Existing football stadiums in India with capacity more than 12000.#StadiumCapacityGame(s)CityStateHome Team

1Salt Lake Stadium120,000[1]Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalEast Bengal Club,Mohammedan SC,Mohun Bagan AC,Atltico de Kolkata,someChirag United Sports Clubmatches

2Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium70,000Cricket,Football (Soccer)KochiKeralaIndia cricket team(1998present)Chirag United Club Kerala(2011present)

3Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium60,000Athletics,Football (Soccer)DelhiDelhilocal football teams

4E.M.S. Stadium53,000[7]Football (Soccer)KozhikodeKeralalocal football teams

5Fatorda Stadium45,000Football (Soccer)MargaoGoaDempo Sports Club,Salgaocar Sports Club,Sporting Clube de Goa

6Chennai Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium40,000Football (Soccer)ChennaiTamil NaduIndian Bank Recreational Club,Chennaiyin F.C.

7Kanchenjunga Stadium40,000[7]Football (Soccer)SiliguriWest Bengallocal football teams

8JRD Tata Sports Complex40,000[7]Football (Soccer)JamshedpurJharkhandlocal football teams

9Patliputra Sports Complex40,000Football (Soccer)PatnaBiharlocal football teams

10Sree Kanteerava Stadium40,000Football (Soccer)BengaluruKarnatakaBengaluru FC

11Kalinga Stadium33,000Football (Soccer),Field HockeyBhubaneswarOdishaSamaleswari Sports Club,Kalinga Lancers

12Sree Kanteerava Stadium30,000[7]Athletics,Football (Soccer)BangaloreKarnatakaIndian Telephone Industries, athletics

13Khuman Lampak Main Stadium30,000[7]Football (Soccer)ImphalManipurlocal football teams and athletics

14Guru Nanak Stadium30,000Football (Soccer)LudhianaPunjabJCT FC

15Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium30,000[13]Athletics,Football (Soccer)GuwahatiAssamNorthEast United FC,local football teams and athletics

16Dadaji Kondadev Stadium30,000[7]Football (Soccer)ThaneMaharashtralocal football teams

17Malappuram District Sports Complex & Football AcademyStadium28,000[14]Football (Soccer)MalappuramKeralaFederation Cup2014 venue, Local football teams

18Paljor Stadium25,000Football (Soccer)GangtokSikkimUnited Sikkim F.C.

19East Bengal Ground23,500Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalEast Bengal

20Mohun Bagan Ground22,000Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalMohun Bagan

21Guru Gobind Singh Stadium22,000Football (Soccer)JalandharPunjablocal football teams

22Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium22,000Football (Soccer)SilcharAssamlocal football team

23Barasat Stadium22,000Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalCalcutta Football Leaguematches

24Mangala Stadium20,000Football (Soccer)MangaloreKarnatakaMangalore United

25Rajiv Gandhi Stadium Mualpui20,000Athletics,Football AizawlMizoramathletics, local football team

26Ambedkar Stadium20,000Football (Soccer)DelhiIndiaONGC Football Club

27Anna Stadium20,000Football (Soccer),HockeyTiruchirappalliTami Nadu

28Rabindra Sarobar Stadium18,000Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalTollygunge Agragami

29Bangalore Football Stadium15,000Football (Soccer)BangaloreKarnatakalocal football teams

30Ravi Shankar Shukla Stadium15,000Football (Soccer)JabalpurMadhya Pradeshlocal football teams

31Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium15,000Football (Soccer)ThrissurKeralalocal football team

32Mohammedan Sporting Ground15,000Football (Soccer)KolkataWest BengalMohammedan Sporting Club

33Kishore Bharati Krirangan(Jadavpur Stadium)12,000Football (Soccer)KolkataWest Bengallocal football teams

34Tilak Maidan Stadium12,000Football (Soccer)Vasco da GamaGoalocal football team

35Tau Devi Lal Stadium12,000(Football), 7,000(Cricket)Cricket,Football (Soccer)GurgaonHaryanaHaryana cricket team,Amity United Football Club

1.Salt Lake StadiumorYuva Bharati Kriranganis a multi-purposestadiuminBidhannagar,Kolkata,West Bengal. It is the largest stadium inIndia, also hosts different kinds of cultural programs such as dance andmusic concerts.and thesecond-largest stadium in the worldby capacity. The record attendance of 131,000was set in 1997 in a match betweenEast Bengal FCandMohun Bagan AC.The stadium is situated approximately 10km to the east of theKolkatadowntown. The roof is made of metal tubes andaluminumsheets andconcrete. The stadium covers an area of 76.40 acres (309,200m2) and it was inaugurated in January, 1984.The stadium also hosts important athletic events. It has hosted theSAF Gamesin 1987 and various national athletics events in India. The stadium also hosts different kinds of cultural programs such as dance andmusic concerts.

A modernstadium(pluralstadiums/stadia[1]) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoorsports,concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.[2]Pausaniasnoted that for about half a century the only event at the ancient Greek Olympic festival was the race that comprised one length of the stade atOlympia, where the word "stadium" originated.[3]

Computer imaging of the proposed new multi-purpose stadium at Baku in AzerbaijanHistoryThe oldest known stadium is the one inOlympia, in the westernPeloponnese,Greece, where theOlympic Gamesof antiquity were held from 776 BC. Initially 'the Games' consisted of asingle event, a sprint along the length of the stadium. Thestadion, a measure of length, may be related to the "Stadium", but the track at theStadium at Olympiais longer than the conventionalstadion. Greek and Roman stadiums have been found in numerous ancient cities, perhaps the most famous being theStadium of Domitian, inRome.The excavated and refurbished ancientPanathenaic stadiumhosted an early version of the Olympic Games in 1870,[4]1875, 1896 and 1906. The excavation and refurbishment of the stadium was part of the legacy of the Greek national benefactorEvangelos Zappas, and it was the first ancient stadium to be used in modern times.Modern stadia

Chelsea'sStamford Bridge stadiumin 1909.The first stadia to be built in the modern era were basic facilities, designed for the single purpose of fitting as many spectators in as possible. With tremendous growth in the popularity of organised sport in the lateVictorian era, especiallyfootballin the United Kingdom andbaseballin the U.S., the first such structures were built.[5]One such early stadium was theLansdowne Road Stadium, the brainchild of Henry Wallace Doveton Dunlop (1844 -1930), who organised the first All IrelandAthleticsChampionships. Banned from locating sporting events at Trinity College, Dunlop built the stadium in 1872. "I laid down a cinder running path of a quarter-mile, laid down the present Lansdowne Tennis Club ground with my own theodolite, started a Lansdowne archery club, a Lansdowne cricket club, and last, but not least, theLansdowne Rugby Football Club- colours red, black and yellow." Some 300 cartloads of soil from a trench beneath the railway were used to raise the ground, allowing Dunlop to utilise his engineering expertise to create a pitch envied around Ireland.Other early stadia from this period in the UK include theStamford Bridge stadium(opened in 1877 for theLondon Athletic Club) andAnfield stadium(1884 as a venue forEverton F.C.).In the U.S., many professional baseball teams builtlarge stadia mainly out of wood, with the first such venue being theSouth End GroundsinBoston, opened in 1871 for the team then known as the Boston Beaneaters (now theAtlanta Braves). However, many of these parks caught fire, and even those that did not burn proved inadequate for a growing game. All of the 19th-century wooden parks were replaced, some after only a few years, and none survive today.Goodison Parkwas the first purpose-built football stadium in the world.Walton-based building firm Kelly brothers were instructed to erect two uncovered stands that could each accommodate 4,000 spectators. A third covered stand accommodating 3,000 spectators was also requested.[6]Everton officials were impressed with the builder's workmanship and agreed two further contracts: exterior hoardings were constructed at a cost of 150 and 12turnstileswere installed at a cost of 7 each.[7]The stadium was officially opened on 24 August 1892 by Lord Kinnaird and Frederick Wall of the Football Association. No football was played; instead the 12,000 crowd watched a shortathleticsevent followed by music and a fireworks display.[6]Upon its completion the stadium was the first joint purpose-built football stadium in the world.[8]

TheWhite City Stadiumduring the1908 Summer Olympics.The architectArchibald Leitchbrought his experience with the construction of industrial buildings to bear on the design of functional stadiums up and down the country. His work encompassed the first 40 years of the 20th century. One of his most notable designs wasOld TraffordinManchester. The ground was originally designed with a capacity of 100,000 spectators and featured seating in the south stand under cover, while the remaining three stands were left as terraces and uncovered.[9]It was the first stadium to feature continuous seating along the contours of the stadium.[5]These early venues, originally designed to host football matches, were adopted for use by theOlympic Games, the first one being held in 1896 inAthens,Greece. TheWhite City Stadium, built for the1908 Summer OlympicsinLondonis often cited as the first modern seater stadium. Designed by the engineerJ.J. Websterand completed in 10 months byGeorge Wimpey,[10]on the site of theFranco-British Exhibition, this stadium with a seating capacity of 68,000 was opened byKing Edward VIIon 27 April 1908.[11]Upon completion, the stadium had a running track 24ft wide (7.3m) and three laps to the mile (536 m); outside there was a 35-foot-wide (11m), 660-yard (600m) cycle track. The infield included a swimming and diving pool. TheLondon Highbury Stadium, built in 1913, was the first stadium in the UK to feature a two-tiered seating arrangement when it was redesigned in theArt Decostyle in 1936.[5]However, two- and three-tiered stadiums had been the standard in the US for several decades prior to 1936. The first two-tiered stadium in that country was theBaker Bowl, a baseball park inPhiladelphiathat opened in 1895. The first three-tiered stadium came in 1923 with the opening of theoriginal Yankee StadiuminNew York City.The ancient stadiumHippodrome; stadium; circusThe Greekhippodromewas the basic model for both the Roman stadium and the Romancircus. A hippodrome and a stadium may be of similar size, while the largest circus structures can have seating capacities up to ten times greater. In practice, however, the association of one of these three words with a given structure may be more the result of some naming convention than a reflection of any characteristic of its physical size or structure. Indeed from one epoch to another the same structure many be known by different names. For example theStadium of Domitianwas also known as the Circus Agonalis. In another example a structure at Aphrodisias can be found referred to as astadium, or ahippodrome, while it has the size and structure of a small circus.Examples of ancient stadiums[edit]NameCountryEarliest dateTrack lengthTrack width

Stadium at OlympiaGreece776 BC212.54m (697.3ft)28.5m (94ft)

Stadium at DelphiGreece500 BC177m (581ft)25.5m (84ft)

Stadium of DomitianItaly80 AD200m (660ft) - 250m (820ft) (estimated)

Stadium at AphrodisiasTurkey225m (738ft) (approx.)30m (98ft) (approx.)

The modern stadium

Wembley StadiuminLondon,England

TheVeltins-ArenainGelsenkirchen,Germanyis an example of a stadium with a retractable roof and a retractable pitch

Journalist Mario Filho Stadium, popularly known as Maracan, one of the most famous stadiums in the world.TypesDomedstadiums are distinguished from conventional stadiums by their enclosing roofs. Many of these are not actually domes in the pure architectural sense, some being better described asvaults, some havingtruss-supported roofs and others having more exotic designs such as atensegrity structure. But, in the context of sports stadiums, the term "dome" has become standard for all covered stadiums,[12]particularly because the first such enclosed stadium, theHouston Astrodome, was built with an actual dome-shaped roof. Some stadiums have partial roofs, and a few have even been designed to have moveable fields as part of the infrastructure. TheMercedes-Benz SuperdomeinNew Orleansis a true dome structure made of a lamellar multi-ringed frame and has a diameter of 680 feet (210) m. It is the largest fixed domed structure in the world.[6]Even though enclosed, dome stadiums are calledstadiumsbecause they are large enough for, and designed for, what are generally considered to be outdoor sports such as athletics,American football,association football,rugby, andbaseball. Those designed for what are usually indoor sports like basketball, ice hockey and volleyball are generally calledarenas. Exceptions include thebasketballarenaatDuke University, which is calledCameron Indoor Stadium,Red Bull Arena, which is home of theNew York Red BullsofMLS, and the now-demolishedChicago Stadium, former home of theChicago Blackhawksof theNHLandChicago Bullsof theNBA.Design issuesDifferent sports require fields of different size and shape. Some stadiums are designed primarily for a single sport while others can accommodate different events, particularly ones withretractable seating. Stadiums built specifically forassociation footballare quite common inEurope; however,Gaelic gamesstadiums (such as the incompleteCroke Park) would be most common inIreland, while ones built specifically forbaseballorAmerican footballare common in theUnited States. The most commonmultiple use designcombines a football pitch with arunning track, a combination which generally works fairly well, although certain compromises must be made. The major drawback is that the stands are necessarily set back a good distance from the pitch, especially at the ends of the pitch. In the case of some smaller stadiums, there are not stands at the ends. When there are stands all the way around, the stadium takes on an oval shape. When one end is open, the stadium has a horseshoe shape. All three configurations (open, oval and horseshoe) are common, especially in the case of American college football stadiums. Rectangular stadiums are more common in Europe, especially for football where many stadiums have four often distinct and very different stands on the four sides of the stadium. These are often all of different sizes and designs and have been erected at different periods in the stadium's history. The vastly differing character of European football stadiums has led to the growing hobby ofground hoppingwhere spectators make a journey to visit the stadium for itself rather than for the event held there. In recent years the trend of building completely new oval stadiums in Europe has led to traditionalists criticising the designs as bland and lacking in the character of the old stadiums they replace.In North America, where baseball and American football are the two most popular outdoor spectator sports, a number of football/baseballmulti-use stadiumswere built, especially during the 1960s, and some of them were successful.However, since the requirements for baseball and football are significantly different, the trend, beginning withKansas City in 19721973and accelerating in the 1990s, has been toward the construction of single-purpose stadiums. In several cases, an American football stadium has been constructed adjacent to abaseball park, to allow for the sharing of mutual parking lots and other amenities. With the rise ofMLS, the construction ofsoccer-specific stadiumshas also increased since the late 1990s to better fit the needs of that sport. In many cases, earlier baseball stadiums were constructed to fit into a particular land area or city block. This resulted in asymmetrical dimensions for many baseball fields.Yankee Stadium, for example, was built on a triangular city block inThe Bronx,New York City. This resulted in a large left field dimension but a small right field dimension.Before more modern football stadiums were built in the United States, many baseball parks, includingFenway Park, thePolo Grounds,Wrigley Field,Comiskey Park,Tiger Stadium,Griffith Stadium,Milwaukee County Stadium,Shibe Park,Forbes Field,Yankee Stadium, andSportsman's Parkwere used by the National Football League or the American Football League. (To a certain extent, this continues in lower football leagues as well, withTD Ameritrade Parkbeing used as the home stadium of the United Football League'sOmaha Nighthawks.) Along with today's single use stadiums is the trend for retro style ballparks closer to downtown areas.Oriole Park at Camden Yardswas the first such ballpark forMajor League Baseballto be built, using early-20th-century styling with 21st-century amenities.There is a solar-powered stadium in Taiwan that produces as much energy as it needs to function.[13]Stadium designers often study acoustics to increase noise caused by fans' voices, aiming to create a lively atmosphere.[14]Spectator areas and seating

Camp NouinBarcelona,Spainis the largest stadium in Europe.An"all-seater" stadiumhas seats for all spectators. Other stadiums are designed so that all or some spectators stand to view the event. The term "all-seater" is not common in the U.S., perhaps because very few American stadiums have sizeable standing-only sections. Poor stadium design has contributed to disasters, such as theHillsborough disasterand theHeysel Stadium disaster. Since these, allFA Premier League,UEFAandFIFA World Cup qualifying matchesrequire all spectators to be seated (though not necessarily in an all-seater stadium, if terraces are left empty).The spectator areas of a stadium may be referred to asbleachers, especially in the U.S., or asterraces, especially in the United Kingdom, but also in some American baseball parks, as an alternative to the termtier. Originally set out for standing room only, they are now usually equipped with seating. Either way, the term originates from the step-like rows which resembleagricultural terraces. Related, but not precisely the same, is the use of the wordterraceto describe a sloping portion of the outfield in a baseball park, possibly, but not necessarily for seating, but for practical or decorative purposes. The most famous of these was atCrosley FieldinCincinnati, Ohio.Many stadiums make luxury suites or boxes available to patrons at high prices. These suites can accommodate fewer than 10 spectators or upwards of 30 depending on the venue. Luxury suites at events such as theSuper Bowlcan cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.Political and economic issues[

Empire Field, stadium made with temporary structures, cheaper than permanent.Modern stadiums, especially the largest among them, aremegaprojectsthat can only be afforded by the largest corporations, wealthiest individuals, or government. Sports fans have a deep emotional attachment to their teams. In North America, with its closed-league "franchise" system, there are fewer teams than cities which would like them. This creates tremendousbargaining powerfor the owners of teams, whereby owners can threaten to relocate teams to other cities unless governments subsidize the construction of new facilities.[15]In Europe and Latin America, where there are multiple association football clubs in any given city, and several leagues in each country, no such monopoly power exists, and stadiums are build primarily with private money. Outside of professional sports, governments are also involved through the intense competition for the right to host major sporting events, primarily theSummer Olympicsand theFIFA World Cup(of association football), during which cities often pledge to build new stadiums on order to satisfy theInternational Olympic Committee(IOC) orFIFA.Corporate naming[

PGE ArenainGdask,Polandis an example of corporate naming.In recent decades, to help take the burden of the massive expense of building and maintaining a stadium, manyAmericanandEuropeansports teams have sold the rights to the name of the facility. This trend, which began in the 1970s, but accelerated greatly in the 1990s, has led to sponsors' names being affixed to both established stadiums and new ones. In some cases, the corporate name replaces (with varying degrees of success) the name by which the venue has been known for many years. But many of the more recently built stadiums, like theVolkswagen ArenainWolfsburg,Germany, have never been known by a non-corporate name. The sponsorship phenomenon has since spread worldwide. There remain a few municipally owned stadiums, which are often known by a name that is significant to their area (for example,Minneapolis'Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome). In recent years, some government-owned stadiums have also been subject to naming-rights agreements, with some or all of the revenue often going to the team(s) that play there.One consequence of corporate naming has been an increase in stadium name changes, when the namesake corporation changes its name, or if it is the naming agreement simply expires. Phoenix'sChase Field, for example, was previously known as Bank One Ballpark, but was renamed to reflect the takeover of the latter corporation. San Francisco's historicCandlestick Parkwas renamed as3Com Parkfor several years, but the name was dropped when the sponsorship agreement expired, and it was another two years before the new name ofMonster Cable Products' Monster Park was applied. Local opposition to the corporate naming of that particular stadium led San Francisco's city council to permanently restore the Candlestick Park name once the Monster contract expired. More recently, inIreland, there has been huge opposition to the renaming ofDublin's historicLansdowne Roadas theAviva Stadium. Lansdowne was redeveloped as the Aviva, opening in May 2010.On the other hand,Los Angeles'Great Western Forum, one of the earliest examples of corporate renaming, retained its name for many years, even after the namesake bank no longer existed, the corporate name being dropped only after the building later changed ownership. This practice has typically been less common in countries outside the United States. A notable exception is theNippon Professional Baseballleague of Japan, in which many of the teams are themselves named after their parent corporations. Also, many new European football stadiums, such as theReebokandEmirates Stadiumsin England andSignal Iduna ParkandAllianz Arenain Germany have been corporately named.This new trend in corporate naming (or renaming) is distinguishable from names of some older venues, such asCrosley Field,Wrigley Field, andthe firstandsecond Busch Stadiums, in that the parks were named by and for the club's owner, which also happened to be the name of the company owned by those clubowners. (The currentBusch Stadiumreceived its name via a modern naming rights agreement.) SkyDome inToronto,Canadawas renamedRogers Centrein 2005, removing any reference that it is a domed stadium.During the2006 FIFA World Cupin Germany, some stadiums were temporarily renamed becauseFIFAprohibits sponsorship of stadiums. For example, theAllianz ArenainMunichwas called theFIFA World Cup Stadium, Munichduring the tournament. Likewise, the same stadium will be known as the "Mnchen Arena" during the European Competitions. Similar rules affect theImtech ArenaandVeltins-Arena. This rule applies even if the stadium sponsor is an official FIFA sponsorthe Johannesburg stadium commercially known as "Coca-Cola Park", bearing the name ofone of FIFA's major sponsors, was known by its historic name ofEllis Park Stadiumduring the2010 FIFA World Cup. Corporate names are also temporarily replaced during theOlympics.Music venues

AQueenconcert in Drammen, Norway in 1982, showing the scale and lighting of an arena rock concertFrom the 1960s stadiums began to be used as live music venues, giving rise to the term "stadium rock", particularly for forms ofhard rockandprogressive rock. The origins of stadium rock are sometimes dated to whenThe BeatlesplayedShea Stadiumin New York in 1965. Also important was the use of large stadiums for American tours by bands in the later 1960s, such asThe Rolling Stones,Grand Funk RailroadandLed Zeppelin. The tendency developed in the mid-1970s as the increased power of amplification and sound systems allowed the use of larger and larger venues.[16]Smoke, fireworks and sophisticated lighting shows became staples of arena rock performances.[17]Key acts from this era includedJourney,REO Speedwagon,Boston,Foreigner,Styx,[18]Kiss,Peter Frampton[19]andQueen.[20][21]In the 1980s arena rock became dominated byglam metalbands, following the lead ofAerosmith[22]and includingMtley Cre,Quiet Riot,W.A.S.P.andRatt.[23]Since the 1980s pop and folk stars includingMadonna,Britney Spears,Lepa Brena,Taylor SwiftandLady Gagahave undertaken large-scale stadium based tours.[

Football GroundAfootball pitch(also known as afootball field[1]orsoccer field) is the playing surface for the game of football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of theLaws of the Game, "The Field of Play".[2]All line markings on thepitchform part of the area which they define. For example, a ball on or above thetouchlineis still on the field of play; a ball on the line of the goal area is in the goal area; and a foul committed over the 16.5-metre (18-yard) line has occurred in thepenalty area. Therefore a ball must completely cross the touchline to be out of play, and a ball must wholly cross the goal line (between the goal posts) before a goal is scored; if any part of the ball is still on or above the line, the ball is still in play.The field descriptions that apply to adult matches are described below. Note that due to the original formulation of the Laws in England and the early supremacy of the four British football associations withinIFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed inimperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximatemetricequivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets),

Standard pitch measurements. Not all pitches are the same size, though the preferred size for many professional teams' stadiums is 105 by 68 metres (115yd 74yd) with an area of 7,140 square metres (1.76 acres).Old Traffordis this size, with other pitches' size a slight variation (Stamford Bridge,Santiago Bernabeu,La Bombonera)

but use of the imperial units remains common in some countries, especially in the United Kingdom.Pitch boundary

The Goal line at the Stretford End ofOld Traffordin Manchester (1992)The pitch is rectangular in shape. The longer sides are calledtouchlines. The other opposing sides are called the goal lines. The two goal lines must be between 45 and 90m (50 and 100yd) and be the same length.[3]The two touch lines must also be of the same length, and be between 90 and 120m (100 and 130yd) in length.[3]However, in international matches, the goal lines must be between 64 and 75m (70 and 80yd) long and the touchlines must be between 100 and 110m (110 and 120yd).[3]All lines must be equally wide, not to exceed 12 centimetres (5in).[3]The corners of the pitch are demarcated by corner flags.[4]In March 2008 theIFABattempted to standardise the size of the football pitch for international matches and set the official dimensions of a pitch to 105 m long by 68 m wide.[5]However, at a special meeting of the IFAB on 8 May 2008, it was ruled that this change would be put on hold pending a review and the proposed change has not been implemented.[6]Although the termgoal lineis often taken to mean only that part of the line between the goalposts, in fact it refers to the complete line at either end of the pitch, from one corner flag to the other. In contrast, the termbyline(orby-line) is often used to refer to that portion of the goal line outside the goalposts. This term is commonly used in football commentaries and match descriptions, such as this example from a BBC match report; "Udeze gets to the left byline and his looping cross is cleared..."[7]Goals

A football goalGoalsare placed at the centre of each goal-line.[8]These consist of two upright posts placed equidistant from the corner flagposts, joined at the top by a horizontal crossbar. The inner edges of the posts must be 7.32 metres (8yd) apart, and the lower edge of the crossbar must be 2.44 metres (8ft) above the ground.[9]Nets are usually placed behind the goal, though are not required by the Laws.Goalpostsandcrossbarsmust be white, and made of wood, metal or other approved material. Rules regarding the shape of goalposts and crossbars are somewhat more lenient, but they must conform to a shape that does not pose a threat to players. Since the beginning of the football there have always been goalposts, but the crossbar wasn't invented until 1875, where a string between the goalposts was used.[10]A goal is scored when the ball crosses the goal line between the goal-posts, even if a defending player last touched the ball before it crossed the goal line (seeown goal). A goal may, however, be ruled illegal (and void by the referee) if the player who scored or a member of his team commits an offence under any of the laws between the time the ball was previously out of play and the goal being scored. It is also deemed void if a player on the opposing team commits an offence before the ball has passed the line, as in the case of fouls being committed, a penalty awarded but the ball continued on a path that caused it to cross the goal line.History of football goals and netsFootball goals were first described in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In 1584 and 1602 respectively,John NordenandRichard Carewreferred to "goals" inCornish hurling. Carew described how goals were made: "they pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight or ten foote asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelue [twelve] score off, other twayne in like distance, which they terme their Goales".[11]The first reference toscoring a goalis inJohn Day's playThe Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green(performed circa 1600; published 1659). Similarly in a poem in 1613,Michael Draytonrefers to "when the Ball to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe". Solid crossbars were first introduced by theSheffield Rules. Football nets were invented byLiverpoolengineerJohn Brodiein 1891,[12]and they were a necessary help for discussions about whether there had been scored.[13]Penalty and goal areas

Thepenalty areais the large marked rectangular area. The smaller rectangle within it is thegoal area(here the yellow-shirted goalkeeper is the only player in the goal area). Thepenalty arcis the curved line adjoining the "top" of the penalty area (here the red-shirted referee is standing near the arc).Two rectangular boxes are marked out on the pitch in front of each goal.Thegoal area(colloquially the"six-yard box"), consists of the area formed by the goal-line, two lines starting on the goal-line 6 yards (5m) from the goalposts and extending 6 yards (5m) into the pitch from the goal-line, and a line joining these. Goal kicks and any free kick by the defending team may be taken from anywhere in this area. Indirect free kicks awarded to the attacking team within the goal area must be taken from the point on the line parallel to the goal line nearest where an incident occurred; they can not be taken further within the goal-area. Similarlydrop-ballsthat would otherwise occur in the goal area are taken on this line.Thepenalty area(colloquially"The 18-yard box"or just"The box") is similarly formed by the goal-line and lines extending from it, however its lines commence 18 yards (16m) from the goalposts and extend 18 yards (16m) into the field. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to denote where thegoalkeepermay handle the ball and where a foul by a defender, usually punished by a direct free kick, becomes punishable by apenalty kick. Both the goal and penalty area were formed as halfcircles until 1902.[14]Thepenalty mark(or "penalty spot") is 11 metres (12yd) in front of the very centre of the goal; this is the point from where penalty kicks are taken. Thepenalty arc(colloquially "the D") is marked from the outside edge of the penalty area, 9.15 metres (10yd) from the penalty mark; this, along with the penalty area, marks an exclusion zone for all players other than the attacking kicker and defending goalkeeper during a penalty kick.Other markingsThecentre circleis marked at 9.15 metres (10yd) from thecentre spot. Similar to the penalty arc, this indicates the minimum distance that opposing players must keep atkick-off; the ball itself is placed on thecentre spot.[14]Duringpenalty shootoutsall players other than the two goalkeepers and the current kicker are required to remain within this circle.Thehalf-way linedivides the pitch in two. The half which a team defends is commonly referred to as being their half. Players must be within their own half at a kick-off and may not be penalised as beingoffsidein their own half. The intersections between the half-way line and the touchline can be indicated with flags like those marking the corners the laws consider this as an optional feature.[4]The arcs in thecornersdenote the area (within 1 yard of the corner) in which the ball has to be placed for corner kicks; opposition players have to be 9.15m (10yd) away during a corner, and there may be optional lines off-pitch 10 yards away from the corner on the goal- and touch-lines to help gauge these distances.[8]Turf[

Grass is the normal surface of play, althoughartificial turfmay sometimes be used especially in locations where maintenance of grass may be difficult due to inclement weather. This may include areas where it is very wet, causing the grass to deteriorate rapidly; where it is very dry, causing the grass to die; and where the turf is under heavy use. Artificial turf pitches are also increasingly common on theScandinavian Peninsula, due to the amount of snow during the winter months. The strain put on grass pitches by the cold climate and subsequent snow clearing has necessitated the installation of artificial turf in the stadia of many top-tier clubs in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The latest artificial surfaces use rubber crumbs, as opposed to the previous system of sand infill. Some leagues and football associations have specifically prohibited artificial surfaces due to injury concerns and require teams' home stadia to have grass pitches. All artificial turf must be green and also meet the requirements specified in the FIFA Quality Concept for Football Turf.