Football (word)

The English language word "football" may mean any one of several games, or the ball used in that game, depending on the national or regional origin/location of the person using the word. Because of the existence of different codes — that is, sets of rules — of "football", confusion or controversy may result from unqualified usage of the word.

Where English is a first language, the word "football" generally means the most popular form of football in that region. There are 215 million people who speak English as a first language in the United States, out of 309-380 million native speakers worldwide. One consequence of this is that most people who speak English as a first language refer to Association football as "soccer".

However, of the 45 national FIFA 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. This is because many countries, with relatively small populations of native English speakers, nevertheless have English as an official or main language, and favour British English usage, thus using "football" for Association football. Also, use of the word football by the other 42 affiliates does not necessarily reflect popular usage of the word "football" in their countries. For example, controversy has arisen in both Australia and New Zealand, because — while the majority of people in both countries use the word "soccer" — the national governing bodies in both countries, in the early 21st century, decided to rename themselves, using the word "football" instead of "soccer", and to insist on unqualified use of the word "football" for their code.

In addition to American football and Association football, the word "football", used in isolation, may refer to other codes, such as Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, or one of the two codes of rugby football: rugby league or rugby union.

There are also many non-English languages where the common term for Association football uses a phonetically similar word to the English term "football". (See the Football (soccer) names article.)

Etymology

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. These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often played by aristocrats. 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 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. [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."

Usage

Australia

In Australia, the word "football" has at least four different meanings, depending on the context, geographical location and/or cultural factors. Australians usually mean Australian rules football or rugby league when they use the word football, although some people refer to rugby union and association football (soccer) as "football" as well.

Most Australians fall into five categories when it comes to using the word football:

• In most of the Australian states except New South Wales and Queensland, the word "football", or its shortened form "footy", usually refers to Australian rules football in a general context (which is also called "Australian football" or "Aussie rules"). Although most people in these states are aware that there are two forms of rugby football, both are often referred to simply as "rugby".
• Most people in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, in which rugby league is the most popular code, refer to both rugby league and, to a lesser extent, rugby union simply as "football" or "footy". Australian rules is often incorrectly known in these areas as "AFL" (a name which, strictly speaking, refers to the main governing body and competition within the code). However, in some regions within New South Wales and Queensland, Australian rules enjoys a degree of popularity, and "football" or "footy" may (but not often) refer to that code.
• In 2004, the governing body of football (soccer) changed its name to Football Federation Australia and began to refer to soccer as "football". It should be noted that before 2004, some clubs and regional assiocations had always used the term "football". However, the Australia national football (soccer) team is still commonly known as "the Socceroos" (the women's team is nicknamed the "Matildas"). Sports reporters at the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Fox Sports, the Sydney Morning Herald, and several other Sydney-based media organisations refer to the code as "football". However, many other media organisations still refer to the code as "soccer".
• Rugby union is usually referred simply as "rugby" by its followers, who generally refer to rugby league as "league". However, the same people sometimes use the word "football" for one or both games.
• In areas in which two or more codes of football are popular, especially the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, the Riverina, Broken Hill and Cape York, the word "football" could refer to any code. The names "Aussie rules" (or just "rules"), "league", "union" and "soccer" are usually used, to avoid confusion.

In Australia, American football, which has a small following, is sometimes known as gridiron, but is equally referred to simply as American football, without confusion.

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.

The usage of football, to mean the local code, is so strong in Canada that Canadian football is referred to as le football among French-speaking Canadians, and Association football is le soccer.

The 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 team, "The Soca Warriors", refers to a style of music, not the word soccer.

Ireland

In Ireland, "football" can mean association football or Gaelic football, depending on which code predominates within the speaker's community and political affiliation:

• In urban areas of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, "football" usually means association football.
• Ulster Unionists in Northern Ireland never refer to Gaelic football as "football".
• In rural areas, particularly the west of Ireland, "football" usually means Gaelic football.
• For many people, either sport may be called "football" depending on the context; conversely, without context, "football" is avoided because of its ambiguity. This is the approach taken by most of the Republic of Ireland media.

Association football, when not called "football", is called "soccer". Gaelic football is often referred to informally as "gaelic" or "gah" (pronounced ([gæː]), or less accurately as "GAA" or "GAA football" after its governing body, the Gaelic Athletic Association (which also governs other Gaelic sports).

New Zealand

In New Zealand, "football" usually refers to rugby union, but depending on context can also refer to rugby league or association football. It is, however, considered inappropriate to refer to "football" without supporting context as to which code the speaker means, so as to avoid confusion. Therefore while it is not uncommon for "football" (or the slang term "footie") to be used to refer to rugby union within context, it is usually not used otherwise. "Rugby", which almost universally refers to rugby union, is mostly used without any existing context. Rugby league is usually called "rugby league" or simply "league". Association football is usually called soccer. Australian rules football and American football are not very widespread, and are known as Aussie Rules and gridiron respectively.

South Africa

In South Africa, the names "football" and soccer are both used for association football, however "soccer" is more common. Rugby union is called "rugby".

United Kingdom

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. 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.

Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland may use "football" for Gaelic football (see above). 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..

United States

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 article: Football (soccer) names

Many languages use the English word "football" and variations of it as loanwords for Association football (soccer). Examples include:

• Czech: fotbal
• French: football
• Portuguese: futebol
• Spanish: fútbol
• Swedish: fotboll
• 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 calques 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, "Football" is a loanword for American football, while the German word Fußball, a calque of "football" (Fuß = "foot", Ball = "ball"), means 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.

Further reading

• Steve Boughey 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.