Association Football Terminology - W

W

• Wall: row of defensive players who line up 10 yards away from a free kick, covering a portion of the goal, with the intent making it more difficult for an attacking player to have a shot on goal direct from the free kick.
• Want-away: player who has made public their intentions to leave their current club.
• Webster ruling: 2006 court case which stipulated that players are able to unilaterally walk away from a contract after a fixed period, regardless of the duration of the contract itself. Named after Andy Webster. Compare Bosman ruling.
• Wing: area of the pitch that runs parallel to the sidelines.
• Winger: wide midfield player whose primary focus is to provide crosses into the penalty area. Alternatively known as a wide midfielder.
• Winter break: period between December and January in which competitive football is suspended and which cuts some national or continental seasons in half. Known as "year-end" or "summer break" in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Woodwork: common description of the posts and the crossbar, as in "the ball came back off the woodwork", meaning a shot at goal struck either the post or the crossbar and remained in play. The expression is still widely used even though goals are no longer made of wood.
• Work rate: the extent to which a player contributes to running and chasing in a match while not in possession of the ball. Sometimes spelt workrate or work-rate.
• World Cup: mostly associated with the men's FIFA World Cup. FIFA also organises the FIFA Women's World Cup, international tournaments for youth football (such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup), and also the FIFA Club World Cup.