English For: Football
In my online English lessons, I help football fans, players and coaches talk about the game with confidence — from training sessions and tactics to match day chat with friends and colleagues. We keep it simple, natural and very British.
Useful Phrases and Idioms (Match Day & Training)
- Pre‑match: “What’s your prediction?” / “We need a strong start.”
- During the game: “Great build‑up play.” / “We’re dominating possession.”
- Post‑match: “Three points in the bag.” / “Unlucky — we were robbed!”
- Training: “Let’s work on first touch and pressing drills.”
- Polite fan chat: “Fair play to them.” / “You can’t argue with that finish.”
- Idioms: “Park the bus” (defend deeply) / “A game of two halves.”
Phrasal Verbs You’ll Use
- Warm up / cool down: prepare and recover. “We’ll warm up for ten minutes.”
- Kick off: start a match. “The match kicks off at 7:45.”
- Pass back / play out: move the ball from defence. “Play out from the back.”
- Mark up: defend a player closely. “Mark up at set pieces.”
- Send off: dismiss a player with a red card. “He was sent off for a late tackle.”
- Step up: increase effort/leadership. “We need the midfield to step up.”
Example Conversation (Fan Chat)
Alex: Did you watch the match last night?
Sam: Yeah — tense, wasn’t it? We were poor first half but stepped up after the break.
Alex: That goal was class. Their keeper had no chance.
Sam: Agreed. If we keep playing like that, we’ll finish top four.
Discussion Practice
- Give a 30‑second match summary using score, key moments and a simple opinion.
- Discuss one strength and one weakness of your favourite team.
- Explain a basic tactic: pressing, counter‑attack or set‑piece routine.
Mini Writing Tasks
- Write a short message inviting a friend to watch the game.
- Write three positive comments about your team after a win.
- Write a polite reply to a rival fan (keep it friendly!).
Vocabulary You’ll Hear
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Natural Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fixture | Scheduled match. | “Our next fixture is away on Saturday.” |
| Line‑up | Starting players and formation. | “The manager changed the line‑up.” |
| Set piece | Free kick, corner or throw‑in routine. | “We scored from a set piece.” |
| Offside | Rule about attacker positioning. | “The goal was ruled offside.” |
| Injury time / stoppage time | Extra minutes added at the end. | “They equalised in injury time.” |
| Clean sheet | No goals conceded. | “Two clean sheets in a row.” |
| Derby | Match between local rivals. | “It’s the big derby next weekend.” |
| Form | Recent results/performance. | “We’re in great form at the moment.” |
How I Teach This (and Why It Works)
In my lessons, we keep football English simple and fun — quick match summaries, polite fan chat, and clear explanations of tactics. You’ll sound natural with British fans, at five‑a‑side, or watching the Premier League with friends.
If you want to talk football more confidently, join my online English lessons with a native speaker. My English speaking course is practical and conversation‑focused. You can take English lessons online with a native speaker online, wherever you are.