Football (word) 2186657 225494894 2008-07-14T00:13:17Z 74.7.3.202 The [[English language]] word '''football''' may mean any one of several [[team sport]]s (or the [[football (ball)|ball]] used in that respective sport), depending on the national or regional origin and location of the person using the word. Where [[List of countries by English-speaking population|English is a first language]] the unqualified use of the word ''football'' is used to refer to the most popular code of [[football]] in that region. The sports most frequently referred to as simply ''football'' are [[American football]], [[association football]], [[Australian rules football]], [[Canadian football]], [[Gaelic football]], and [[rugby football]] ([[rugby league]] or [[rugby union]]). In the [[United States]] (where there are more people who speak English as a first language than anywhere else),<ref>[http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf US Census, 2006, "Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2006 Table 1"] This is people aged five years and older. It excludes people who reported they do not speak English at home, but know it "very well" or "well".</ref><ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng ethnologue.com, 2007, "English"]. Access date: October 5, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=883997 ''The Economist'', "The Triumph of English"] December 20, 2001. Access date: October 5, 2007.</ref> an unqualified use of ''football'' would generally refer to American football &mdash; ''soccer'' is used when referring to association football.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,420024,00.html Michael Scott Moore, "Naming the Beautiful Game: It's Called Soccer" (''Der Spiegel'', June 7, 2006)]. "'Football' is just not as accurate a word in the English language. It's also less used. Officially or unofficially, the game is referred to as soccer in the US, Australia and Canada, a combined English-speaking population of around 350 million..."</ref> Of the 45 national [[FIFA]] (''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'') affiliates in which English is the main or official language, only the federations of [[Canada]], [[Samoa]], and the United States have ''soccer'' in their names. Controversy has arisen in both [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] because — while the majority of people in both countries refer to association football as ''soccer'' — in the early 21st century the national governing bodies in both countries decided to rename themselves, using the word ''football'' in place of ''soccer''. There are also many other languages where the common term for association football uses a phonetically similar word to the English term ''football''. (See the [[Names for association football]] article.) [[Image:Football4.png|right|thumb|225px|Some of the many different codes of football.]] ==Etymology== The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] (OED) records that the first written use of the word football used to describe a game was in 1424 in an Act forbidding it. The first written use of the word football to describe the ball was 1486, and that the first use as a verb (hence footballing) was in 1599. For the etymology, the OED just indicates it is a [[English compound#Compound nouns|compound]] of ''foot'' and ''ball''. While it is widely believed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a [[false etymology]]. An alternative explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in [[medieval Europe]], which were played ''on foot''.<ref> (a.) [http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/fa-cup/biography/history-of-football ICONS Online (commissioned by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport; no date) "History of Football"]; (b.) Bill Murray (sports historian), quoted by [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/sportsf/stories/s566884.htm ''The Sports Factor'', 2002, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"] (Radio National, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 31, 2002) and [http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,420024,00.html Michael Scott Moore, "Naming the Beautiful Game: It's Called Soccer"] (''Der Spiegel'', June 7, 2006); (c.) [http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=a-to1633 Professional Football Researchers Association (U.S.A.), (no date) "A Freendly Kinde of Fight: The Origins of Football to 1633"]. Access date for all references: February 11, 2007.</ref> These sports were usually played by [[peasant]]s, as opposed to the [[Equestrianism|horse-riding]] sports more often enjoyed by [[aristocrat]]s. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the [[England|English]] writer [[William Hone]], writing in [[1825]] or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir [[Frederick Morton Eden]], regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of [[Scone, Scotland]]: :''The game was this: he who at any time got the ball into his hands, run [sic] with it till overtaken by one of the opposite part; and then, if he could shake himself loose from those on the opposite side who seized him, he run on; if not, he threw the ball from him, unless it was wrested from him by the other party,'' but no person was allowed to kick it.<ref>[http://www.uab.edu/english/hone/etexts/edb/day-pages/046-february15.html William Hone, 1825-26, ''The Every-Day Book'', "February 15."] Access date: March 15, 2007.</ref> [Emphasis added]. However, there is no conclusive evidence for either theory regarding the origins of the word. The word "soccer" originated as an "[[Oxford '-er']]" slang abbreviation of "association", and was popularised by a prominent English footballer, [[Charles Wreford-Brown]]. This origin is evident in the sometimes-heard variation, "soccer football." ==National usage== ===Australia=== [[Image:AFL - Aussie rules game.jpg|right|thumb|In Australia the word ''football'' often means [[Australian rules football]].]] Within [[Australia]] the term "football" is ambiguous and can mean around four different codes of football in [[Australian English]], depending on the context, geographical location and cultural factors; this includes [[Australian rules football]], [[rugby league]], association football and rugby union.<ref name="four">{{cite news|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/football/|publisher=CultureandCreation.gov.au|title=Football in Australia|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> The most common useage of the word among the people is between the former two. In the states of [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]], [[Western Australia]], [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]] ''football'' commonly means the Australian rules variation with their league the [[Australian Football League]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/Statistics/History/tabid/967/Default.aspx|publisher=AFL.com.au|title=AFL History|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> the slang term ''footy'' is also used in an unofficial context,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afana.com/drupal5/node/32|publisher=AFANA.com|title=Footy FAQ|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> while in these states the two [[rugby football]] codes are named ''league'' and ''rugby'' respectively {{Fact|date=May 2008}}. There is a different situation in [[New South Wales]] and [[Queensland]], where [[rugby league]] is most popular and known as just ''football'' or the slang ''footy'' instead and Australian rules football is known as ''AFL'', ''Australian football'' or ''Aussie rules'', while rugby union is known as just ''rugby''.<ref name="four">{{cite news|url=http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/football/|publisher=CultureandCreation.gov.au|title=Football in Australia|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> Prior to the 21st century association football was mostly known as just ''soccer'' in the country (with the exception of some), the national team is nicknamed the ''[[Australia national football (soccer) team|Socceroos]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://home.alphalink.com.au/~warrior/ausfeat.htm|publisher=Socceroos Realm|title=Features and Editorials|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> However a period of official transition specifically related to the useage of the word football began in 2004 as the governing body changed its name to the [[Football Federation Australia]] from Australian Soccer Association and began referring to the sport exclusively as ''football''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/Soccer/Soccer-to-become-football-in-Australia/2004/12/16/1102787198357.html?from=moreStories|publisher=SMH.com.au|title=Soccer to become football in Australia|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> Some high profile media outlets in the country followed in the form of [[Special Broadcasting Service]], [[Fox Sports (Australia)|Fox Sports]], the [[Sydney Morning Herald]] and other [[Sydney]]-based organisations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/about/les-murray-106369/|publisher=SBS Sport|title=The World Game - Craig Foster|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/football-raises-voice-over-competing-din/2008/02/24/1203788145350.html|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Football raises voice over competing din|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> There is also a minority of rugby union fans who call their sport ''football'', however ''rugby'' is usually used by them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rugby.com.au/about_the_aru/about_rugby/about_rugby,182.html|publisher=Rugby.com.au|title=About Rugby|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> The small following of American football is known by the name ''[[Gridiron football|gridiron]]'', or in an unofficial context ''American football''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://gridironaustralia.org.au/|publisher=GridironAustralia.org.au|title=Gridiron in Australia|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> ===Canada=== In '''[[Canada]]''', "football" can refer to either Canadian football or American football, often differentiated as either "CFL" (from the governing [[Canadian Football League]]) or "NFL" (from the US [[National Football League]]). Because of the similarity between the games, many people in both countries do not consider the two styles of football separate sports ''per se'', but rather different codes of the same sport. If a Canadian were to say, "My brother plays football in the States", it would be clear from context that [[American football]] is meant. Association football, which is rapidly gaining in popularity, is called soccer.<ref>[http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/about/index.asp The Canadian Soccer Association / L'Association canadienne de soccer]</ref> [[Canadian French]] usage parallels English usage, with ''le football'' usually referring to Canadian or American football, and ''le soccer'' referring to Association football. When there is ambiguity, ''le football canadien'' or ''le football américain'' is used.<ref>[http://www.lcf.ca/ LCF.ca :: Site Officiel de la Ligue Canadienne de Football]{{fr icon}}<br/>[http://www.federation-soccer.qc.ca/fre/general/progredirect.cfm?sectionID=contact.cfm Fédération de soccer du Québec]{{fr icon}}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://archives.radio-canada.ca/sports/soccer/dossiers/1831/ |title=Le soccer gagne du terrain! |accessdate=2008-07-06 |work= |publisher=Société Radio-Canada |date= }}{{fr icon}} (''Soccer gains ground!'')<br/>Sometimes ''le football'' and ''le soccer'' are interchangeable: "Sport le plus regardé ..., le football ou soccer ..." (Société Radio-Canada)</ref> ===Caribbean=== In the English-speaking Caribbean, with the exception of the Bahamas, "football" and "soccer" are both used to refer to association football, but use of the word "football" is far more common. American football is exclusively referred to as "American football" and is largely unknown apart from American television. The nickname of the [[Trinidad & Tobago national football team|Trinidad & Tobago team]], "The [[Soca music|Soca]] Warriors", refers to a style of music, not the word soccer. ===Ireland=== In '''[[Ireland]]''', "football" or "footballer" can mean association football , [[Gaelic football]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcu.ie/alumni/summer02/p30.html|title=DCU footballers|accessdate=2008-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/french-invasion-of-croker-mirrors-our-historical-past-54234.html|title= French invasion of Croker mirrors our historical past|accessdate=2008-03-02}}</ref>or [[rugby union]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/sixnations/2008/0220/osullivane.html|title=O'Sullivan wary of Paterson ploy|accessdate=2008-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skerriesrfc.ie/history.html|title=History of Skerries RFC|accessdate=2008-03-02}}</ref> Any of these sports may be called "football" depending on the context; conversely, without context, "football" is avoided because of its ambiguity using full names to prevent ambiguity so instead of ''football'' Gaelic football and rugby football or rugby union are used while Association football may be used along with soccer. This is the approach taken by most of the [[Media in Ireland|Republic of Ireland media]]. <ref>[http://www.independent.ie/sport/ Sports News Ireland | Irish Sport News | Daily Sport News | Herald Sport - Independent.ie<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.ireland.com/sports/ Ireland Sports News & Latest Soccer, Rugby, GAA & Racing News Headlines - ireland.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref> http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer </ref> <ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/ Sport News | BreakingNews.ie<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.rte.ie/sport/index.html RTÉ Sport: Irish and International Sport News, Fixtures and Results<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.munster-express.ie/sports/ The Munster Express Online » Sports<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.eecho.ie/ Evening Echo | Cork News | Cork Sport News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===New Zealand=== [[Image:Allblackhaka.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Haka of the All Blacks|haka]] performed before a match by the [[All Blacks]]]] In [[New Zealand]], the word ''football'' most commonly means rugby union due to the huge success of the ''[[All Blacks]]'' national side, this sport is more well known as just ''rugby''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/teaohou/issue/Mao04TeA/c53.html|publisher=TeAoHou.natlib.govt.nz|title=Maori Personalities in Sport|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzrugby.co.nz/TheGame/HowToPlay/tabid/994/Default.aspx|publisher=NZRugby.co.nz|title=Welcome to The Game - How To Play|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> The word ''football'' is also used to a lesser extent to refer to rugby league or association football. The slang term ''footie'' generally only means either of the two codes of [[rugby football]], while rugby league is traditionally known as ''rugby league'' or just ''league''. Association football is usually known as ''soccer'' by the general population, however useage of the term is going through a period of transition in recent times as the federation changed its name to [[New Zealand Football]] from New Zealand Soccer and the nickname of its woman's team to ''Football Ferns'' from ''SWANZ''.<ref name="newzealand">{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4053983a6429.html|publisher=[[The Press]]|title=Soccer gets the boot|date=[[10 May]] [[2007]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/show-news.asp?ID=804|publisher=YellowFever.co.nz|title=Football Ferns step out with new name|date=[[10 May]] [[2007]]}}</ref> Other codes are not traditionally popular but [[Australian rules football]] is known as ''Aussie rules'', while American football is known as ''[[Gridiron football|gridiron]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gridiron.co.nz/|publisher=Gridiron.co.nz|title=Gridiron in New Zealand|date=[[10 May]] [[2007]]}}</ref> ===South Africa=== In [[South Africa]], the word ''football'' generally refers to association football. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, association football is commonly known as ''soccer'' despite this. <ref>[http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/soccer.htm Soccer in South Africa]</ref> The domestic first division is the [[Premier Soccer League]] and both in conversation and the media (see e.g. ''[[The Sowetan]]'' or [[Independent Online (South Africa)|''Independent Online'']]), the term "soccer" is used almost exclusively. Despite this, the country's national association is called the [[South African Football Association]] and "football" might occasionally be used in official contexts. [[Rugby union in South Africa|Rugby union]] is another popular football code in South Africa, but it is commonly known as just ''rugby'' or sometimes ''rugby union'' to distinguish it from [[rugby league in South Africa|rugby league]], which has a smaller presence.<ref name="sarugbyunion">{{cite news|url=http://www.sarugby.co.za/default.asp?cId=7535|publisher=SARugby.co.za|title=History of the game|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sarugbyleague.co.za/history.htm|publisher=SARugbyLeague.co.za|title=South African Rugby League: History|date=[[8 January]] [[2008]]}}</ref> <!-- QUESTION: does the word football in isolation -always- mean association football? For people that say soccer for association football what does the word football mean to them? This is the kind of information that's relevant here. --> ===United Kingdom=== [[Image:Newspaper-soccer.jpg|thumb|right|An example of the word "soccer" used in London in August 2006.]] As in other English-speaking countries, the unqualified use of "football" in the [[United Kingdom]] tends to refer to the most popular code of football in the country, which in the case of [[England]] and [[Scotland]] is [[association football]]. However the term "soccer" is used by some, and understood by all as a name for association football in the same way that colloquial term [[rugger]] is used for [[rugby union]].<ref>[[OED]]:Soccer "The game of football as played under Association rules." and Rugger "Slang or colloquial alteration of RUGBY (in the sense of ‘Rugby football’). Freq. attrib. rugger-tackle"</ref> For fans who are more interested in other codes of football, within their sporting community, the use the word football may refer to their own code and they may call association football soccer for brevity and clarity. However even within such sporting communities an unqualified mention of football would usually be a reference to association football.<ref>Tony Collins. ''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/individual/leeds-leeds-collins-tony.shtml Football, rugby or rugger?]'', BBC sound recording with written transcript, and a comment in prose by Jonnie Robinson, Curator, English accents and dialects, British Library Sound Archive.</ref> [[Irish nationalism#Northern Ireland|Irish nationalists]] in [[Northern Ireland]] may use "football" for Gaelic football (see [[#Ireland|above]]).<ref name=Campbell-2001-04-08>Campbell, Denis. "[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,468041,00.html My team - Derry City: An interview with] [[Martin McGuinness]]", [[The Guardian]], [[8 April]] 2001. Retrieved on [[2007-12-09]]</ref> Outside the nationalist community in Northern Ireland, Gaelic football is usually known as Gaelic football. Australian rules football and American football are not played or watched by many in the UK. Australian rules football is usually known as Australian football, or Australian rules. Likewise American football is usually known by that name, although [[Channel 4]] popularised the use of the term gridiron when it showed American football on Saturday evenings in 1982-92, and this term is still used by some people.<ref> Matt Tench ''[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,543952,00.html California dreaming]'' [[The Observer]] [[September 2]], 2001.</ref> ===United States=== [[Image:Wilson American football.jpg|thumb|An American football]] In the '''[[United States]]''', the word "football" refers to [[American football]]. Association football is called "soccer". Soccer is a less popular spectator sport, though it does have a considerable following, particularly among younger people and immigrants. Soccer is one of the most popular participatory sports in the United States among children (though its popularity is equalled or eclipsed by other sports in certain regions, especially [[baseball]] and [[ice hockey]]). Rugby union is generally known as rugby, with the "union" name rarely used. Gaelic football and rugby league have very small, albeit growing numbers of adherents. Australian rules football also has a very small following, but is known simply as "footy" by those who watched the Fosters highlights on ESPN and also by the sport's governing body in the country which often refers to itself "[[US Footy]]". Most people in the US are not usually aware of the distinction between rugby union and rugby league, and consequently both are referred to simply as "rugby". Because of the number of American players in the [[Canadian Football League]], a small number of Americans follow [[Canadian football]], which is occasionally broadcast on American cable channels. Because of the similarity between American and Canadian football, many people in both countries do not consider the two styles of football separate sports ''per se'', but rather different codes of the same sport. If an American were to say, "My brother plays football in Canada", it would be clear from context that [[Canadian football]] is meant. =="Football" as a loanword== {{main|Names for association football}} Many languages use the English word "football" and variations of it as [[loanword]]s for Association football (soccer). Examples include: * Czech: ''fotbal'' * French: ''football'' * Portuguese: ''futebol'' * Spanish: ''fútbol'' * Turkish: ''futbol'' This has contributed to the adoption of the word ''football'' into the auxiliary language [[Interlingua]]. The loanwords bear little or no resemblance to the native words for "foot" and "ball". By contrast, some languages have [[calque]]s of "football": their speakers use equivalent terms that combine their words for "foot" and "ball". An example is the Greek ποδόσφαιρο (podósfero). By contrast, in [[German language|German]], "''Football''" is a loanword for [[American football]], while the German word ''Fußball'', a calque of "football" (''Fuß'' = "foot", ''Ball'' = "ball"), means [[Football (soccer)|Association football]] (soccer). ==Metaphorical meanings== A ''political football'' refers to a political issue that is used primarily as part of the 'political game', rather than as an issue to be addressed. The ''[[nuclear football]]'' refers to the briefcase which accompanies the [[President of the United States]], containing codes which would enable him or her to launch a [[nuclear attack]], should the need arise. ==Notes and references== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== {{wiktionary|football}} * Steve Boughey ''[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10404048 Soccer: Alan Shearer in town this week]'', [[Auckland]] [[Herald on Sunday]], [[October 3]], 2006. This article shows how soccer is used for association football in New Zealand and Australia and how [[Alan Shearer]], a former captain of the English association football team, uses the term soccer to avoid confusion while visiting Australia and New Zealand. [[Category:Football]] [[Category:English words]]