The English language word football may mean any one of several team sports (or the ball used in that respective sport), depending on the national or regional origin and location of the person using the word.

Where 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),^[1][2][3] an unqualified use of football would generally refer to American football — soccer is used when referring to association football.^[4]

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.)

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 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.^[5] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed 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.^[6] [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

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.^[7] The most common useage of the word among the people is between the former two. In the states of Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania football commonly means the Australian rules variation with their league the Australian Football League,^[8] the slang term footy is also used in an unofficial context,^[9] while in these states the two rugby football codes are named league and rugby respectively^{citation needed}. 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.^[7]

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 Socceroos.^[10] 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.^[11] Some high profile media outlets in the country followed in the form of Special Broadcasting Service, Fox Sports, the Sydney Morning Herald and other Sydney-based organisations.^[12][13] There is also a minority of rugby union fans who call their sport football, however rugby is usually used by them.^[14] The small following of American football is known by the name gridiron, or in an unofficial context American football.^[15]

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.^[16] 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.^[17]

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" or "footballer" can mean association football , Gaelic football^[18][19]or rugby union^[20][21]

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 Republic of Ireland media. ^{[22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]}

New Zealand

A 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.^[29][30] 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.^[31][32] Other codes are not traditionally popular but Australian rules football is known as Aussie rules, while American football is known as gridiron.^[33]

South Africa

In South Africa, the word football generally refers to association football.^{citation needed} However, association football is commonly known as soccer despite this. ^[34] The domestic first division is the Premier Soccer League and both in conversation and the media (see e.g. The Sowetan or 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 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, which has a smaller presence.^[35][36]

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.^[37] 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.^[38]

Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland may use "football" for Gaelic football (see above).^[39] 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.^[40]

United States

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 article: Names for association football

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
• 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.

Notes and references

Further reading

Look up football in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• 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.