina, Watford. At international level, he represented Italy at Euro 2012, winning a runners-up medal, Diamanti spent his early career with Prato, Empoli, Florentia and AlbinoLeffe. Having scored 15 goals in 31 outings during season 2006–07 he signed for Serie A side Livorno, Diamanti made 14 starts and 12 substitute appearances in his first season with the Tuscany side. He stayed with Livorno when they were relegated to Serie B due to finishing last in 2007–2008, on 23 August 2009, Diamanti played in Livornos opening day fixture in Serie A, a 0–0 home draw against Cagliari. In the process, Diamanti became the 800th player in West Ham Uniteds history. He scored his first West Ham goal from the penalty spot, albeit controversially as he fell over on run up, Diamanti scored eight goals, though only three came from open play with most coming from penalty kicks. On 4 May 2010 he was voted runner-up as Hammer of the Year by the supporters, for the 2009–10 season. On 24 August 2010, Serie A club Brescia bought Diamanti for €2.2 million from West Ham with an additional €300,000 to be paid if Brescia secured their Serie A status from the coming campaign. Brescia also announced in its report that Diamanti had cost €3.85 million. In his debut season at Brescia, Diamanti scored 6 Serie A goals and his sixth goal came in a 2–1 loss against Catania which confirmed Brescias relegation to the Serie B, just one season after promotion to the Italian topflight. On 1 August 2011, Diamanti was signed by Serie A side Bologna in a deal with Brescia. Diamantis first goal for the club came in a 3–1 home defeat to Internazionale, in Claudio Ranieris first game in charge of the Milan-based club, on 24 September. Diamanti scored the goal of a 3–1 away victory over Lazio on 11 March 2012 with a thirty-yard strike over out of position goalkeeper Federico Marchetti. On 12 April, Diamanti scored an incredible free-kick against Cagliari to move his side up to 40 points, on 16 September 2012, Diamanti scored in between strikes from Alberto Gilardino to help Bologna to a 3–2 comeback victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Diamanti put the finishing touches on a comfortable 3–0 defeat of Palermo on 18 November, on 2 December, Diamanti netted from a free-kick as Bologna earned a hard fought 2–1 victory over Atalanta, courtesy of a second-half goal from teammate Manolo Gabbiadini. On 7 February 2014, Bologna and Guangzhou Evergrande officially announced an agreement over transferring Diamanti to Guangzhou Evergrande with a fee of €6.9 million. He made his appearance for Guangzhou in a 4–2 win over Melbourne Victory on 26 February 2014 in the first group match of the 2014 Asian Champions League
22.
Steven Gerrard
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Steven George Gerrard, MBE is an English football coach and former player who currently serves as Academy coach at Liverpool. He played as a midfielder and spent the majority of his career playing for Premier League club Liverpool. Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Anfield, making his Liverpool debut in 1998, cementing his place in the first team in 2000 and his honours include two FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup, and one UEFA Super Cup. Gerrard scored Liverpools first goal and won the penalty kick for the third as Liverpool came from 3–0 down to defeat Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final and he joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in July 2015, spending one-and-a-half seasons there before retiring on 24 November 2016. He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012, Gerrard became the sixth player to win 100 caps for England in 2012, and is currently fourth in the countrys all-time appearance list. He ended his career in July 2014, having won 114 caps. Regarded to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Gerrard came second to Kenny Dalglish in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, a 2008 Liverpool fan poll, and first in 2013. Zinedine Zidane and Pelé said in 2009 that they considered Gerrard to be the best footballer in the world, in 2005, Gerrard was honoured as the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and won the Ballon dOr Bronze Award. Born in Whiston, Merseyside, Gerrard started out playing for hometown team Whiston Juniors and he joined the Liverpool Academy at age nine. He attended Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School, Gerrard had trials with various clubs at fourteen, but his success wasnt immediate — Gerrard never made it into the England schoolboys team. Gerrards trials included Manchester United, which he claimed in his 2006 autobiography was to pressure Liverpool into giving me a YTS contract and he signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 5 November 1997. Gerrard made his Liverpool first-team debut on 29 November 1998 in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers as a substitute for Vegard Heggem. He made thirteen appearances in his season, filling in for injured captain Jamie Redknapp in centre-midfield. He also occasionally played on the wing, but he scarcely contributed in the short on-pitch time he received. Gerrard recalled in a November 2008 interview with The Guardian, I was out of position, the Liverpool hierarchy nonetheless remained convinced that he would improve. Gerrard saw himself as a player primarily, looking to make key tackles rather than push the team forward. Gerrard began to regularly partner Redknapp in central midfield for the 1999–2000 season, later that season, Gerrard scored his first senior goal in a 4–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. He was then beset by injuries that required four separate operations
23.
UEFA Euro 2012
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The 2012 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for mens national football teams organised by UEFA. Poland and Ukraines bid was chosen by UEFAs Executive Committee on 18 April 2007, the two host teams qualified automatically while the remaining 14 finalists were decided through a qualifying competition, featuring 51 teams, from August 2010 to November 2011. This was the last European Championship to employ the 16-team finals format in use since 1996, from Euro 2016 onward, Euro 2012 was played at eight venues, four in each host country. Five new stadiums were built for the tournament, and the hosts invested heavily in improving infrastructure such as railways, Euro 2012 set attendance records for the 16-team format, for the highest aggregate attendance and average per game. Spain became the first team to win two consecutive European Championships, and also three major tournaments. Spain had already gained entry to the 2013 Confederations Cup by winning the 2010 World Cup, as at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, both 2012 host nations were eliminated in the group stage. The hosting of the event was contested by five bids representing seven countries, Croatia–Hungary, Greece, Italy, Poland–Ukraine. In November 2005, after a consideration of the bid data by UEFA. In May 2006, this was followed by a round of the selection process. The final decision was due to be announced on 8 December 2006 in Nyon, on 18 April 2007, the Poland–Ukraine bid was chosen by a vote of the UEFA Executive Committee, at a meeting in Cardiff. Poland–Ukraine became the successful joint bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium–Netherlands. Their bid received a majority of votes, and was therefore announced the winner. There were some alterations from the initial bid plan, regarding the venues. The draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition took place in Warsaw on 7 February 2010, fifty-one teams entered to compete for the fourteen remaining places in the finals, alongside co-hosts Poland and Ukraine. The teams were divided into nine groups, with the using the new UEFA national team coefficient for the first time in order to determine the seedings. As defending champions, Spain was automatically top seeded, the qualifying process began in August 2010 and concluded in November 2011. At the conclusion of the group stage in October 2011. The remaining eight-second placed teams contested two-legged play-offs, and the four qualified for the finals
24.
Sliding tackle
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A sliding tackle or slide tackle is a tackle in football. It is completed one leg extended to push the ball away from the opposing player. Sliding tackles can often be sources of controversy, particularly when players being tackled fall down over the tacklers foot, a sliding tackle is not in itself foul play, however, there are a number of fouls that commonly occur during the execution of a sliding tackle. Careless means that the player has shown a lack of attention of consideration when making a challenge or that he acted without precaution, reckless means that the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent. Using excessive force means that the player has far exceeded the use of force and is in danger of injuring an opponent. Careless challenges are punished by only a free kick or penalty kick. Playing in a manner is punishable by an indirect free kick. Playing in a manner is defined as any action, that while trying to play the ball. It is committed with an opponent nearby and prevents the opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury, if any physical contact is made, the offence becomes an offence punishable with a direct free kick or penalty kick. This is still the case if the ball is won cleanly without touching an opponent. The slide tackle is attractive to the defender because it allows him or her to cover an area of ground while attempting to dispossess an opponent. It is often an attempt to dispossess an opponent due to frequent misses. After a slide tackle, the tackler is left sitting or lying on the ground with one leg extended, the tackler therefore also runs the risk of personal injury. Ideally, the other ends up folded underneath their rear end. If doing a sliding tackle to the left, the left leg must be straight
25.
Australian rules football in Nauru
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Australian rules football in Nauru dates back to the 1930s and quickly established itself, along with weightlifting as the national sport of the country. The overall participation rate of over 30% is the highest for the sport in the world, the football league system consists of one national league, run by the Nauru Australian Football Association, based in the Linkbelt Oval, the countrys only active stadium. The surface of the oval is crushed phosphate dust, Australian rules was first played by Nauruan schoolchildren in the 1930s in schools in Victoria, Australia. Among these schoolkids was Hammer DeRoburt, schools in Geelong and Melbourne in Victoria were popular destinations of Nauruan schoolchildren of secondary-school age. After DeRoburt left Australia, he headed back to Nauru with a couple of friends, Naurus president Marcus Stephen played for the local Aces team before going on to win multiple medals in Olympic weightlifting which also became a popular sport in Nauru. In 2006 games in the NAFA final Series was stopped by the Minister for Sports after thugs, hooligans, New clubs participating in the competition are BOE Lions, Ace Magpies and Anibare Dockers. The senior league is made up of 7 teams, with a league of 5 teams. The NAFA championship final is an event which has in the past attracted up to 3,000 spectators. The Chiefs are Naurus national team and compete in national competitions. Nauru first participated in the 1995 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia, the team, coached by former VFL/AFL player Mark Yeates finished third, winning the Bronze medal. In 2000, the Chiefs travelled to Queensland to compete in the inaugural Web Sports Cup to compete against teams from Samoa, in 2001, the Chiefs again travelled to Queensland winning another two matches, one against the Gold Coast Old Boys. In the same year the Chiefs won the medal at the 2001 Arafura Games. At the Australian Football International Cup in 2002, the Chiefs finished in 8th place, Nauru withdrew from the 2005 International Cup. They successfully raised the required to attend the 2008 event. A number of members of the team were placed with clubs in country Victoria to spend a few months developing their skills before the tournament. The team performed exceptionally, being beaten once in the pool round by the eventual winners Papua New Guinea to place 5th overall. The main sponsors of the NAFA are Capelle & Partner, M & M, OD N Aiwo Hotel, the winning team of the top league is granted a free flight to Australia, courtesy of Our Airline, the second biggest financial supporter of the NAFA. Sport in Nauru Menen Stadium Australian Football in Nauru
26.
Australian rules football
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The main way to score points is by kicking the oval-shaped ball between the two tall goal posts. The team with the score by the end of the match wins unless a draw is declared. During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field, the primary methods are kicking, handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled, for example, throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch a ball from a kick are awarded possession, possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid. Players can tackle using their hands or use their body to obstruct opponents. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking, fast movement of players and the ball and high scoring. The sports origins can be traced to matches played in Melbourne, Victoria in 1858. Its annual Grand Final is the highest attended club championship event in the world, the sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations. The games rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFLs Laws of the Game Committee, there is evidence of football being played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. The earliest such match, held in St Kilda on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School in England and his letter is regarded by many historians as giving impetus for the development of a new code of football today known as Australian football. Two weeks later, Wills friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant, posted an advertisement for a match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This was the first of several kickabouts held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley, trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in the British Isles. Another significant milestone in 1858 was a match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College, held at the Richmond Paddock. This 40-a-side contest, umpired by Wills and Scotch College teacher John Macadam, began on 7 August and it is commemorated with a statue outside the MCG, and the two schools have competed annually ever since in the Cordner-Eggleston Cup, the worlds oldest continuous football competition. Since the early 20th century, it has suggested that Australian football was derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football
27.
Shepherding (Australian rules football)
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Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football, a team sport. Shepherding is the act of pushing, bumping or blocking an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest. The term originates from the shepherd, someone who influences the movement of sheep in a paddock. Through shepherding, Australian football players are able to influence the movement of their opponents, the prevalence of shepherding is distinctive in Australian rules football as it is an illegal form of play in many other codes of football where it is subject to obstruction rules. It is completely banned in soccer, in rugby, it is illegal to tackle or obstruct any player not carrying the ball. Ice hockey allows only on a player in possession, as does gaelic football, the concept of shepherding, however, is very similar to blocking in American Football. In marking and ruck contests, no shepherding is allowed, players may not make high or low contact during a shepherd, nor hold their opponents, free kicks should result from any of these infractions. Shepherding is classified as a one percenter skill and is an important aspect of team play, because shepherding can be applied regardless of whether the player is in possession, this gives players the choice of playing the man and not the ball. In circumstances where two players contest a loose ball, a player in a position or with a weight advantage might decide to take his opponent out first. Others, however, may have no intentions for the ball at all, the decision process effects the way players are perceived. A player may be commended for their protection of their teammates, setting up play, at the same time players who bump but do not contest the ball too often can be seen by some as dirty and unsportsmanlike. There are varied techniques of shepherding, A player can legally bump any opponent who is five metres of the ball. Charging a player is not a legal bump and is penalised with a kick and can be reported. Though generally, a charge will tend occur outside five metres and other criteria are taken into account, such as, severity of contact, intent or recklessness, and injury caused. As bumps can cause injury, there are rules to protect players. Although arm contact is allowed whilst shepherding, no contact can be made with the head of an opponent whilst bumping, incidental clashes of heads can sometimes happen when players bump or collide at full speed and this can cause serious head or facial injuries. An aggressive scruff of a jumper is often called a shirt front and is an illegal. In some cases, for example, one player will grasp his opponents jumper and aggressively pull, bumps can come from any direction and are often unexpected by a recipient
28.
Handball (Australian rules football)
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Handball or handpass is a skill in the sport of Australian rules football. It is the means of disposing of the football by hand. Handball is a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand and it is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball. In order to be a method to dispose of the ball. A player typically punches with his dominant hand, i. e. a holding the ball with the left hand and punching with the right hand is considered a right-handed handball. When a player receives a handpass from another player, play continues – unlike the kick where if a player catches the ball on the full from a kick, he is entitled to take his next kick unimpeded. Failure to execute a handball correctly is deemed a throw or illegal disposal, the rule defines it similarly to the open hand tap/handpass in Gaelic football, but differentiates the hand skills from codes of football derived from rugby football. Unlike gaelic football, punching the ball was more frequently used as it was the most effective technique to move the heavier ball larger distances. Although the rules allowed for the handball, for most Australian rules leagues handball was largely a secondary skill to the kick. Strategically Australian football was viewed as a territorial sport - where the aim was not so much possession. As the holding hand could not move, this was best achieved by means of kicking the ball as far as possible, the principally-used handpass was top-spin in nature. The other thought was that, as in tennis, a ball was more easily directed, dipped faster. One notable variant of the handpass which began to develop was known as the flick pass, in which a player used his open hand instead of his fist to propel the ball. This was not widely popular, as the style of punch pass used at the time a more cumbersome disposal than a flick pass. The flick pass was re-instated before the 1934 season, in the late 1950s and early 1960s it re-emerged as a common technique to achieve centre square clearances from scrimmages, particularly at VFL club Fitzroy. Of the 88 handballs executed during the 1961 VFL Grand Final,18 were flick passes, the flick pass was abolished permanently in 1966. The flick pass had the significant drawback that its action was close to that of a throw, the throw-pass was legal in the VFA and in some other competitions affiliated with it from 1938 until 1949, but it was never legal under ANFC rules. The emergence of handball as a widely used skill took place in the 1960s and 1970s
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Holding the ball
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Holding the ball is a rule in Australian rules football. The rule results in a free kick being awarded against a player if he fails to dispose of the football upon being tackled by an opponent. The rule provides the team a means to dispossess a player who is running with the football. The holding the ball rule dates to the years of the game. Under the 2015 release of the Laws of Australian Football, holding the ball is covered by Laws 15.2.3 through 15.2.6, three specific variations of the rule apply depending upon how the player came to be in possession of the ball. The wording of these three variations in the laws is as follows,15.2.2, cases where the football is thrown or disposed of in another illegal manner are penalised under the Incorrect Disposal law. The umpire signals holding the ball by leaning forward and sweeping both arms below his body and out to his sides, when they believe a holding the ball free kick should be paid. Defining and interpreting the prior opportunity is left to the discretion of the umpires, as is the case for prior opportunity, the umpires can determine this at their discretion and at the direction of the umpiring coaches. Other than the rules outlined above, the Laws of the Game outline several other specific stipulations relating to the holding the ball rule. Scenarios which are not considered to be holding the ball A player who loses possession of the ball when bumped rather than tackled. A player who loses possession of the ball when his arm is knocked, a player who drops the ball when his arms are pinned by his side, unless he has had prior opportunity. A player who drops the ball while attempting to kick or handpass the ball while being swung in a tackle, a player who drops the ball while being swung by one arm in a tackle, unless he has had prior opportunity. In the latter three cases, a player with prior opportunity who was caught in such a manner would concede a free kick, otherwise, no free kick would be paid for any of these scenarios. Scenarios specifically defined as prior opportunity A ruckman or other player taking possession of the ball out of a ruck contest rather than tapping the ball out of the contest. A player in possession of the ball who bends down and drives head-first into a stationary tackler, running bounces and handpasses to oneself Law 15.2. The practical consequence of law is that a player who executes either of these skills while being tackled is automatically considered to be holding the ball under the prior opportunity rule. Specific points which often cause contention include, How to interpret a reasonable opportunity to dispose of the ball, how to interpret a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball. It is not uncommon for player seeking to force a stoppage and it is at the umpires discretion whether he deems this a genuine attempt or not
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Free kick (Australian rules football)
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When a free kick is paid, the players opponent stands the mark, by standing on the spot where the umpire indicates that the free kick was paid or mark was taken. A player receiving a kick is not restricted to kicking the ball, he can play on by handballing to another player. Running too far, when the player runs with the ball for more than 15 metres but does not bounce it or touch it on the ground, high tackle/high contact, when the tackler makes contact above a players shoulders. Holding the man, holding or tackling a player doesnt have the ball. Tripping, when the player is tackled below the knees, push in the back, pushing a player in the back is not allowed. Taking or chopping the arms, attempting to spoil a mark by pulling away ones opponents arm, out on the full, when the ball is kicked and travels over the boundary line before bouncing or being touched by another player. Deliberate out of bounds/deliberate rushed behind, when the ball is forced out of bounds in a deliberate act. Throwing the ball/illegal disposal, when the ball is thrown or otherwise disposed of. Illegal shepherd, when a player is bumped by a player in a marking or ruck contest who makes no legitimate effort to contest the ball. Kicking/Kicking in danger, kicking an opponent or near an opponent in a manner likely to cause injury, centre square infringement, any player other than the four midfielders entering the centre square before the centre bounce. Interchange infringement, when a player enters the arena without following interchange protocol, runner interference, paid against a runner, trainer or other club official who impedes the play as part of his or her normal on-ground duties. A player taking a kick is allowed to take his kick or handpass unimpeded unless the umpire calls play on. Play on will be called if, the runs off his line. The player runs over his mark, i. e. if the man on the mark has not set himself and this often happens deliberately if the player is pressing an advantage. The player takes too long to take his kick or handpass, typically, this is after ten seconds for any free kick around the ground, and thirty seconds for a set shot at goals inside the 50 metre line. Some players abuse this disparity in their lines by taking thirty seconds to take a set shot. The umpire has sole discretion over whether he believes the player has played on, once a player plays on, he can be pursued by any opposition players. While the man on the mark can advance to hurry his disposal, players may ignore the whistle that indicates a free kick has been awarded and play on, if play is continuous
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Byron Pickett
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Byron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big player as well as for his strength, hard bumps. Pickett is one of 12 players with two medallions, a Norm Smith Medal and over 200 AFL games. In 2005 Pickett was acknowledged as one of the finest Aboriginal players in the history of the game and he announced his retirement from AFL at the end of the 2007 season. After his retirement from the AFL in 2007 he continued playing semi-professionally, Picketts skills were identified by South Australian National Football League club Port Adelaide and Pickett began to play in Ports junior sides, making the long trip each weekend to Adelaide. However, Pickett, citing homesickness, turned down this offer, although he later nominated for the 1996 AFL Draft, nicknamed Choppy, Pickett burst onto the scene in 1997 with the North Melbourne Football Club, playing only one game. However, in 1998 he had a year and was rewarded with the Norwich Rising Star award. At only 178 cm and 86 kg, Pickett was not a large Australian Rules player, however he is solidly built, Pickett developed a reputation as tough player for his aggressive attack on the ball and the man with a frequent tendency to cause opponents serious and painful injuries. Pickett rarely did so outside of the rules of the game, in 1999 he played in a premiership team with the Kangaroos, before switching to the club he originally played for in the SANFL, Port Adelaide Football Club, in 2002. In the last days of his career with North Melbourne. He started his career at Port in 2003 where he kicked 43 goals in 25 games and he was part of Port Adelaides first ever AFL premiership in 2004, and his 3-goal,20 possession performance earnt him the Norm Smith Medal. At the end of the 2005 season Pickett was traded to Melbourne, finishing a successful but short career for Port. At the end of 2005, Pickett was involved in a trade that saw him play at the Melbourne Football Club from 2006 onwards and he wore No 33, previously worn by former aboriginal player Jeff Farmer. In a round 7,2006 clash with Fremantle at the MCG, Pickett suffered successive hamstring injuries in 2006 which sidelined him for several games. 2007 began slowly for Pickett, not selected in the rounds due to poor pre-season match fitness. However he returned in Round 4, in April he laid a heavy tackle on Tadhg Kennelly which tore Kenellys anterior cruciate ligament. On 5 May 2007, Pickett laid a strong tackle on Port Adelaides Kane Cornes, after round 6 in 2007, the Demons suspended Pickett to a minimum of four weeks at the Sandringham Football Club for the official reason of failing to attend a game. Unofficially, there were club concerns surrounding Picketts weight and pre-season work ethic, despite drawing criticism late in his career for being increasingly overweight and slow, however he maintained an impact in matches, continuing to score goals and make game turning plays
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2009 AFL season
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The 2009 Australian Football League season commenced on 26 March and concluded on 26 September. It was the 113th season of the VFL/AFL competition, the season consisted of 22 home and away rounds and four rounds of finals, culminating in the 2009 AFL Grand Final which determined the 2009 AFL premiers. Geelong won the Grand Final against St Kilda, richmond, the only club to show interest in recruiting Cousins, had one selection in the pre-season draft. Josh Carrs return to Port Adelaide was the major player move. Bold – Home game Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the finished the round inside the top 8. Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round, Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round. The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Gary Ablett, Jr. of Geelong, the AFL Rising Star was awarded to Daniel Rich of the Brisbane Lions, who received the maximum 45 votes. The Coleman Medal was awarded to Brendan Fevola of Carlton, who kicked 86 goals during the home, the Wooden Spoon was awarded to Melbourne for the second year in a row. Melbourne finished the season in last place on the ladder after 22 rounds, the McClelland Trophy was awarded to St Kilda for finishing 1st on the ladder during the premiership season. The AFL Players Association Awards were as follows, The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Gary Ablett, the Robert Rose Award went to Joel Selwood from Geelong for being the Most Courageous Player throughout the premiership season. The Best Captain award went to Jonathan Brown of the Brisbane Lions for the second time, the Best First-Year Player award was won by Daniel Rich from the Brisbane Lions. Rich blitzed the competition, receiving 463 votes, and the runner-up receiving just 45, the 2009 award was won by Daniel Rich from the Brisbane Lions. The Australian Football League celebrates the best goal of the season through the annual Goal of the Year competition, from 2009 onwards, the commercial name for the award is the AFL Stores Goal of the Year. Nominations Round 1 – Shannon Hurn Round 2 – Jason Winderlich Round 3 – Taylor Walker Round 4 – Ryan Houlihan Round 5 – Gary Ablett, from 2009 onwards, the commercial name for the award is the Hungry Jacks Mark of the Year. Each week three players and what they did are made available on the AFL Army Award website for supporters to vote on, the player with the highest percentage of the vote is the AFL Army Award nominee for that round. Nominations For the full list of nominees, see 2009 AFL Army Award. Umpires were also encouraged to recall a centre bounce if it is offline, Players contacting umpires continued to be an issue with several players fined for making contact with umpires as they retreated from ball-ups. In related offences, Collingwoods Heath Shaw was suspended for one week after touching an umpires shoulder,2009 Australian football code crowds AFL official website 2009 AFL Fixture 2009 Season – AFL Tables
