lexis4u: Football Fields

Thematic Vocabulary Unit Nº 257 v.0.5

Main Definitions

stadium |n| a large closed area of land with rows of seats around the sides and often with no roof which is used for sports events and musical performances.
"Thousand of football fans packed into the stadium to watch the match."
"Flags of all the participating countries are flying outside the stadium."
field / field of play / soccer field / pitch |UK|/ ground |UK| |n| a sports field and the seats and buildings around it, belonging to a particular football team.
"I met my friends inside the ground."
astro turf |n| a playing field made of artificial grass.
turf |n| a short reference to the artificial turf, a playing field made of synthetic or specially prepared grass.
all-seater stadium |n| a stadium which has individual seats, as opposed to stadiums which have benches.

attacking half |n| the half of the football field which contains the opposing team’s goal.
attacking third |n| the third of the field where a team tries to score; in football strategies and tactics, the playing field is divided into three: the defensive third, the midfield, and the attacking third.
channel (a) |n| the area near the touchline where fullbacks and wingers typically play.
channel (b) |n| the passing lane, the line that a ball takes during a pass.

center |n| the middle part of the football field that runs vertically.
center circle |n| the big circle on the middle most part of the football pitch.
center line |n| the horizontal line on the middle part of the football field.
center spot |n| the bold dot in the middle of the center circle, where the ball is placed during the kickoff of a soccer game.

6-yard line |n| alternate reference to the goal box, called such because it extends six years from the goal line.
90 |n| short reference to the part of the goal where the crossbar and goalposts intersect.
arc/arch |n| a curved line on top of the penalty box, a player fouled in this part of the football field will be awarded with a penalty kick; more appropriately called the “penalty arch”.
area chica |n| a Spanish slang for the six-yard box in front of the goal, known in English as the goal box.
attacking half |n| the half of the football field which contains the opposing team’s goal.
back door |n| an alternative term for the far post, the goal post furthest from the ball; if the ball is on the left side of the goal, the back door is the one on the right, vice versa.
bar |n| the horizontal bar which connects the two goalposts; also called the crossbar.
between the sticks |n| the area between the two goalposts; if a ball goes “between the sticks” it means a goal has been scored.
big box |n| alternate term for the penalty area, the big rectangular marking on the football pitch where the goalkeeper can handle the ball; also known as the penalty box.
box |n| a short term for the penalty box, the area where a goalkeeper can handle the ball
near post |n| the goalpost closest to the location of the ball; the near and far posts are always relative to the ball position.

penalty area |n| the big rectangular area at the end of each field where a goalkeeper can handle the ball legally: it measures 18 by 44 yards; also called the penalty box, 18-yard box, or box.
18-yard |n| the penalty box, called such because it extends 18 yards from the goal line; sometimes simply referred to as “18” or big box.
big box |n| a lternate term for the penalty area, the big rectangular marking on the football pitch where the goalkeeper can handle the ball; also known as the penalty box.
penalty arc |n| the half-circle at the top of the penalty area, an attacker fouled in this spot will be awarded with a penalty kick.

byline |n| the line between a goalpost and a corner flag.
touchline |n| the line at the side of the football field measuring 120 meters in professional standards; also called sideline.

technical area |n| the area inside beside the football field where coaches or managers are allowed to stand and shout instructions at their players.

capacity |n| the number of spectators a stadium can accommodate; currently, the biggest football stadium is Phelan May Day Stadium in North Korea with a capacity of 150,000.
training ground |n| a place where clubs do their training and practice games; clubs often have a separate ground for training only to avoid over-using and destroying the surface of their stadium pitch.

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