Football is a team sport that involves kicking a ball in the air. The objective of the game is to score more goals than your opponent during a 90-minute game. The game is divided into two halves of 45 minutes each, with a fifteen-minute break between halves. The second half of the game will then resume, with an additional 15 minutes of injury time added to the end.
A player can lose possession of the football after committing a foul or a rule violation. In most cases, the penalty moves the football closer to the defense’s endzone, while others return it to the original line of scrimmage. In some cases, a fumble by an offensive player will result in a loss of the ball. Depending on the nature of the foul, the offensive team may receive the first down, while the defensive team will be awarded the first down. The change of possession is known as a turnover on downs.
Professional football began to grow in popularity in the late nineteenth century. By the 1880s, leading clubs began charging spectators to play, and the Football Association began sanctioning payment of players. The league’s first season consisted of twelve clubs, and the second season included more. The following season saw the formation of the Football League, which expanded to eight divisions. For many years, the English teams dominated the game. During this period, however, the upper classes took refuge in other forms of the game, including rugby union and cricket.