association football: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

There is no difference in the sport itself. 'Association football' is the full, official name. 'Football' (or 'soccer') is the common name. 'Association football' is used for precision when discussing different types of football.

No. 'Soccer' originated in late 19th-century England as Oxford University slang, shortening 'association' to 'soc' and adding '-er'. It was common in the UK alongside 'football' until the late 20th century, when 'football' became preferred. It survived in countries with competing football codes.

It is named after the Football Association (FA), founded in England in 1863, which was the first governing body to standardize a unified code of rules for this specific type of football.

It depends on your audience. In most of the world, 'football' is understood. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland, 'soccer' is clearer to avoid confusion with their dominant local football codes. In formal writing, 'association football' is unambiguous.

The most common form of football worldwide, played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball on a rectangular field, where players use their feet, head, and torso (but generally not their hands or arms) to control the ball and score goals.

Association football is usually formal, technical, official, historical. in register.

Association football: in British English it is pronounced /əˌsəʊ.siˈeɪ.ʃən ˈfʊt.bɔːl/, and in American English it is pronounced /əˌsoʊ.siˈeɪ.ʃən ˈfʊt.bɑːl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.