Sport in Derbyshire

Association football is more commonly known as football or soccer. This game is played between two teams of eleven players using spherical ball. Association football remains one of the most popular variants of football and is thought to be the most popular sport in the world. This game is conducted on a rectangular turf, be it real grass or artificial. At each short end, there is a goal centered on the line. The object of the game is to drive the ball into the goal of the opposing team. The goal keepers are the only players in the game that are allowed to use both hands and arms in order to block and propel the ball, the rest of the team are allowed to use other body parts but not hands or arms. The team that drives the ball into the goal the most times by the end of the match, wins the game. If the score is tied, there is a draw declared and the game goes into extra time or what's called a penalty shootout, dependant on the format of the competition. Laws of this game are governed internationally by the Federation Internationale de Football Association, known as FIFA. The most prestigious football game internationally is the FIFA World Cup, which is held every four years. Derby County Football Club is a professional football club that is based in Derby. The club is one of the twelve founding club member of the Football League that was founded in 1888, wich makes them one of only eleven clubs to have competed in every season of the English football league. This club was founded in 1884 by William Morely and is an offshoot of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club, it has succeeded in placing in all but four seasons in the top two divisions of the English football league. The club adopted it's black and white club colours in 1890 and named themselves ‘The Rams' as a tribute to The First Regiment of Derby Militia which used the ram as it's mascot and ‘The Derby Ram as it's regimental song. Currently this team calls the Pride Park Stadium in Pride Park, Derby, home and has called it home since 1997.

Derbyshire is also home to a cricket team that is based at the County Cricket Ground. Derbyshire County Cricket Club. They currently play in Division Two of the County Championship. Cricket is basically a bat and ball team sport. It was first documented as being played in Southern England sometime in the 16th century. As the 18th century was coming to a close, cricket had grown to the point that it had become the national sport of England. As the British Empire spread across the ocean, cricket too moved across the pond, in the 19th century, the first international matches were being held. The International Cricket Council currently has 104 member countries. The Laws of Cricket are the international rules of the game. These rules are maintained by the ICC and the MCC which holds the copyright. Cricket is played on a field specific to that game. At the center of this field is a pitch. The match pits two teams of eleven players against one another. One team bats, working to score as many runs as possible without being dismissed, while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the first team's batsmen, while also limiting the runs being scored. Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire.

This article was written by Tom Sangers on behalf of Derbyshire Country Cottages, a provider of holiday cottages in the Peak District and cottages in the Peak District.