120-682: The Kent County Football League (known as the Kent County League) is a football competition based in Kent , England and adjacent area. The league was founded in 1922 as the Kent Amateur Football League and comprised Eastern and Western sections which functioned and were administered separately. In 1984 the league renamed itself the Kent County Football League . A single mixed Eastern and Western sections Premier Division
240-601: A stele of c. 375–400 BCE in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship trophy. Athenaeus , writing in 228 CE, mentions the Roman ball game harpastum . Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football , wrestling , and volleyball more than what
360-488: A French XI team in 1920, and also made up most of the England team against a Scottish Ladies XI in the same year, winning 22–0. Despite being more popular than some men's football events, with one match seeing a 53,000 strong crowd in 1920, women's football in England suffered a blow in 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches, stating that "the game of football
480-503: A Senior Division (which accepted both senior and stronger non-senior clubs) above a reconstituted Premier Division and Division One. The new Senior Division comprised a total of eleven clubs, six from the previous season's Premier Division, three from Division one and two from Division two. After one further season, in 1985, the now lowest ranked Division One was discontinued. Thereafter the section continued with Senior and Premier Divisions until 1992. In 1984 there were significant changes to
600-442: A caution ( yellow card ) or dismissal ( red card ). A second yellow card in the same game leads to a red card, which results in a dismissal. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in their official notebook. If a player has been dismissed, no substitute can be brought on in their place and the player may not participate in further play. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while
720-564: A competitive game, and involved the kicking of a mari , a ball made of animal skin. In North America, pasuckuakohowog was a ball game played by the Algonquians ; it was described as "almost identical to the kind of folk football being played in Europe at the same time, in which the ball was kicked through goals". Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on
840-497: A deadlock; some competitions may invoke replays . A game tied at the end of regulation time may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shoot-outs (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of
960-400: A goal has been scored or not; this was brought in to prevent controversy. Video assistant referees (VAR) have also been increasingly introduced in high-level matches to assist officials through video replays to correct clear and obvious mistakes. There are four types of calls that can be reviewed: mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card, goals and whether there was a violation during
1080-628: A latex bladder for pressurisation, but modern balls at all levels of the game are now synthetic. As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB , the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units . The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though use of imperial units remains popular in English-speaking countries with
1200-580: A loophole and been accepted into the Kent League over the previous two seasons). The league streamlined its administration in 1995 when it scrapped the separate Western and Eastern Management Committees and adopted a single committee across the whole league. In 2011 to fill a gap in the National League System between the Kent County League, a regional feeder league, and the step 5 Kent League
1320-519: A meeting attended by representatives from Eton , Harrow , Rugby , Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club , formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to
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#17328512944461440-573: A new league at step 6, the Kent Invicta League , was created – this took fourteen clubs from the Kent County League (nine from the Premier League, three from the two Division One leagues and two from Division Two West). Over the next two seasons, beginning 2011–12, the numerically reduced Kent County League operated with a single Division One below its heavily reconstituted Premier Division but maintained two regional Division Two leagues. In 2013
1560-463: A pathway for progressive clubs to move through the regional divisions and into the Kent County League's top Premier Division and further up the Football pyramid. The Kent County League had become a feeder to the Kent League in the mid 1990s but few clubs had taken the step up and none were relegated downwards on footballing merit. The trickle of clubs taking promotion gained pace in the 2000s however there
1680-426: A penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs , goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks. A standard adult football match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time. The referee
1800-522: A play-off match between the two winners to decide the Division One champion. After reverting to a single Division One for the 2000–01 season, for both the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons Division One was again split into North and South Divisions. Thereafter for the following nine seasons the Reserves section was divided into two merit based divisions, Division One and Division Two, with promotion/relegation between
1920-416: A relatively recent history of metrication (or only partial metrication), such as Britain. The length of the pitch, or field, for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) in length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided
2040-567: A similar ancient game ( cuju , or tsu chu ) was played by women during the Han dynasty (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing tsu chu . There are also reports of annual football matches played by women in Midlothian , Scotland, during the 1790s. Association football, the modern game, has documented early involvement of women. In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardised rules to prohibit violence on
2160-523: A total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport. The game of association football is played in accordance with the Laws of the Game , a set of rules that has been in effect since 1863 and maintained by the IFAB since 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68–70 cm (27–28 in) in circumference . The two teams compete to score goals by getting
2280-554: A truce to the nation's civil war in 2006 and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké , an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time. By contrast, football is widely considered to have been the final proximate cause for the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras . The sport also exacerbated tensions at
2400-432: A variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws. The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards . An athletic supporter and protective cup is highly recommended for male players by medical experts and professionals. Headgear
2520-415: Is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch . The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for
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#17328512944462640-463: Is governed by FIFA . Under FIFA, there are six continental confederations: AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA . Of these confederations, CONMEBOL is the oldest one, being founded in 1916. National associations (e.g. The FA in England) are responsible for managing the game in their own countries both professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinating competitions in accordance with
2760-410: Is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by
2880-438: Is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials. A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during
3000-405: Is positioned on each goal line, midway between the two touchlines. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (24 ft) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws. In front of the goal is the penalty area. This area
3120-800: Is quite unsuitable for females and should not be encouraged." Players and football writers have argued that this ban was, in fact, due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted, and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game. The FA ban led to the formation of the short-lived English Ladies Football Association and play moved to rugby grounds. Women's football also faced bans in several other countries , notably in Brazil from 1941 to 1979, in France from 1941 to 1970, and in Germany from 1955 to 1970. Restrictions began to be reduced in
3240-506: Is recognisable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football , the antecedent of all modern football codes , these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking it. Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world, FIFA has described that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The history of football in England dates back to at least
3360-579: Is the dominant region in women's football, with the United States winning the most FIFA Women's World Cups and Olympic tournaments. Europe and Asia come second and third in terms of international success, and the women's game has been improving in South America. Association football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The game is played using a spherical ball of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) circumference, known as
3480-451: Is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is called "additional time" in FIFA documents, but is most commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time , while lost time can also be used as a synonym. The duration of stoppage time is at the sole discretion of
3600-435: Is thought to have been borrowed from the slang of Rugby School . Initially spelt assoccer (a shortening of "association"), it was later reduced to the modern spelling. This form of slang also gave rise to rugger for rugby football, fiver and tenner for five pound and ten pound notes , and the now-archaic footer that was also a name for association football. The word soccer arrived at its current form in 1895 and
3720-404: Is to score goals; defenders , who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders , who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which
Kent County League - Misplaced Pages Continue
3840-421: The football (or soccer ball ). Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by
3960-515: The Caribbean and Oceania regions (except Australia ) have yet to make a mark in international football. When it comes to men's national teams, Europeans and South Americans continue to dominate the FIFA World Cup, as no team from any other region has managed to even reach the final. These regional trends do not hold true for the women's game, as the United States women's national team has won
4080-799: The Kent Hurlimann Football League . After six seasons without a title sponsor, in November 2019 shipping company Sea Pioneer was named as sponsor with the competition known as the Sea Pioneer Southern Counties East Football League – this arrangement ceased with the interruption of football in March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic . The league next announced a sponsorship agreement in June 2024 with Tunbridge Wells based property management firm Presence & Co., with
4200-603: The National League System (which equates to Levels 9–10 of the overall English football league system ). At its inception it was known for two seasons as the Kent Premier League and then, until 2013, as the Kent League . There is no direct connection between this league and a previous Kent League that existed from 1894 to 1959, despite many clubs having spells of membership in both leagues. The current league
4320-620: The 1960s and 1970s. The Italian women's football league was established in 1968. In December 1969, the Women's Football Association was formed in England, with the sport eventually becoming the most prominent team sport for women in the United Kingdom. Two unofficial women's World Cups were organised by the FIEFF in 1970 and in 1971 . Also in 1971, UEFA members voted to officially recognise women's football, while The Football Association rescinded
4440-402: The 1978–79 season when a division for first teams only was established, titled Division One and reserve teams were shifted into a newly formed Division Two (which didn't exclude first teams); a Division Two knock-out cup competition was also initiated. Subsequently all divisions below the league's top division were known as the 'Reserves Section' and there was no automatic promotion/relegation from
4560-461: The 2011–12 season clubs could be relegated to the Kent County League , although in practice this rarely happened, albeit clubs had moved in the opposite direction on being elected to the Kent League. The formation of the new Kent Invicta Football League for the 2011–12 season created a league at Step 6 rather than Step 7 allowing for a less steep transition; clubs were regularly promoted from
4680-595: The ARC Cup; it has subsequently been named the Bill Manklow Inter-regional Challenge Cup. The integration within the league proceeded further in 1992 with the removal of the two sections' top Senior Divisions replaced by a single Kent County League Premier Division with regional numerically designated divisions below. The new single division included fourteen clubs: ten from the Western section (nine from
4800-490: The Central & East Division Three was discontinued however the number of divisions remained constant as the Central & East Division Two was divided into separate Central and East divisions. The Division Three West division was discontinued in 2024. Prior to 1984 the existence of Senior Divisions (which included stronger non-senior clubs) had inhibited annual merit based promotion into the these top divisions; either ballots of
4920-606: The Eastern Senior Division as the Eastern Section of the Kent League ; this division ceased to be part of the Kent Amateur League the following season. The Western section expanded to two divisions in 1925 and from 1927 their top division clubs voted to change from junior to senior status. The section expanded to three divisions in 1932 and four in 1934 at which time they were renamed with the former Division One
Kent County League - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-466: The Eastern section champion was decided by an inter-region championship match between each seasons' divisional winners. For the eleven seasons between 1948 until 1959 the league had only a single division before, for the 1959–60 season, again operating two parallel North and South divisions (with championship play-off). This was a precursor to the formation of two divisions in 1960, a Premier Division comprising
5160-570: The FIFA Women's World Cup four times, more than any other women's team. Football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams, while billions more watch the game on television or on the internet. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. Football has
5280-861: The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association , the Football Association of Wales , and the Irish Football Association . FIFA , the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the Laws of the Game of the Football Association. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. The board consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of
5400-464: The Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick . The referee may punish a player's or substitute's misconduct by
5520-470: The IFAB Laws. Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes ), one of whom must be the goalkeeper . Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are
5640-753: The Kent County League itself are smaller district leagues, these being the Ashford and District League, Bromley and South London Football League, Canterbury & District League, Rochester & District League and Sevenoaks & District League. The league has had headline sponsors/partners since 1987 (except for the 1993–94 season). The sponsorship deals are usually enacted during the summer close season. source= Kent County Football League: Western Section Division Champions 1924–1992 source: Kent County Football League: Mid-Kent Section Division Champions 1935–1937 source= Kent County Football League: Eastern Section Division Champions 1924–1992 Major restructuring combined
5760-778: The Kent Invicta League but until it amalgamated with the SCEFL in 2015 no clubs were relegated to this step 6 league. Following their sponsorship of the Kent League Cup for the 1984–85 season, cable-making company Winstonlead extended their sponsorship to cover the League and this ran for 15 seasons between 1985 and 1999 during which period the competition was styled as the Winstonlead Kent League . They were succeeded by brewing company Bass as sponsors for three seasons during which
5880-470: The Kent League and Aylesford Paper Mills and Royal Naval Depot Chatham from the London League ). The Western section continued in this configuration until 1992. The Eastern section began again after World War Two in 1945 with two parallel regional divisions which continued for three seasons. The divisions were designated East and West in the 1945–46 season and North and South for the remaining two seasons;
6000-430: The Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees . In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise. Goal line technology is used to measure if the whole ball has crossed the goal-line thereby determining whether
6120-713: The Laws of the Game. The most prestigious senior international competitions are the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup . The men's World Cup is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, surpassing the Olympic Games . The two most prestigious competitions in club football are the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League , which attract an extensive television audience worldwide. The final of
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#17328512944466240-475: The Laws of the Game: to represent their team in the coin toss before kick-off or penalty kicks . The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they must use both their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their body (notably, "heading" with
6360-539: The Reserves Section into/from the top division. The league continued with this format until the 1998–1999 season when the divisions were renamed as the Premier Division and Division One (from Division One and Division Two respectively) - with floodlights being a requirement for clubs in the Premier Division. The following season Division One was split into two equal ranked regional (North and South) Divisions with
6480-533: The Senior Division plus the current Premier Division champions), three from the Senior Division of the Eastern section and one (Thames Polytechnic) who had been ejected from the Kent League after failing to meet ground grading requirements. The clubs in the single Premier and two sectional Division One leagues were designated at least of intermediate status (with clubs hitherto of senior status remaining so). Each section continued to operate their own structure below
6600-486: The Southern Counties East League, to reflect that many of its member clubs no longer played within the county of Kent. and reverted to a single division for three seasons. At the end of the 2015–16 season, the league merged with the Kent Invicta League : the former single Southern Counties East League was designated as the Premier Division and the former Kent Invicta league became Division One. From 1982
6720-530: The United States. A notable exception is New Zealand, where in the first two decades of the 21st century, under the influence of international television, "football" has been gaining prevalence, despite the dominance of other codes of football, namely rugby union and rugby league . The term soccer comes from Oxford "-er" slang, which was prevalent at the University of Oxford in England from about 1875, and
6840-571: The Western and Eastern Senior Divisions into one Premier Division. The regional divisions below were sequentially numbered. ' sources= Kent County Football League: Kent County League Division Champions 1993 to date ; The FA: Kent County Football League The winners of the principal cup competitions. sources= Kent County Football League: League Cups ; Kent County Football League: Eastern Section Cups ; Kent County Football League: Western Section Cups Association football Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer ,
6960-452: The ball into the other team's goal (between the posts, under the bar, and fully across the goal line). When the ball is in play, the players mainly use their feet, but may also use any other part of their body, such as their head, chest and thighs, except for their hands or arms, to control, strike, or pass the ball. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands and arms, and that only within the penalty area . The team that has scored more goals at
7080-456: The ban that prohibited women from playing on association members' pitches in England. Women's football still faces many struggles, but its worldwide growth has seen major competitions being launched at both the national and international levels, mirroring the men's competitions. The FIFA Women's World Cup was inaugurated in 1991: the first tournament was held in China, featuring 12 teams from
7200-410: The beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play: A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of
7320-525: The beginning of the Croatian War of Independence of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade degenerated into rioting in May 1990. Women's association football has historically seen opposition, with national associations severely curbing its development and several outlawing it completely. Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that
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#17328512944467440-404: The buildup, direct red card decisions, and penalty decisions. The ball is spherical with a circumference of between 68 and 70 cm (27 and 28 in), a weight in the range of 410 to 450 g (14 to 16 oz), and a pressure between 0.6 and 1.1 standard atmospheres (8.5 and 15.6 pounds per square inch ) at sea level. In the past the ball was made up of leather panels sewn together, with
7560-732: The champions of these two club competitions would contest the Intercontinental Cup to prove which team was the best in the world. In the 21st century, South America has continued to produce some of the best footballers in the world, but its clubs have fallen behind the still dominant European clubs, which often sign the best players from Latin America and elsewhere. Meanwhile, football has improved in Africa , Asia and North America , and nowadays, these regions are at least on equal grounds with South America in club football, although countries in
7680-425: The course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is five in 90 minutes, with each team being allowed one more if the game should go into extra-time; the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches . Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at
7800-401: The division's clubs generally decided to maintain the status quo rather than vote out existing clubs, or the no relegation status of the senior clubs maintained their position in the divisions. From 1984 promotion rules were established (which limited the no relegation protection to reserve sides of clubs in higher ranked leagues) and in 1993 the adoption of a single joint Premier Division created
7920-453: The eighth century. The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The Cambridge rules , first drawn up at the University of Cambridge in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge , at
8040-420: The end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match. IFAB recommends "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team". Any decision regarding points awarded for abandoned games is left to the individual football associations. A game is officiated by a referee , who has "full authority to enforce
8160-405: The end of the game is the winner. There are situations where a goal can be disallowed, such as an offside call or a foul in the build-up to the goal. Depending on the format of the competition, an equal number of goals scored may result in a draw being declared with 1 point awarded to each team, or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shoot-out . Internationally, association football
8280-527: The following two seasons to 2010–11 was sponsored by (infrastructure provider) Blu3. Since 2016–17 the Premier Division is designated at Step 5 with Division One at Step 6 of the National League System (which equates to Levels 9–10 of the overall English football league system ). Clubs are able to move upwards to the Step 4 divisions of the Isthmian League ; teams are relegated into the Kent County League which
8400-420: The forehead) other than their hands or arms. Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though players may not pass to teammates who are in an offside position. During gameplay, players attempt to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling , passing the ball to a teammate, and by taking shots at
8520-514: The formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules. These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street , London. The only school to be represented on this occasion
8640-517: The four British associations. For most of the 20th century, Europe and South America were the dominant regions in association football. The FIFA World Cup , inaugurated in 1930 , became the main stage for players of both continents to show their worth and the strength of their national teams. In the second half of the century, the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores were created, and
8760-695: The game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation . Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager . There are 17 laws in the official Laws of the Game, each containing a collection of stipulations and guidelines. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football for both sexes, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors and people with physical disabilities are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on
8880-425: The goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee for an infringement of
9000-452: The higher ranked teams from the two regional divisions of the previous season and Division one for the remainder. In 1962 the Eastern section expanded to three divisions with the addition of Division Two and the section remained in this configuration through to 1973, when the lower division was discontinued for four seasons before being reinstated in 1977. The structure altered in 1984 when the section, similar to its Western counterpart, inserted
9120-404: The highest global television audience in sport. In many parts of the world, football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans , local communities, and even nations. Ryszard Kapuściński says that Europeans who are polite, modest, or humble fall easily into rage when playing or watching football games. The Ivory Coast national football team helped secure
9240-654: The instigation of Alcock. England is also home to the world's first football league , which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor . The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England . Laws of the Game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of
9360-745: The lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s, with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup , which was founded by the footballer and cricketer Charles W. Alcock , and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow , again at
9480-547: The league became a designated feeder league to the Southern League and during the following twenty seasons nine Kent League clubs gained promotion. From 2004, following further rationalisation of the structure of non-League football which saw the redrawing of the border between the Southern Football League and the Isthmian League , the Premier Division champions are promoted to the Isthmian League . Prior to
9600-412: The league organisation: common rules were adopted across the two sections (essentially those of the Western section); a joint management committee comprising five members from each section was appointed; and the teams in the Senior Division, if not of senior status were given intermediate status. These changes made the league a more combined body and it renamed itself the Kent County Football League . There
9720-478: The league restructured, not only returning to an Eastern and Western Division One, but added two regional Division Three leagues (a renaming of the existing two Reserve Divisions); additionally Premier Division clubs were mandated to ensure, by the end of the 2013-14 season, that their facilities met FA Step 7 grade standard or face relegation. From 2016 the East divisions were renamed the Central & East divisions. In 2023
9840-577: The league to be known for the following two seasons as the Presence & Co. Southern Counties East Football League . The League's knock-out cup competitions have intermittently attracted separate sponsorship: from 2011 to 2018 the Challenge Cup was sponsored by sportswear brand Macron ; the Reserves Section cup was known for the 2008–09 season as the HAUC (Highways Agency Utilities Committee) Reserves Cup and for
9960-641: The league was titled the Bass Brewers Kent League . In 2002 Kent based travel agency business Go Travel were the sponsor with the competition known as the Go Travel Kent League . The sponsor changed in 2005 to the Kent on Sunday newspaper and for a single season, 2005–06, the league was known as the Kentish Observer League . There followed two years without a title sponsor until 2008 when it
10080-607: The men's tournament is the most-watched annual sporting event in the world. Association football is one of a family of football codes that emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. Within the English-speaking world, the sport is now usually called "football" in Great Britain and most of Ulster in the north of Ireland, whereas people usually call it "soccer" in regions and countries where other codes of football are prevalent, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, most of Ireland (excluding Ulster), and
10200-525: The nature of the game. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the IFAB. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of association football. Within the United States, Major League Soccer used a distinct ruleset during the 1990s and the National Federation of State High School Associations and NCAA still use rulesets that are comparable to, but different from,
10320-410: The new combined division with promotion and relegation through the whole hierarchy, including into the Premier Division. In 1993, a year after the formation of the amalgamated single Premier Division, an accord was reached that recognised the division as a feeder to the Kent League. For clubs that wished to take the step up and had facilities meeting the grading requirements, promotion for a single club
10440-480: The next stoppage of play. The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final. The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect. SCEFL The Southern Counties East Football League is an English football league established in 1966, which has teams based in Kent and Southeast London . Its two divisions are allocated at Step 5 and Step 6 of
10560-426: The offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute, substituted player, and to non-players such as managers and support staff. Rather than stopping play,
10680-461: The original thirteen laws of the game. The sticking point was hacking, which a twelfth club at the meeting, Blackheath FC , had wanted to keep, resulting in them withdrawing from the FA. Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, and instead in 1871, along with Blackheath, formed the Rugby Football Union . The FA rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and
10800-432: The pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (115 yd) long and 68 m (74 yd) wide as a standard pitch dimension for international matches; however, this decision was later put on hold and was never actually implemented. The longer boundary lines are touchlines , while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines . A rectangular goal
10920-437: The pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play. The first match recorded by the Scottish Football Association took place in 1892 in Glasgow . In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895. Women's football has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom. Association football continued to be played by women since
11040-437: The player spends the most time. For example, there are central defenders and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of
11160-400: The players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee. Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa . Trailing 1–0 with two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty kick. Villa's goalkeeper deliberately kicked the ball out of play; by
11280-416: The referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at
11400-419: The referee. Stoppage time does not fully compensate for the time in which the ball is out of play , and a 90-minute game typically involves about an hour of "effective playing time". The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half, the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time they intend to add. The fourth official then informs
11520-440: The respective six confederations. The World Cup has been held every four years since; by 2019 , it had expanded to 24 national teams, and 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition. Four years later , FIFA targeted the 32-team 2023 Women's World Cup at an audience of 2 billion, while about 1.4 million tickets were sold, setting a Women's World Cup record. Women's football has been an Olympic event since 1996 . North America
11640-534: The rules. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart. At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2022–23 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.85 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers , or forwards, whose main task
11760-543: The sexes are so widely divided are all on the side of emancipation , and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in Parliament and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most." Honeyball and those like her paved the way for women's football. However, the women's game was frowned upon by the British football associations and continued without their support. It has been suggested that this
11880-418: The structure expanded to four divisions with a Senior Division being inserted above the section's Premier Division. This new division was established to provide a competition for senior status Amateur clubs and included seven of the fourteen clubs from the previous season’s Premier Division, plus promoted Slade Green Athletic , together with a three additional clubs from higher ranked leagues (Bowater Lloyds from
12000-506: The teams contested a league cup competition. Two years later in 1968 the league was renamed the Kent Football League . During its first ten years many of the league's members were reserve sides of Southern League teams; in 1975 there was an unsuccessful proposal to exclude reserves teams from the primary division and instigate a second division. There followed several seasons by the league of discouragement of reserves teams until
12120-447: The time it was recovered, the clock had run out and the game was over, leaving Stoke unable to attempt the penalty. The same law also states that the duration of either half is extended until a penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed; thus, no game can end with an uncompleted penalty. In league competitions, games may end in a draw. In knockout competitions where a winner is required, various methods may be employed to break such
12240-531: The time of the first recorded women's games in the late 19th century. The best-documented early European team was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. It was named the British Ladies' Football Club . Honeyball is quoted as, "I founded the association late last year [1894], with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the 'ornamental and useless' creatures men have pictured. I must confess, my convictions on all matters where
12360-422: The tournament or be the champion. Goals scored during extra time periods count towards the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament, with goals scored in a penalty shoot-out not making up part of the final score. In competitions using two-legged matches , each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from
12480-597: The transmission of cuju outside of China, especially the form of the game popular in the Tang dynasty , the period when the inflatable ball was invented and replaced the stuffed ball. Other East Asian games include kemari in Japan and chuk-guk in Korea, both influenced by cuju . Kemari originated after the year 600 during the Asuka period . It was a ceremonial rather than
12600-411: The two divisions; Division One initially comprised the higher ranked teams from the two regional Division One leagues with the new Division Two taking the remaining teams. For the 2012–2013 season, the final one the league was known as the Kent League, the competition reverted to a two division format comprising the Premier Division and Reserves Section Division One. In 2013 the league changed its name to
12720-439: The two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg they played away from home. If the result is still equal, extra time and potentially a penalty shoot-out are required. Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play . From
12840-510: Was Charterhouse . The Freemasons' Tavern was the setting for five more meetings of The FA between October and December 1863; the English FA eventually issued the first comprehensive set of rules named Laws of the Game , forming modern football. The laws included bans on running with the ball in hand and hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Eleven clubs, under the charge of FA secretary Ebenezer Cobb Morley , ratified
12960-530: Was a gap in the National League System between the Kent County League, at notional step 7, and the Kent League at step 5. This was rectified in 2011 with the founding, primarily with clubs from the Kent County League, of the step 6 Kent Invicta League . The Kent County League then became a Regional Feeder League into this new league and its successor (following amalgamation), Division One of the Southern Counties East League . The feeder leagues for
13080-472: Was establishment and publication of rules concerning promotion into and relegation from the Senior Divisions which hitherto had been a virtual closed-shop in favour of the senior status clubs. The league began an inter-section cup competition in 1987 with teams form the top two divisions of both the Eastern and Western sections eligible to participate, it was named initially for the league's new sponsors as
13200-527: Was first recorded as in exercise in the Zhan Guo Ce , a military history from the Han dynasty . Cuju players would pass the ball around, having to avoid it touching the ground at any point. It was then passed to a designated player, who attempted to kick it through the fengliu yan , a circular goal atop 10–11 meter poles. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), cuju games were standardised and rules were established. The Silk Road facilitated
13320-419: Was first recorded in 1889 in the earlier form of socca . Kicking ball games arose independently multiple times across multiple cultures. The Chinese competitive game cuju ( 蹴鞠 , literally "kickball"; also known as tsu chu ) resembles modern association football as well as a mix of basketball, and volleyball. This is the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is historical evidence. The game
13440-746: Was formed in 1966, from teams in and around the county of Kent , when the Thames & Medway Combination (which had its origins in 1896) was expanded and renamed the Kent Premier League . The league began with fourteen teams - five of the six members of the final Thames & Medway Combination season ( Deal Town Reserves , Orpington Athletic, Sittingbourne Reserves , Snowdown CW and Tonbridge Reserves ) plus nine additional members ( Ashford Town Reserves , Bexley United Reserves , Canterbury City Reserves , Faversham Town , Folkestone Town Reserves , Margate Reserves , Ramsgate Athletic Reserves , Sheppey United Reserves , Tunbridge Wells Rangers Reserves ). Additionally
13560-517: Was formed in 1992 and three years later, in 1995, the league adopted a single Management Committee. The league is a Regional Feeder League into the National League System step 6 Division One of the Southern Counties East League . As of August 2024 the league (excluding the veterans section) comprised 84 teams formed into six divisions – a Premier Division; Division One Central & East and Division One West; Division Two East, West and Central. The Kent Amateur Football League
13680-468: Was founded in 1922 with the inaugural season being 1922–23. The league consisted of two separate groupings, the Western and Eastern sections, each with their own management committee. The Western section comprised a single junior status division with 14 clubs; the Eastern. a Senior Division (with 3 clubs) and a junior status Division One (with 7 clubs). At their 1924 Annual General Meeting the Kent FA referred to
13800-497: Was motivated by a perceived threat to the "masculinity" of the game. Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the First World War , when female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men 50 years earlier. The most successful team of the era was Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. of Preston, England . The team played in one of the first women's international matches against
13920-462: Was named the Premier Division and the others were numbered in sequence Divisions One, Two and Three. The league continued with this format until the 1938–39 season, their last before the outbreak of the Second World War . The Eastern section reduced to a single division in its second season and then ceased for three seasons before reforming as an intermediate status division in 1928. This division
14040-453: Was set to commence from the 1995–96 season. There had over the years been a trickle of progressive and ambitious Kent Amateur/County League teams being elected to the Kent League, however VCD Athletic in 1997 were the first team to be promoted as Kent County League champions in line with the feeder initiative (albeit Hythe United and Lordswood , neither of whom were league winners, had exploited
14160-568: Was sponsored for two seasons by Bulmers and named the Bulmers Cider Kent League . For the 2010–11 season, training and consultancy business Safety Net Associates were the sponsors with the league known as the Safety Net Associates Kent League . Thereafter for two seasons commencing with the 2011–12 season the league was sponsored by Hürlimann Sternbräu lager (brewed by Kentish brewers Shepherd Neame ) and billed as
14280-400: Was the discontinued Kent League Division Two from the 1934–35 season and it returned to that league grouping in 1937. The Western section recommenced in 1944 with a single Division One and two seasons later in 1946 returned to a Premier Division, Division One and Division Two format. The latter division ceased for the following campaign before being reformed in 1951. Three seasons later in 1954
14400-461: Was upgraded to senior status in 1934 at which time a junior status second division was added. The league competition was suspended in autumn 1939 and reconstituted as a wartime league comprising two divisions for the 1939–40 season. For two seasons between 1935 and 1937 there was a third section of the Kent Amateur League, the Mid-Kent section which was administered by the Western section committee. This
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