0_Wizard
I used to play soccer as a kid and loved it, it is also known as association football. 
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
Soccer in the United States
Soccer in the United States is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The organization governs most levels of soccer in the country, including the national teams, professional leagues, and the amateur game with the exception of colleges and high schools. , over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and baseball. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Names for association football
The names of association football are the terms used to describe :association football, the sport most commonly referred to in the English-speaking world as "football" or "soccer". The rules of association football were codified in the United Kingdom by the Football Association in 1863, and the name "association football" was coined to distinguish the game from the other versions of football played at the time, such as rugby football. The word "soccer" is an abbreviation of "association" (from "assoc.") and first appeared in universities in the 1880s (sometimes using the variant spelling "socker").
History of association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, can be traced to as far back as the Medieval period in Britain (medieval football). The modern game of association football originates from the formation of The Football Association in London, England in 1863 based on multiple efforts to standardize the varying forms of the game. This allowed clubs to play each other without dispute and which specifically banned handling of the ball (except by goalkeepers) and hacking during open field play. After the fifth meeting of the association a schism emerged between association football and the rules played by the Rugby school, later to be called rugby football.
Football (word)
The English 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. So 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 association football (soccer), American football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby league football and rugby union football. Of the 45 "national" FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, 43 use "football" in their organisations' official names (Canada and the United States use "soccer").
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multifunctionality over specificity. It is used most commonly in Canada and the United States, where the two most popular outdoor team sports – football and baseball – require radically different facilities. Football uses a rectangular field (Canadian football fields are larger than American ones), while baseball is played on a diamond and large outfield.
History of soccer in Brisbane, Queensland
The earliest known records of regular association football (soccer) games in Brisbane date from the early 1880s, when a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants commenced playing at Queen's Park, adjacent to Alice and Edward Streets in the city (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) and vacant land in Melbourne Street South Brisbane, between Grey and Stanley Streets. This group of players subsequently formed the Anglo-Queensland Football Association in early 1884, and commenced playing fixtures at the sportsfield behind the Pineapple Hotel, in Main Street Kangaroo Point, and at Queen's Park, in June 1884.
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with a foot to score a goal. Unqualified, the word "football" is understood to refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears. Sports commonly called "football" in certain places include: association football (known as soccer in some countries); gridiron football (specifically American football or Canadian football); Australian rules football; rugby football (either rugby league or rugby union); and Gaelic football. These different variations of football are known as football codes.
1_Apprentice
I've never played it, but I've seen it being played at the park - it looks like it might be fun!
0_Wizard
It is the most popular sport in the world being played in over 200 countries by 250 millions payers, 
It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
Sport in India
India is home to a diverse population playing many different sports across the country. Football is a popular sport in some of the Indian states. India has won all the Kabaddi World Cups to date. The country has won eight Olympic gold medals in field hockey. However, cricket is the most popular sport in India. Kabaddi, an indigenous sport is popular in rural India. Several games originated in India including chess, snooker and other regional games. India has won medals in badminton, kabaddi, hockey and many other sports and disciplines. Recently, different forms of martial arts have also gained a lot of prominence in India.
Sports in the United States
Sports in the United States are an important part of the country's culture. Based on revenue, the four major professional sports leagues in the United States are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). The market for professional sports in the United States is roughly $69 billion, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined. Major League Soccer is sometimes included in a "top five" of leagues of the country. All four enjoy wide-ranging domestic media coverage and are considered the preeminent leagues in their respective sports in the world, although only basketball, baseball, and ice hockey have substantial followings in other nations.
American football
American football, referred to as football in the United States and Canada, and also known as gridiron football or simply gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, which is the team controlling the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the defense, which is the team without control of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and aims to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, and otherwise they turn over the football to the defense; if the offense succeeds in advancing ten yards or more, they are given a new set of four downs.
Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers (and then only when within their penalty area). Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use any part of their body except the hands and the arms.
Sport in the United Kingdom
The United  Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: association football, rugby (union and league), cricket, netball, darts, golf, tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, bowls, modern rowing, hockey, boxing, snooker, billiards, and curling. This has meant that in the infancy of many sports, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland formed among the earliest separate governing bodies, national teams and domestic league competitions. After 1922 some sports formed separate bodies for Northern Ireland though some continued to be organised on an all-Ireland basis. In a small number of sports, these teams are supplemented by high-profile events featuring a combined team representing one or more nations.
Sport in South Africa
South Africans have a passionate following, although they remain largely divided along ethnic lines. Soccer, Cricket and Rugby are the most popular sports. Rugby Union has traditionally been the most popular sport in South Africa amongst White South Africans. The national rugby team is nicknamed "The Springboks". South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the first one hosted in Africa. Cricket is traditionally the popular sport among the white British diaspora and Indian South African communities, although it is now followed by members of all races. The national cricket team is nicknamed "The Proteas".
Sport in Australia
Sport is an important part of Australian culture dating back to the early colonial period. Cricket, Rugby League, Australian rules football, rugby union and horse racing are among the earliest organized sports in Australia . Sport has shaped the Australian national identity through events such as the Ashes, the Melbourne Cup and the America's Cup . There are a number of professional sport leagues in Australia, including the National Rugby League (NRL) (Rugby League), the Australian Football League (AFL) (Australian rules football), the Big Bash League (BBL) and Sheffield Shield (cricket), the National Basketball League and the Women's National Basketball League, the A-League and the W-League (soccer), the Australian Baseball League, the National Rugby League (rugby league), Super Rugby (rugby union), the ANZ Championship (netball) and the International V8 Supercars Championship (touring car racing).
1_Apprentice
Holy cow, that's a lot of players!  There must be a lot of tournaments then?
0_Wizard
You could say that. Soccer is governed by FIFA ( International Federation of Association Football) and they are in charge of organizing the World Cup every year.
Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; ), which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
Soccer in the United States
Soccer in the United States is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The organization governs most levels of soccer in the country, including the national teams, professional leagues, and the amateur game with the exception of colleges and high schools. , over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and baseball. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
FIFA
The (FIFA ; French for "International Federation of Association Football") is an association which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer. FIFA is responsible for the organization of football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup which commenced in 1930 and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991. FIFA was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, its membership now comprises 211 national associations.
Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers (and then only when within their penalty area). Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use any part of their body except the hands and the arms.
History of soccer in the United States
The history of soccer in the United States has numerous different roots. The modern-day game, is often considered to have been brought to the United States through Ellis Island during the 1870s. However, recent research has shown that the modern game entered America in the 1850s through New Orleans when Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants brought the game with them. It was in New Orleans that some of the first organized games that used modern English rules were held. However, some variations of soccer in the United States began well before than, with Native American tribes, primarily the Algonkin and Powhatan tribes playing a variation of the sport known as "pasuckuakohowog".
Sport in Ireland
The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games (mainly Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motor sport, MMA, boxing, target shooting and tennis. Hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, rugby union and Olympic target shooting are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing the whole of Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as soccer and netball, have separate organizing bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As Northern Ireland is a constitute nation of the United Kingdom it also sends a Northern Ireland Team to the Commonwealth Games.
History of association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, can be traced to as far back as the Medieval period in Britain (medieval football). The modern game of association football originates from the formation of The Football Association in London, England in 1863 based on multiple efforts to standardize the varying forms of the game. This allowed clubs to play each other without dispute and which specifically banned handling of the ball (except by goalkeepers) and hacking during open field play. After the fifth meeting of the association a schism emerged between association football and the rules played by the Rugby school, later to be called rugby football.
Timeline of association football
This page indexes the individual year in association football pages. Each year is annotated with one or more significant events as a reference point. The Cambridge Rules are created in 1848. Official referees appear for the first time in a football match, at a match held in Cheltenham in 1849, two in field and one in tribune. Sheffield F.C., the first football club in the world, is founded in 1857. That same year the Sheffield Rules are also created. British railway builders introduce football to Argentina. The Football Association is founded in 1863 (the first football association in the world), and it ratifies the original 14 rules of the game.