Football Glossary F to J
Face up (to) - to approach the defending player head-on (Usually paired with "...and take on.")
Fair Charge - a legal contact with an opponent or the ball, usually resulting in the opponent losing control of the ball
Fair Play - FIFA's term for game play in which there are no violations of the laws of the game, there is no gamesmanship, and there are no professional fouls
Fake - (n) a move by a player meant to deceive an opposing player; (v) to do a faking move
Far and Wide - spread out using the width and length of the field
Far Post - the goal post farthest from the ball
Fast Break - a quick advancing of the ball down the field in an attempt to get its players near the opponent's goal before the defenders have a chance to retreat
Federal debate - (British slang) argument, particularly with a referee
Feint - (n) a move by a player meant to deceive an opposing player; (v) to do a feinting move
Field - the rectangular area where soccer matches are played
Field Players - any of the 11 players on the field except a goalkeeper
FC - common abbreviation for Football (or Futbol) Club. Example: "Strikers FC"
FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) - world governing body of soccer, founded in 1904 and based in Zurich, Switzerland
FIFA World Cup Trophy - Established in 1974 to replace the Jules Rimet trophy
Filling In - temporarily covering a teammate's position
Final – In a tournament the game between the last two teams - “Championship game”
Finish - (a) to complete an offensive play with a shot on goal; (b) to place a ball on frame or to score with a little more thought, accuracy, and technique than 'merely' shooting
Finisher - a striker who has the ability to "put away" or score on the opportunities given
First Attacker - the player with the ball
First Defender - the defender closest to the first attacker
First Time Ball - passing a ball without stopping or controlling it first
First Touch - shooting a ball without stopping or controlling it first
Fixture - (British) a game; also, see "Match".
Flags - the flags that are placed at the four corners of the field marking the corners of the field
Flanks - the outer sides of the fields; same as "wings"
Flat (getting caught, or “we were”) - a situation wherein the defensive players are arranged in a line laterally across the field, allowing a ball to be played between them, and with the subsequent run-through of an attacker.
Flat Back (Four) - the positioning of the last (four) defenders in a line across the field, so that they are able to move up and back in unison in order to take advantage of the offside rule
Flats - soccer footwear without cleats or studs, generally used for indoor soccer or training
Flick (-on) - a quick touch of a ball already moving in a particular direction, generally performed with the head or foot, which increases its range and/or elevation without changing the direction significantly
Flight - (tournament play) the group of teams that play each other in preliminary games
Flighted Ball - a ball that sails through the air over everyone else
Flip Throw-In - a (legal) throw-in in which the player essentially does a forward roll before ending up on his/her feet and releasing the ball
Follow (to) - to follow in the direction of one's own shot or pass in order to be ready for another touch on the ball
Follow Through - the motion of a player's foot in the direction of the ball after it has been kicked
Foot Trap - a player's use of the foot to control ball
Football - the name for soccer everywhere except in the USA
Footie -
(British) slang term for "soccer"
Footy - slang term for "Australian-rules football"
Footwear - what a player wears on his/her feet
Forfeit - a match result in which one team is granted a loss by virtue of nonparticipation or violation of some other administrative rule
Formation - the arrangement into positions of players on the field
Forward - a player that is responsible for most of a team's scoring
Forward Line - the group of forwards who work together to try and score goals
Forward Pass - a pass made towards the opposition's goal
Foul - a violation of the rules for which an official assesses a free kick
Foul Throw - an illegal throw-in
Fourth Official - An official (i.e., referee) in FIFA and other competitions with responsibility for admitting substitutes to the field and maintaining decorum in the coaching area
Frame - (1) the mouth of the goal (e.g., "The shot was on-frame."); (2) less frequently, the actual goalposts and crossbar (e.g., "The shot rebounded off the frame.")
Free Kick - a kick awarded to a player for a foul committed by the opposition
Friendly - (British) a match that does not count in official standings
Front Foot - Abbreviation for "front of the foot"; the laces area on top of the foot just above the little toes
Front Header - the striking of a ball by a player's forehead
Front Post - (1) the post supporting the goal's crossbar that is closest to the ball; (2) a position or location directly next to the post closest to the ball; (3) a position or location that is directly in front of, but some distance removed, from the post closest to the ball; (4) someplace in the general vicinity of the post closest to the ball.
Front Runner - an attacking player who often waits up field and acts as a target player
Front Tackle - an attempt by a defender to kick the ball away from an attacker by approaching from the front
Full International - an international game in which the teams are the true national teams
Fullback - a player who's predominant area of responsibility is in the back of the team formation
Funnel - an imaginary funnel shape on the field with the wide portion of the funnel originating at the points where the mid-field line meets the touch-lines and the narrow end of the funnel pouring into the mouth of the defending goal
Fussbal - (German) soccer
Futbol - (Spanish) soccer
Futebol - (Portuguese) soccer
Futsal Only FIFA-approved version of indoor soccer. Played 5v5 on a hard surface with a low-bounce ball.
Gamesmanship – euphemism for "cheating" in a (sometimes) socially-acceptable manner
Garbage - poor
playing
Gary - slang for "a very clean player"; a player who commits few professional
fouls (as in, "Don't be a Gary") - named after British player Gary Lineker, one
of the cleanest players ever
Get a Piece (of him/her) - intentional or unintentional contact, usually slight, causing a stumble or fall
Ghost - (British) - an extra defensive player with no specific side or position and that just wanders around the field
Give and Go (Pass) - a pass where one player gives the ball to a nearby teammate and then sprints forward to open space to receive a pass in return (Same as "One-Two.")
Gloves - what a goalkeeper wears on his/her hands in order to improve the ability to catch balls; what a field player wears on his/her hands in order to keep the hands warm or to improve the ability to handle balls on throw-ins
Go to ground - fall down
Goal - The actual structure consisting of two goal posts and a crossbar; a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar for which a point is awarded
Goal Area - the rectangular area 20 yards wide by 6 yards deep in front of each goal from which all goal kicks are taken
Goal Box - the rectangular area 20 yards wide by 6 yards deep in front of each goal from which all goal kicks are taken
Goal Kick - a type of restart used when the ball goes over the end line (but, not into the goal) and is last touched by the attacking team, and where the ball is kicked from a stationary position from inside the goal area away from the goal
Goal Line - the field boundary running along its width at each end
Goal Poacher - an attacker that usually roams around the penalty box and attempts to put away loose balls and sloppy passes and to use other non-traditional ways of scoring
Goalie - goalkeeper
Goalkeeper - the player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from getting into the net; the only player able to use his/her hands on the field
Goalmouth - the front opening of each goal where the ball may enter
Goalposts - the two vertical posts located 24 feet apart which extend 8 feet high to form the sides of a goal and support the crossbar
Goals Against – number of goals scored against your team
Goals-Against-Average - The average number of goals that a goalkeeper (or, less frequently, a team) allows per game
Goals For – number of goals scored by your team
Goalside - a location that is closer to one's own goal than another player (e.g., an opponent); between an opponent and one's own goal
Gold - an adjective used by soccer clubs to indicate position in a hierarchy of skill levels. Actual position depends on club usage (e.g., "platinum, gold, and silver teams" or "gold, silver, and bronze teams")
Golden Goal - where a game ends with the scoring of a goal in overtime rather than by the expiration of an extra time period. (Same as "Sudden Death.")
Good Ball - a good pass to a teammate
Good Job - a move, activity, or play that is performed correctly
Hack - a player that fouls profusely
Hacking - kicking an opponent's legs
Half - one of the two 45 minute periods in a 90 minute match;
Half Line - the line across the middle of the field, dividing it in half
Half-Time - a period of rest between the two halves of the game
Half Volley - kicking the ball just as it rebounds off the ground
Half-way line - see "Half-Line"
Halfback - another name for a midfielder
Halftime - the intermission time between the 2 periods or halves of a game
Halves - the segments of time into which a game is divided
Hand of God (Maradona's) - a reference to Argentinian
Maradona scoring a goal via handball in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal game (played in Mexico) between Argentina and England; (b) Maradona's own description of his action
Hand Playing the Ball - See "Hand to Ball"
Hand to Ball - the deliberate handling of a ball by a player other than the goalkeeper
Handball - illegally touching the ball with the hands or arms
Handle (the Ball) - to intentionally touch or pick up the ball
"Handle" the Situation (to) - a polite way for a game commentator to say that one player pushed another with his/her hand
Handling - touching the ball (illegally) with the hands during play
Hard Tackle - a rough (but, legal) tackle
Hat Trick - 3 or more goals scored in a game by a single player
Head (to) - to strike the ball with one's head
Head-to-Head Record - the record (i.e., outcome) of the (usually, most recent) game between two teams; often used to break ties in tournament standings
Header - the striking of a ball in the air by a player's head
Header on (v) - to flick the ball on in the same general direction that it was already traveling
Heel - (1) (v) to use one's heel to pass the ball behind oneself; (2) a command from the person behind the ball handler
"Heels on the Line (I want your...)" - a reminder by coaches to their midfielders to remain wide
Help - a word spoken to a teammate that is in trouble, meaning that there is support nearby
Hesitation move - (same as Swivel Hips) -
Hips Open - the "hips open" position allows a player to see the whole field
"Hold" - an instruction or request asking a teammate to hold the ball until one has moved into a new position
Holding - preventing the movement of a player by obstructing with the hands or grabbing parts of the uniform
Home strip - the uniform set worn for home games
Home (game) - a game played at one's own (home) field
Home Team - the team associated with the field at which the game is being played
Hook Run - a run in which the runner changes direction approximately 180 degrees
Hook Turn - a technique for stopping and changing the direction of a ball by reaching out and catching it with the outside of the foot whose toes have been curled upward and back (e.g., in the shape of a hook)
Hop (Hopped, Hopping) Pass - a pass in which the ball is chipped slightly or otherwise induced to pop off the ground enough to get over an opponents leg or foot
Hunger (Hungry) - intense desire for scoring goals
IFAB - International Football Association Board
"I go!" - a phrase that signifies a player has intention of gaining possession of a loose ball
Illegal Slide Tackle - a tackle from the front "cleats up" and almost any tackle from the rear
Illegal Throw - in violation of legal throw-in requirements
In Bounds - when a ball is within the boundaries of the field
In Play
- when a ball is within the boundaries of the field and play has not been
stopped by the referee
Incidental contact - Contact, even when resulting in a trip, fall, handling, or
injury, that was not intentional or severe enough for the referee for call
Indirect Free Kick - a free kick that is awarded for other less-serious fouls, requiring two players (of either team) to touch the ball before a goal can be scored
Injury Time - see (same as) "Stoppage Time".
Instep - The top part of the foot where most of the boot laces are
In(to) Space - in(to) an area of the field not occupied by other players
In(to) Touch – outside the limits of the lined field (the ball may be touched with the hands)
Instep - the top part of the foot where the shoelaces are
Instep Drive - a straight shot taken with the instep of a player's foot
Instep Pass - a pass made by striking the ball with the instep
In-Swinger - a ball that curves in toward the goal
Interception - cutting off a pass intended from one opponent to another
Intercontinental Cup - a club competition consisting of a single match between the winner of the European Champions Cup and the Copa Libertadores of South America; first held in mid-1960; splayed in Tokyo since the mid-1980s
Intermission - the 5-minute rest period between periods of a game
International - a match between two national teams
International Player - a player selected to play for his/her country's national team. Every game the "international" plays earns him/herself a cap.
Javelin (Throw) - a method used by the goalkeeper to distribute the ball over a
long distance
Jersey - the shirt part of the strip
Jockeying (for position) - getting in the way of an opponent, no matter where the opponent goes
Juggling - keeping a ball in the air with any part of the body besides the hands or arms
Jules Rimet Trophy - the trophy given to the World Cup winner between 1930 and 1970, after which it was permanently retired; named after FIFA's first president
Jump Kick - a kick in which the player and ball are both off the ground