Posts Tagged ‘Football’

Soccer jerseys are now one of the most popular sportswear items in the world and this is purely down to the massive and ever increasing popularity of the sport. Soccer really has become the number one supported sport in the world which has increased fans interest in different soccer jerseys.  Every team has at least a home and away jersey but many often have a 3rd jersey, usually used for playing in some sort of competition like the Champions League.

Most fans buy at least one of the jerseys for their club sometimes getting the name and number of their favourite players on the back of their jersey, or indeed their own custom name and number. What has been increasing though is the interest in not just your teams but also other teams jerseys from around the world, with Premiership soccer jerseys in particular being very popular at the moment largely due to the fame of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres.

The top teams in the world usually change their jerseys either every year or every two years meaning that the designs are always having to change. One of the biggest changes we have seen over the last few years is the move towards synthetic materials for making jerseys. Soccer jerseys had previously been made of cotton but this stuck to players when they began to sweat so new materials have been developed for the jerseys that make them absorb less moisture which makes it more comfortable to wear whilst playing soccer.

Major international competitions like the World Cup are major sporting events on the soccer calendar and give fans the chance to support their country.  International soccer jerseys are very popular throughout the competitions as it allows fans to show their support for their country or their favourite player.

The top football jersey manufacturers in the world are Nike, Adidas, Umbro and Puma but more and more manufacturers are starting to come on the scene most notably the like of Lotto and Canterbury have began to grab themselves a foothold in the market.

With the soccer season just finishing we are just about to get to the time of year when the new jerseys are getting released. A lot of the new soccer jerseys will be available for pre-order at the moment with the official release date likely to be towards the end of June for most shirts.

As the top clubs return from their European travels, managers, players and spread bettors start to turn their attention to the weekend’s action. There will be plenty for punters to get their teeth into on the spread markets, headed by a mouth-watering Old Trafford Manchester derby at the top of the bill. Since United’s humbling loss to Burnley last month they have come out fighting to stick one to sellers of their outright Championship index spread, currently at 38-41pts (60pts to champions, 40pts to runner-up, 20pts to third place etc). Despite big-spending City’s unbeaten start to the season, the red half of Manchester will be convinced their team can achieve a third successive league win over their local rivals and are favourite to do so according to the Sporting Index football traders.

Buyers of United’s win index spread will be hoping Sir Alex can lead his side to their fifth win of the season and will be pleased that the Red Devils’ home form has been near perfect – they’ve lost just one and drawn two of their last 20 matches at Old Trafford. United also won 13 of these 17 victories to nil, which will be a worry to sellers of the first Manchester City goal, but won’t trouble sellers of Manchester City’s goal minutes, despite a rampant win over Arsenal last weekend. Those looking to sell United’s match supremacy spread will remember back to the 2007/08 season when City did the double over United.

This particular derby has proved profitable for both buyers and sellers of the total bookings spreads in past seasons. While the last game at Old Trafford between these two saw a make-up of just 20 points, the previous encounter produced a hefty 85 points – buyers will remember Cristiano Ronaldo’s dismissal fondly. Spread bettors may elect to wait until after kick-off for an in-play spread bet, once they’ve seen how the officials will handle this potentially explosive derby.

Carlo Ancelotti has adapted to life in England extremely well and still has an impressive 100% record in the league. Those spread bettors to have bought Chelsea’s outright Championship index will have been encouraged by the Blues’ fast start. Their current spread is set at 45-48pts with Sporting Index.

Sunday sees Chelsea take on a Tottenham side who will be looking for a quick return to winning ways after their home defeat to Manchester United. Spread buyers of the supremacy market should note Chelsea’s formidable home record against the Lilywhites and bear in mind that Spurs haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 1990, although sellers of the spread will remember that Tottenham managed a 1-1 draw last season. Those with an interest in the total goals spread may be aware that the two fixtures last year only produced three goals but jubilant spread buyers and shocked traders will have contrasting memories of the 4-4 classic in 2008. Sellers should also be aware that Tottenham have only managed to net on two occasions at the Bridge in the league during the last four years.

It is almost the same old….. same old…..in the Premier League this season, but with one notable exception missing from the top four so far. That team is obviously Liverpool, but they are hanging in there in fifth spot and have Spurs and Arsenal in 4th and 3rd respectively well in their sights.
That said many are saying that the Premier League has already been won this season with no team seemingly capable of catching Chelsea at the top of the table and that the main interest will lieu in the battle immediately behind them.
It has to be said that Chelsea have been ultra consistent so this season where it is becoming unimportant whether they will win or not but more so by how many. They have already netted 36 times this season and conceded a paltry 8, with only 1 goal conceded at Stamford Bridge in 7 matches played.
Much of this improvement has to be down to new boss, Carlos Ancelotti who has picked up the baton handed to him by Guus Hiddinck and has improved the side even more, without it has to be said spending any money this season. Chelsea’s latest results speaks volumes about the form that they are in and why it would be difficult not to back them to regain the Premier League title. It is more than a daunting run and it is why Chelsea get 10/10 for their performances so far this season.
Man Utd winners of the Premier League for the last three seasons and with eleven wins overall are leading the chasing pack, but even they have slipped five points behind with just over a third of the season gone where they have already lost one of their two matches against Chelsea.
Yes it is true that United have lost the invaluable services of the world’s most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo and they miss, Carlos Tevez more than they would care to admit to. Nonetheless, they have Wayne Rooney proving himself as one of the great players of modern times but it is his partnership with Dimitar Berbatov that just has not struck gold as yet and they could struggle on all fronts if it completely fails.
United get a 7/10 so far for their efforts this season.
We all know that Arsenal play the prettiest football these days, they have long since moved off their unwelcome nickname ‘Boring Arsenal’ of the past and produce some of the most talked about football anywhere in Europe. However, it is when they come up against the big boys when they are left wanting and their most recent game against Chelsea, where they were crushed 3-0 at home sums up their chances of winning the Premier League for the first time since the 2003/4 season.
Arsenal are also guilty of dropping points against teams that they really should not. The defeat at Sunderland was the latest of these, should they continue then it could be them and not Spurs who will have Liverpool climbing all over them by the end of the season.
Arsenal get 10/10 for entertainment but only 6/10 for the overall improvement.
Perhaps the biggest surprise so far is the progress of Spurs under Harry Redknapp. They have held out in the top four all season so far and will be beginning to think that they can make Champions League qualification for the first time next season.
The ‘Glory Glory’ days are not quite back at White Hart Lane, but they are showing huge improvement since Redknapp took them on. They have an excellent squad of players where very importantly contains several proven goals scorers at this level. They have scored 33 times so far this season, with Jermaine Defoe currently the League’s equal leading scorer so far with a third of them.
Spurs are worth 8/10 for their efforts so far this season.
Liverpool, have had a miserable time of it so far this season. They have struggled for consistency in the League and have already been eliminated from the Champions League. Their two star players, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have been in and out of the side due to niggling injuries which has cost the ‘Red’ the foundation for consistency.
Perhaps being knocked out of the Champions League will do them good, at least they can concentrate their efforts in one direction only. They only have two teams to catch to gain a coveted top four spot and we all know how good they can be when the whole team is firing.
They are only worthy of a mark of 5/10 for efforts so far this season.
If the second half of the 2009/10 Premier League season is anywhere near as exciting as the first half then football fans are in for an exciting five months.

Last year’s campaign was one of the most enthralling and competitive seasons for a few years. Man Utd eventually won the title by 6 points with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal making up the top quartet. Will this year be as interesting? My guess is without a doubt, yes. Teams have strengthened again this year but with some real quality signings, not just cheap foreign imports but players with pedigree and potential such as Liverpool’s Fernando Torres and Chelsea’s Florent Malouda. This piece will run you through the major players for the coveted title (with a few surprise inclusions) and the teams who may have to fight tooth and nail to stay up.

Manchester United – 5/4

Where better to start than with last seasons Champions. Sir Alex has been relatively busy in the transfer window this year with England midfielder Owen Hargreaves being the major signing. He is a player who will do all the leg work in the team, tracking back and protecting his defenders. This will allow Scholes, Carrick and the more centrally located Giggs to maraud forward and to add to an already impressive attack. Two fairly unknown quantities are the youngsters from Sporting and Porto, Nani and Anderson. These have cost Utd a combined fee somewhere in the region of £25m-£35m, so they must have a lot of potential. Utd assistant Carlos Quiroz will have no doubt watched these players on many occasions to splash out the sorts of figures that have been banded around. They are both attacking midfielders and although they may not be an instant hit, they may warm up to the Premierships fast pace and then take the league by storm ala Cristiano Ronaldo. Overall Man Utd have a huge chance of retaining their title, providing the main two players Rooney and Ronaldo have another relatively injury free campaign. This for me is my main concern. They are by no means a one man band but lets face it, the two R’s made all the difference for Utd last season.

Liverpool – 6/1

It is probably best to start with saying that Liverpool are one of my strong fancies for a good title challenge this season, although 6/1 isn’t massive – it is still a bet that I will be placing. Liverpool have made plenty of signings so far and quality ones at that. We all know Torres’ pedigree and is potentially a special player. He literally carried Althletico Madrid for several seasons, taking the captains armband aged just 19. Ryan Babel is another quality signing. Anyone who saw this lad in the U21’s European Championship knows what he can do, we mustn’t forget that he also has 14 full international caps, netting 4 times. Benayoun and Ukrainian Vornin seem to have settled in well too, especially the latter, he has been named LFC man of the match twice out of his three pre season friendly appearances scoring twice. I think what is more important than the signings is the hunger shown by all of the players. They have been quoted as saying how important the opening weeks of the season are. This is where Liverpool have slipped up recently. The Premiership cannot be won in the first 10 fixtures but it can be lost. In summary – Liverpool are a good bet at better odds than Man Utd and Chelsea, with for me – similar potential.

Chelsea – 13/8

Jose Mourinho is never one to shy away from the media spotlight, even when the team is in L.A on their pre season tour he still manages to put his two penneth in. He recently said that all of the pressure is on Man Utd and Liverpool this season as they have been the “spending clubs”. While this may be true I do not whole heartedly agree. Chelsea have the reputation of being up there with the “world’s elite” and rightly so – after winning back to back League titles, but last season they lost their title and got knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage yet again. Make no mistake they are under pressure too. The addition of Frenchman Florent Malouda will certainly help their cause, especially if Robben does leave “the bridge”. Ex Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell has also been added to the squad, although I fail to see where he will fit in with Lampard, Ballack, Essien and Makele. Chelsea will be chomping at the bit to regain their title and this is what makes them so dangerous. Obviously they too have an excellent chance of regaining it and it will be up to the rest to stop them.

Arsenal – 9/1

Not many peoples fancy this season, but this can be such a huge advantage for the Gunners. After losing Henry and Ljungberg, many people have written of their chances of winning the league – this can be dangerous. Arsenal will be playing with little pressure this season, they have been quoted as being in a “transitional period” which will only push them on to be stronger and pressure free. Croatian International new boy Da Silva may or may not work out, but one man who will step up and be counted for is Van Persie. He was missing for a lot of the season last year and will be looking to make amends. He will be first choice up front in my opinion and is one for your Fantasy Football teams. The young players at Arsenal had a good shot in the first team last year with all of the injuries – this too is an advantage for the Gunners. Whilst they do have a chance at winning the league, I feel they MAY fall short. The squad is very thin with not too many new signings, an injury to Gilberto or Fabregas could be detrimental to their challenge.

Tottenham – 100/1

Spurs will not win the Premiership this season, BUT they are a cracking bet for “without the big 4” at 11/8. They have a very youthful and skilful squad, the addition of Darren Bent and Gareth Bale will be huge. Spurs’ weakest position for quite a while has been left back. Bale who has gone to Spurs with a big reputation will make this position his own and do very well. Dimitar Berbatov was awesome last year, his first season at Spurs and in the Premiership and he scored 25 goals in all competitions. That is truly outstanding, now he is in his second season you would expect him to be even better. For me, worth a good punt for 5th place betting and if they do make 4th or 3rd which is likely – you will still win.

The relegation battle is often more exciting than the actual title race, we’ve seen plenty of last day survival games recently. Wigan were very lucky not to be relegated to the Championship last season, instead the plucky Sheffield Utd took the drop. It may be different this year, Paul Jewell has now left the JJB and he will be missed more so than if Heskey, Baines and Scharner were all to leave. He has proven in the past he is an excellent manager and you have to wonder whether Chris Hutchings can keep them up. At 5/4 to be relegated you’d have to be mad not to back it. Derby have to be an obvious choice to go back down, I can not see them having the ability or the squad to stay up, however 1/2 is hardly a price to be jumped upon. The final relegation place isn’t so simple. It would have to be a toss up between Fulham (2/1) and Birmingham (5/6), only a minor preference for the former

As we come up to the busy christmas period in the English Premiership, there are once again probably only four teams with a realistic chance of becoming champions Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Arsenal

Although Aresnal have made a fantastic start to the season i worry about their strength in depth and have serious doubts whether they have enough quality to maintain their title challenge. Players like Fabregas and Gallas are quality but the test will be when they have a bad patch and are faced with injury problems. Will they have enough to respond only time will tell but i have my doubts.

I actually think that Arsenal will finish Fourth this season. ( Fourth )

Manchester United

United defiantley have the strength in debt and have already resonded well after a shaky start. Rooney and Ronaldo are world class and with Vidic and Ferdinand are arguebly the best center back partnership in the premiership. Wayne Rooney is back banging in goals and Cristiano Ronaldo is beginning to hit form.

Manchester United have a great team and are my favorites to win the premiership. Initially i fancied Chelsea but since the sacking of Jose Mourinho i slightly favor United. ( Champions )

Liverpool

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will be hoping to lead Liverpool to Premiership glory this season but in reality i can’t see it happening this season . I am a Liverpool fan myself and would like nothing more than to be proven wrong but the fact is Liverpool are lacking defensively. Daniel Agger is quality but still young JC is a good defender but would struggle to get into Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea’s defence at center back. Sami hyypia is to old and with out a good defense you wont win the premiership.

Saying that with Steven Gerrard, Mascherano, Alonso etc i do believe Liverpool have the strongest centre midfield in the premiership and with the signing of F.Torres things are looking bright. ( Third )

Chelsea

I believe that Chelsea will finish runners up this season. My original favorites to comfortably win the premiership title the season will be haunted by the sacking of Jose Mourinho .

Avram Grant has made a great start to his managerial career at stamford bridge but he inherited a fantastic team from Jose Mourinho. He does how ever remain unproven as a manager at this level and its when things are going bad we will find out what he’s made of. Jose Mourinho had an absolute nightmare season last year in terms of injuries suspensions bad luck and still pushed Man Utd to the wire.

With players like Frank Lampard, John Terry and D. Drogba you will always be a force but can Avram Grant get the best out of them we will have to see. ( Runners Up )

Finally below are my final standings for the race to the premership title it should be intersting and very exciting……

Barclays Premier League : Final Standings

1. Man Utd.

2. Chelsea

3. Liverpool

4. Arsenal

Once again there are three English Clubs in the semi finals of the Champions League and all three have arrived playing some of the best football of their respective seasons. Under normal circumstances, bookmakers would make an English Club winning the Trophy an ‘odds on’ bet, but such is the talent of the Barcelona team, that they are finding it difficult to take them on, therefore, it is the Spaniards who are currently favourites to win the most prestigious trophy in European football.
Barcelona under coach, Josep Guardiola, have been breaking record after record this season. They have become a goal machine, scoring five times or more in nine matches and have broken the La Liga scoring record in the process with stillseveral games remaining in the season. If Guardiola is the inspiration off the pitch, then it is surely the brilliant Argentinian, Lionel Messi, who is the inspiration on it.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United might well be officially the best player in the world, but Messi is for many the unofficial version and will undoubtedly claim the crown from Ronaldo later in the year. Messi controls the tempo of the team and it appears that everything he touches turns to gold, whether it be shooting, passing, dribbling or just space making. There has not been one team this season who has found the answer to controlling him and if one is not found soon, then Barcelona may as well be given the trophy now and none of the remaining English sides will fancy facing him or his team mates, particularly Chelsea who face barca in the Semi Finals.
Chelsea will be the first of the English teams to take on them in the forthcoming semi final. They play the first leg at Nou Camp and Barcelona have already been installed as odds on favourites to win the leg. Chelsea however, under coach Gus Hiddink are a rejuvenated outfit, with a defence that on its day is second to none. They have players of the calibre of Michael Essien, who they will place on Messi in the same way as he was placed to great affect against Steven Gerard of Liverpool in the quarter final first leg at Anfield where they won convincingly 3-1.
If Essien can negate the threat of Messi then Chelsea will be in with a great chance to shock the footballing world, particularly as their key striker, Didier Drogba and key midfielder, Frank Lampard are back to their scoring best.
In the other tie, Manchester United will take on old rivals Arsenal in a two leg all English tie that quite frankly could go either way. United, barring a little glitch last month have been the most consistent and efficient team in the Premier League this season, while Arsenal, who have been injury hit have now got back most of their key players and are on a long run of 19 unbeaten games.
Whatever the outcomes of both matches, it is fair to say that the best four teams in Europe have all justified their presence and all are extremely capable. However, it looks like Barcelona will justify the faith of the Bookmakers and win the trophy for the third time in their history. However, with five fascinating games to go, including the final in Rome on 27th May their are sure to be plenty or twists and turns and excitement for the fans.

The Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A or La Liga? Every spread bettor will have their favourite but few will argue the Champions League is not king of the continent’s competitions. The intra-Europe power struggle moves on to match day two and Sporting Index spread punters are, as usual, spoilt for choice on where to test their wares.

Manchester United got off to a steady if not spectacular start with victory in Istanbul against Besiktas. Their likely contenders for winning Group B look like being Wolfsburg, and it is the German side who visit Old Trafford for the second round of games. Buyers of United’s win index spread will know that the German champions have made a mixed start to their domestic title defence, losing three on the spin before their Champions League victory over CSKA Moscow on match day one. Likewise, spread sellers of Erik Gerets’ side’s win index will remember the Jekyll and Hyde form that saw them lose seven and draw five of their 17 games on the road, but win 16 and draw only one at the Volkswagen Arena en route to their triumph. Buyers of their total goals spread will though be buoyed by the Brazilian striker Grafite bagging a hat-trick over the Muscovites. Furthermore, they were the 2008/9 Bundesliga top scorers and average 2.0 goals-per-game in all competitions so far this time out.

Former Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo has adapted well to life in Spain. He will be remembered fondly by spread bettors who frequently bought Ronaldo goal minutes when playing in England, and those that continue to take interest in his spread markets will doubtless be pleased by a return of four goals in his first three appearances for Real Madrid. Next on the fixture list for Galáctico Número Uno and his cohorts is a home game against Marseille. The last time these two sides met at the Bernabeu was in 2003 – in the middle of Florentino Pérez’s first transfer-record-smashing presidency – when an expensively assembled Los Blancos side, featuring the likes of Figo, Zidane and Beckham ran out 4-2 winners, thanks in part to a brace from a man named Ronaldo. Buyers of their goal index spread will be hoping for a similar scoreline and other spread punters looking at the individual player market will want the Portuguese to emulate his Brazilian namesake.

Like United and Madrid, Liverpool have also contested two European finals since the turn of the 21st Century and buyers of either English side’s outright Champions League spread will be hoping the run of Premier League teams appearing in the final – which dates back to the Anfield club’s 2005 triumph over AC Milan – can continue. If spread punters remember the Reds’ last gasp heroics that season it might well be so because they backed them in a similar market to Sporting Index’s Fat Lady special spread market which is offered for this game. Here events after the 80th minute are rewarded: corner = 3pts, goal = 15, yellow card = 5, red = 15. Late goals during the 2005 campaign in matches against Leverkusen and Olympiakos would have returned handsomely. Liverpool go up against another Italian side on match day two in the shape of Fiorentina. Spread buyers of Liverpool’s total goal minute supremacy will know that the Merseysiders netted 50 times over the course of their last two Champions League seasons at an average of nearly 2.3 a game. But they’ll have no doubt seen – as will sellers of the first match goal – that the Viola don’t concede many in their own back yard. Two one-nil wins opened this season and they had the second-best home defensive record in Serie A last term.

Droylsden will play against Stalybridge in the North Conference football match with Havant Waterlooville playing against Bishops Stortford in the South Conference England football match. The matches for Serie B and Serie C1 A will also play in Italy between Pisa vs. Rimini and Lecce vs. Pro Patria respectively.Sivaspor will play against Denizlispor in the Turkey Cup Group C match which will be held in Turkey. 2 matches for Group 3 Bahrain Cup will also take place on 12 January between Al Tadhmon vs. Al Muharraq and Isa Town vs. Al Hadd at 19:00 hours both. Pierikos will play against Agrotikos Asteras in the Second Division match in Greece as well. 2 matches for the Group A International Friendship Youth Tournament will also take place between Qatar U19 vs. Belarus U19 and Uzbekistan U19 vs. Malaysia U19 football teams. The Premier League match will be held in Israel between Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Tel Aviv and the last 2 matches to take place on this day are for Leumit League which will be held in Israel. They will be held between Hapoel Bnei Lod vs. Hapoel Raanana and Maccabi Herzeliya vs. Maccabi Irony Q. Ata.Several different football matches will play on Tuesday 13 January 2009, which include the League One match between Millwal and Swindon, Copa Italia Round of 16 to be played in Italy between Inter and Genoa and FA Cup Round 3 match in Scotland between St. Johnstone and Rangers (Sco). 2 more matches will take place for North Conference in England between Gainsborough vs. Hinckley and Hucknall vs. Alfreton Town. 5 more matches will take place in Iran for Football League. These matches will be held between Aboomoslem vs. Mes Krman, Bargh Shiraz vs. Moghavemat Sepasi, Esteghlal Ahvaz vs. Foolad Khozestan, Malavan vs. Pas and Peykan vs. Payam.The third day of the week will also see several football matches taking place between different football teams. The scheduled plan for Wednesday 14 January 2009 football matches are as follows: Round of 16 for Copa del Rey will take place in Spain between Almeria vs. Mallorca, Betis vs. Real Union, Deportivo La Coruna vs. Sevilla, Espanyol vs. Poli Ejido, Valencia vs. Racing Santander and Valladolid vs. Sporting Gijon. Round of 16 match for Sopa Italia will also be held in Italy between Juventus and Catania. 9 matches will be held in Turkey for A Lyga between Altay vs. Giresunspor, B. B. Gaziantep vs. Adanaspor, Boluspor vs. Ordurspor, Diyarbakirspor vs. Sakaryaspor, Karabukspor vs. Karsiyaka, Kasimpasa vs. Erciyesspor, Malatyaspor vs. Gungoren, Rizespor vs. Vestel Manisaspor and Samsunspor vs. Kartalspor. 4 more matches will take place in Iran for League football between Esteghal Tehran vs. Piroozi, Saba Batry vs. Damash, Saipa vs. Zob Ahan and Sepahan vs. Rah Ahan.

American football emerged from the European game of Rugby in 1879. Walter Camp, a player and coach of Yale University, is recognized as “The Father Of American Football” as the early rules of the game was instituted by him. However, previous to that, the students of Princeton were already playing a game called “Ballown”. It was about fisting the ball and then using their feet to advance the ball past their opponents. There were no hard and fast rules that applied and could be stated as the easiest form of football at it’s early times. However, the physical aspect of the game was immense and often it turned violent.

At Harvard too, a football-type game was being played on the first Monday of the school year. This game was so much physical that the day it was played was often mentioned as “Bloody Monday”. The year 1865 was very important for American Football. The Civil War had ended and football started gaining popularity in the colleges. It was in this year that some basic rules for the game were established and the game got its patent for the first time. Thus on 6th November, 1869 the first inter-collegiate football was played between Rutgers and Princeton where Rutgers won by a score of six goals to four.

In 1873, the Intercollegiate Football Association was formed by the representatives of Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale. Till then, the increasingly popular game was being played with many different rules. The association brought into effect the first set of rules of intercollegiate football which allowed fifteen players in each team. However, it was Walter Camp, a coach at Yale, who began the final process of evolution from rugby like game to what we know today as the American Football. The number of players was reduced to eleven and the standard size of the field was set to hundred and ten yards. A little later downs were introduced and tackling below the belt was legalized.

However, the violent physical challenge that the game demanded, caused many serious injuries and deaths in the next few years. As a result, though still gaining popularity, football was banned in many colleges. In 1905, under a directive from President Theodore Roosevelt, Yale, Harvard and Princeton setup a couple of meetings between schools and formed a seven member Rules Committee which was later came to be known as National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA.

American Football has now become a multi-billion dollar industry. With the advent of cable television, the game have crossed the boundaries of America and spread its wings all over the world. Dozens of games both collegiate ad professional are aired almost every Friday and Saturday afternoons and Sunday and Monday nights during the football season. The super Bowl, that decides the national champion, has become the most watched sporting event of all times. Plenty of merchandise and football products have taken the markets by storm. Quite a number of innovative products are often offered as token gifts and memorabilia. Even free American Football ecards can be found over the net . Some like 123greetings has an entire category dedicated to the game .

Thus from the humble past where football only meant throwing or kicking a ball past the opponents, American Football has emerged as a game which has influenced the culture and economy of the United States of America.