With the Euro 2012 Football Championships well underway I thought it was probably a good time to put out some Football vocabulary you can use when watching the next game with your friends. I’ll try to cover both American English in blue and British English in red as in football there are often differences.

Football Soccer – A game played with a round ball on a field with two goals on either end. The first example of a similar game was Cuju (è¹´éž ) in ancient China. The game as we know it today though, was started in 19th century England.

Examples:
“Will you watch the football game tonight?”
or
“Tonight’s soccer match is USA VS Canada.”

Pitch Field – The area where the game takes place.

Touchline/Sideline – The lines on the sides of the pitch which show the legal area where the ball may be played.

Examples:
“After his big kick the ball landed far past the touchline.”
or
“When he was running with the ball his foot stepped outside the sideline.”

Goalline/Byline – The lines at the ends of the pitch which show the legal area where the ball may be played.

Examples:
“He was the last person to touch the ball before it went past the goal line.
or
“The attacker tried to stop the ball from going past the goal line.”

Goal/Net – An area marked by a metal framed box with a net backing where the goal keeper stays and where the attacking team wants to put the ball in order to get a point. Also often called the net.

Examples:
“The goalkeeper never stays in the goal, he always takes too many risks.”
or
“The ball went into the net and everyone cheered.”

Center Circle – A white circle in the center of the pitch which shows where the kick off is started.

Examples:
“Every game starts with the ball at the center circle.”
or
“She fell down near the center circle.”

Penalty Box – A white square surrounding the goal where the goal keeper may use his hands to play the ball and where if you commit a foul inside it, the opposing team will get a penalty kick.

Examples:
“The foul occurred in the penalty box so they get a penalty kick.”
or
“When the goalkeeper picked up the ball he was outside the penalty box so the play was stopped.”

Penalty Spot – A white mark in the penalty box where the ball is placed for penalty kicks.

Examples:
“The ball was placed on the penalty spot.”
or
“He got knocked down right on the penalty spot.”

Football/Soccer Ball – The ball is of course the most important part of football.

Examples:
“This is an official style football.”
or
“Did you bring your soccer ball today?”

Match – A match is a full 90 minute game of Football.

Examples:
“I watched two matches last night.”
or
“The match went into over time because no one scored a goal.”

Coin Toss – The coin toss is done before the game starts, a coin is thrown into the air and the team that correctly guesses which side lands facing up gets to pick which side of the field they would like, the team that loses starts with the ball. In the second half they switch sides and the other team starts with the ball.

Examples:
“Our team won the coin toss!”
or
“We never seem to win the coin toss at the start of the game.”

Referee – The judge or person who tells the players when to start, stop and calls penalties against those who do anything illegal.

Examples:
“I hate this referee, he always favours the hometown.”
or
“The referee made many bad calls today which led to the loss.”

Linesman/Assistant Referee – They are also referees but their job is to watch for when the ball goes out of play or when players are offside. They were originally called a Linesman but the name was changed to Assistant Referee in 1996.

Examples:
“The linesman didn’t see the play clearly.”
or
“I think the assistant referee might be blind, he never sees what’s going on!”

Goalkeeper Goalie – The player who stays in the Goal area and tries to ensure the other team cannot score a goal. This is the only player on the field who is allowed to use their hands to touch the ball.

Examples:
“The Goalkeeper stopped 95% of the shots that year.”
or
“I think our team needs a new goalie, we always lose.”

Defender – A player who stays a little further back in the field and whose job it is to try and stop the other teams attackers from scoring.

Examples:
“The defenders did their best to stop the attackers.”
or
“The other team scored six times, our defenders did not do their job.”

Midfielder – A player can both help the attackers and help the defenders depending on what the situation needs.

Examples:
“The midfielders stayed back in case the attackers lost the ball.”
or
“When the attackers ran forward the midfielders went with them to put more pressure on the defenders!”

Attacker – A player who plays forward on the field and tries to move the ball forward and get shots on goal and score points.

Examples:
“The attacker moved the ball down the pitch.”
or
“When the attackers moved forward the goalkeeper made a great save.”

Skipper/Captain – A senior player on the team whose official job is to take part in the coin toss and is also often looked to to ensure the team stays positive and morale is kept high.

Examples:
“The skipper needs to have a talk with the team.”
or
“They made number 91 the captain because he was very well liked.”

Starter – A player who starts the game on field in the game, not a substitute

Examples:
“She is a starter so you must be nice to her.”
or
“I wish I was a starter on Manchester United!”

Substitute – Substitute can be used as a verb or as a noun. As a verb, to substitute someone means to send in a new player to take the place of a starter who may be tired, injured or isn’t playing well. As a noun, a substitute refers to a player who stays on the side most of the game waiting for the manager to send them in to take the place of a starter.

Examples:
“I’ve always been a substitute until today!”
or
“I think it’s time for a substitute, the players look tired.”

Manager – The manager is the person in charge of the entire team. They decide strategies, make substitutions and do many other tasks before, during and after the match.

Examples:
“The manager of the team was very angry.”
or
“After the referee called the second foul the manager came out to argue.”

Pass – When the player with the ball kicks it to another player on his team.

Examples:
“Be sure you pass the ball enough or your team will hate you.”
or
“The pass went too far and ended up out of bounds.”

Dribble – When the player with the ball uses his feet to move the ball forward with small kicks.

Examples:
“He dribbled the ball past the first defender.”
or
“He is good at kicking but has bad ball control while dribbling.”

Kick – When the player with the ball uses his foot to hit the ball in a certain direction.

Examples:
“He kicked the ball all the way down the pitch.”
or
“her kick was too high and missed the goal.”

Bicycle Kick – A style of kick where the ball is above the player in the air and the player spins his body upside down to kick the ball in the direction they want.

Examples:
“With an amazing bicycle kick he scored the game winning goal!”
or
“He tried a bicycle kick but didn’t time it properly and missed.”

Kick-Off – The match starts with two players from one team at the center of the pitch and one player kicks the ball to the other player. This also happens at the start of the second half and after every goal.

Examples:
“The kick off signaled the start of the game.”
or
“She took the kick off and passed the ball to her teammate.”

Free Kick – After a foul has been called the referee will give the ball to the team that got fouled and allow them to freely kick the ball wherever they want.

Examples:
“After the hard tackle the other team was given a free kick.”
or
“The free kick was blocked by the wall.”

Corner Kick – When the ball is last touched by the defending team but goes past the Goal line, the attacking team is allowed to place the ball in the corner of the pitch and kick it in. Generally they kick it towards the front of the goal, hoping that a player on their team will be able to kick it into the goal and score a point.

Examples:
“They took the corner kick and put the ball into the penalty box.”
or
“When the ball landed out of bounds she got a corner kick.”

Throw In – When the ball moves outside of the Touchlines or Sidelines the team who did not touch the ball last gets control of the ball, they must stand at the touchline and throw the ball into the pitch.

Examples:
“After the ball went out of bounds, they got a throw in.”
or
“She threw the ball in to her teammate.”

Header – When a player uses their head to move the ball while it’s in the air instead of their feet.

Examples:
“The ball was too high to kick so she used a header to move it forward.”
or
“After her teammate crossed the ball she headed it right into the net and scored!”

Cross – When a player kicks the ball from the side of the pitch towards the penalty box with the hope that a player on their own team can redirect the ball into the goal to score a point.

Examples:
“The attacker sent a cross in front of the goal.”
or
“He crossed the ball into the penalty box but his teammate missed it.”

A One-Two – A passing play where player 1 will pass the ball to player 2, player 2 then immediately passes the ball back to player 1.

Examples:
“After a fast one-two he scored a goal!”
or
“If you want to trick the defenders, try a one-two play!”

Volley – When player one passes the ball through the air and another player kicks it before it touches the ground.

Examples:
“He volleyed the pass right into the net for a goal!”
or
“He missed the volley and the ball went right past him.”

Clearance – When a player on the defense kicks the ball out of a dangerous situation. It’s not usually a well aimed kick to one of their own players, it’s just usually a big kick to move the ball away from their goal.

Examples:
“He got the ball deep in his own half and cleared it out of the area.”
or
“Okocha’s clearance went over the sideline to stop play.”

Tackle – When one player challenges the player in control of the ball to try and get the ball away from them.

Examples:
“You must be careful when you tackle other players to not get a foul.”
or
“Player 1 tackled player 2 and got the ball away from him!”

Wall – During a free kick the team who isn’t kicking will sometimes have some of their players stand in a line between the kicker and the goal to make sure they cannot kick the ball directly into the net. The wall must be located at least ten meters away from the ball.

Examples:
“They stood in a line to create a wall in front of the net.”
or
“When he had his free kick the ball hit the other team’s wall.”

Foul – Anytime a player on the field breaks one of the rules such as a player other than the goal keeper who touches the ball with their hands. A free kick or a penalty kick will be given to the other team if a foul occurs.

Examples:
“When he tackled the player he hit him with his elbow and got a foul.”
or
“Your team has had many fouls this match!”

Penalty Kick – If a foul occurs inside the penalty box the ball will be placed on the penalty spot and one player from the team who was fouled will be allowed to kick a goal. Only the goal keeper from the other team is allowed to try and block the shot.

Examples:
“He was fouled in the penalty box so now he gets a penalty kick.”
or
“They scored on the second penalty kick of the game!”

Offside – A rule that says when player 1 passes the ball to player 2 on their team, there must be at least two defenders (players from the other team) between player 2 and the Goal.

Examples:
“He passes it to his teammate but his teammate was offsides.”
or
“Make sure you are not offside before you call for the ball.”

Out of Bounds – When the ball moves over the edge of the pitch at either the goal line or the side line, this causes play to stop and the goal keeper gets the ball or either a throw in or a corner kick will occur.

Examples:
“When the ball went out of bounds, play was stopped.”
or
“The Goalkeeper got the ball after it rolled past the goal line and out of bounds.”

Booking/Yellow Card – A warning given to a player who has committed a serious foul. If a player gets two yellow cards they will get a red card and will no longer be allowed to play that game.

Examples:
“Be careful, you already have one yellow card.”
or
“If you don’t want a booking you shouldn’t argue with the referee!”

Red Card – A red card is given to a player who has had two yellow cards or someone who has committed a very serious foul against another player. This will mean they must leave the pitch and can no longer play in that game.

Examples:
“When Zidane used his head to hit the player, he was given a red card.”
or
“If you don’t watch how you play you’ll get a red card!”

Full Time – When the referee blows the final whistle to tell everyone the game is over. Usually this is at the end of 90 minutes but may be longer if there is extra time or injury time.

Examples:
“At the end of full time the score was England 2, France 4.”
or
“There’s only ten minutes till the end of full time!”

Injury Time – Extra time at the end of the game which the referee may give if there has been problems or stoppages during the regular playing of the game.

Examples:
“The referee has announced there will be two minutes of injury time.”
or
“There was no injury time at the end of the game.”

Extra Time/Over Time – In some matches if at the end of full time the score is still a draw they will play two more 15 minute periods to try and decide the winner.

Examples:
“At the end of fulltime the score was still a draw but Leeds won the game in extratime.”
or
“Team 2 won the game in overtime!”

Penalty Shootout – If at the end of extra time the score is still a draw the two teams pick 5 players each and one at a time they get to have a penalty kick, the team who gets the most goals wins.

Examples:
“It’s still 1-1? So we’ll have a penalty shootout?”
or
“They won 4-5 in the penalty shootout!”

Equaliser – the goal which allows both teams to have the same score. If Team 1 has 3 points and Team 2 has 2 points but then team 2 scores a goal, that is the equaliser.

Examples:
“He scored the equaliser with thirty seconds left on the clock!”
or
“He almost got the equaliser but the goalkeeper stopped him.”

Draw – When at the end of the game both teams have the same amount of goals.

Examples:
“At the end of the game it was a 1-1 draw.”
or
“Come on guys! We need one more goal to get a draw today!”

Win – The team with the most goals at the end of the match wins.

Examples:
“This year we’ve won 17 games!”
or
“Tonight we must win if we want to play in the finals.”

Defeat/Loss – The team with the least goals at the end of the match loses or is defeated.

Examples:
“I can’t believe we were defeated yesterday!”
or
“They need one more goal if they don’t want another loss.”

Knock Out – To eliminate a competing team from a competition.

Examples:
“When Greece beat Russia in the Euro 2012, they knocked Russia out of the competition.”
or
“If we don’t win today we’ll be knocked out so let’s win!”

So there we go, next time you’re watching your favourite club play a match on TV, be sure to use these words so that you can remember them forever!

Any words I have forgotten or terms that you are unsure of and want translated? Let me know below or in the forum!