BASKETBALL GIVES WAY TO FOOTBALL Basketball is the number one sport being played in the Philippines.

Despite the fact that Filipinos are vertically-challenged (to make it sound politically correct) still, we love to play and watch basketball games. We live by the saying that height does not matter. However, football which is popularly known as soccer has been getting a lot of attention and turned out to be sensational lately. Filipinos seemed to find a sport that fits their physique. The number one spot of basketball now is being challenged by the rising fame of football among Filipinos.

ROOTS OF FOOTBALL Football (as well as rugby and soccer) is assumed to be from the ancient Greek game of harpaston. Harpaston is often referred to as a very rough and brutal game. There was no specific field length, no side line boundaries, no specified number of players per team, only a glaring lack of rules. The modern version of football is believed to have been originated from England in the 12th century. Schools and universities picked up the sport and played it largely in their campuses. The kings of England had banned the playing of football because of the games brutal nature and players suffer from serious injuries. Football landed in the United States when teams from Rutgers and Princeton Universities met for the first intercollegiate football game in 1896 with 20 players in a team.The game of football has a history of constant rule changes to bolster the excitement of the game of football and to increase the game's safety. While it is widely assumed that the word "football" (or "foot ball") refers the action of the foot kicking a ball football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horseriding sports often played by aristocrats.

RULES AND MECHANICS OF THE SPORT

Over the course of 90 minutes split into two 45-minute halves, two teams with 11 players (one goalkeeper, midfielders and strikers) will compete in 90-120 metres long by 45-90 metres

wide field. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposition by depositing the ball into the opponents area. . A coin toss takes place just before the game starts, the winner of which will get the choice of choosing which end to attack or whether to kick-off. Should they choose to kick-off then the other captain will be allowed elect which end to attack in the first half. Should the winner decide to choose which end to attack then the loser can choose whether to kick-off in the first or second half.

One of the most basic and important rules of football is that no player can touch the ball with his/her hands during the play, except for the goalkeeper. The players need to make use of their feet to hit the ball. However, players can use any other part of their body, except forearms and hands, to hit the ball, for instance, chest, elbows and knee.

The referee judges with the help of two linesmen (properly referred to as referees assistants) and a fourth official situated on the touchline, if necessary. The referees tasks include acting as a timekeeper, awarding free kicks and penalties and generally dealing with anything requiring a ruling. A foul can take place anywhere on the pitch, and a free kick is awarded where that foul takes place (excepting fouls in the penalty area, which result in a penalty kick). The referee can choose simply to award the foul, speak to the player about his conduct or take matters further. If the single infraction is deemed serious enough or the culprit persistently offends during a match, the referee can choose to take extra action against a particular individual by showing him a yellow card (caution given to a player) and a red card (means he/she is expelled from the match).

Free kick - Whenever taken, the opposition must be at least 10 yards away from the ball until it is delivered. Penalty kick - for offences taking place in the penalty and goal area. A nominated member of the team awarded the penalty is allowed a strike at goal from the penalty spot, with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Throw-in - is awarded when the whole ball crosses the touch line (conceded by the team who last touched the ball). It is delivered off the field of play with both hands and from behind and over the deliverers head. Goal kick is awarded once the whole ball crosses the goal line if it last touched an opposition player. The ball is kicked from anywhere in the goal area outfield, but must cross the penalty area line. Corner kick - awarded once the whole ball crosses the goal line of the opposition, after last touching one of their players and the opponents are 10 yards from the corner.

FOOTBALL LANDED PHILIPPINES

Surprisingly, the Philippine National Football Team is considered as the pioneer in Asia which is established in 1907. Before basketball gained popularity among Filipinos, the country has already been engaged in football but they have not had much success in the international competitions since 1940s. Soccer football was introduced in the Philippines by English sportsmen, members of the Manila Club around 1895. There were not enough players in the entire city to form two regular teams so they were forced to practice by matching the fire forwards against five members of the defensive line of the same team. After a few years, five athletic clubs sprang up among them are Manila Sporting Club, the Paris Club, Manila Jockey Club, Sandow Football Team. In the year 1910, the Bohemian Sporting Club was organized and began to train football players with such ability that in a couple of years time it became one of the most formidable Filipino soccer teams, and the most perilous rival of the English team called the Nomads and the Sandow Athletic Club. The first official football match in the Philippines was held in Manila on the 15th of October, 1907, in celebration of the opening of the Philippine Assembly which was won by the Sandow team. Paulino Alcantara of Barcelona FC is regarded as the first Filipino and Asian player to play for a European club. He played for the club from 1912 to 1927, scoring 357 goals in 357 matches - a feat that remains unparalleled in the clubs history. He remains as the clubs all-time

leading goalscorer. In the Philippines, Alcantara played for the Bohemian Sporting Club and helped them win two Philippine Championships. He represented the Philippines in the 1917 Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo and helped the Philippine national football team defeat the host nation 15 to 2.

REVIVAL OF THE PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL The Philippine National Football Team which is famously known as the Philippine Azkals is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The Philippine Azkals team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the Philippines. The Azkals are coming off a sensational semifinal finish in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup last December, where they beat powerhouse squad Vietnam on a 2-0 score, a victory that triggered the rush of public support to the team as well as the sport. Alcantaras legacy in the field of football has inspired the Filipino players to revive the culture of playing the game. The Azkals has become the new hope of the Philippines to bring about the rebirth of a stronger and more competent football team and encourage Filipino youths to engage in playing the sport. Most of the players of the football team tour the country to bring much-needed awareness to the public that the Filipinos can have a very bright future with football, and they can compete at par with other countries in international tournaments. Unlike in the field of basketball which requires height to be able to play competently. Football has proliferated all throughout the country today. Different football clinics were built in the islands to train the youths in playing the said sport. Even the mainstream media has been occupied by football sensation. Most of the Azkals players were chosen as commercial models may it be in print and television. It also invaded Philippine Teledramas by the premire of the Footbolilits in GMA7.

SOURCES:
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www.barcelonafc.com www.inquirer.net www.talkfootball.co.uk

http://www.hornetfootball.org/documents/football-history.htm http://www.phlazkals.com/2011/04/look-at-history-of-philippine-football.html