Uefa looks to rugby
A Football Focus report reveals that Uefa may take rugby's lead by allowing only captains to talk to referees

Packing the midfield: 4-5-1
This formation is good for keeping possession

The common 4-4-2
The 4-4-2 formation is the most common in British football.

The 4-4-1-1 formation
The deep-lying second striker allows a creative player more freedom to operate.

The attacking 4-3-3
If a manager needs a goal late on in a game then he may opt to move to three upfront.

The 5-3-2 system
This relies on the two wide players who operate as wing-backs.

Zonal vs man marking?
Why Liverpool favour marking zones rather than players

Top formations
All the tactics to use during a match

Why become a referee?
A Premiership official reveals the upside of taking charge

Know your offside?
All you need to unravel the offside laws

The role of the officials
The referee enforces the laws of the game

How to be a football referee
If you fancy being the man or woman in the middle, we've got all the info you need to get started.

Know your referee's signals?
A guide to all the signals from the man in the middle

Referee assistant signals
A guide to all the flag signals from the referee's assistant

Pitch dimensions
Find out the details on the sizes of a football pitch

The aim of football
The basic rules behind the beautiful game

Playing advantage
Why is play allowed to continue after a foul sometimes?

On the spot
What fouls make the ref award a penalty?

Direct free-kicks
When is a direct free-kick awarded?

Indirect free-kicks
Find out when an indirect free-kick is awarded.

When is a card red or yellow?
Find out the different fouls that make the ref get his cards out

Can players over-celebrate?
The rules on what a player can and can't do after scoring

What is 'deliberate' handball?
The official laws on handball

Who is in a team?
What are the specialist positions in a football team?

Goalkeeper
Everybody says you've got to be a bit crazy to wear the number one jersey.

Full-back
Football pundits say that good attacking football starts in the defence.

Wing-back
An attack-minded defensive position with lots of running.

Central defender
Being at the centre of defence puts you up against the opposition's centre forwards.

Sweeper
Their job is mainly to play behind the defence to add extra security and improve the passing out of defence.

Central midfield
Playing in the centre of midfield is crucial to a team's success.

Wide midfield
Energy and stamina are needed to get forawrd and also give cover to the full-backs.

Behind the striker
A player in the area between the opposition midfield and defence

Striker
There are all sorts of different characteristics that a good striker will have.

Test your offside knowledge
See if you know your offsides in football

Football equipment guide
Get kitted out for football with our equipment guide.