12th man (football)

Common card · No. 297278

The 12th man or 12th player is a collective term for fans of sports teams in many eleven-a-side games, in particular association football. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team's fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful and significant role in the game. The presence of fans can have a notable impact on teams' performance, an element in the home advantage. Namely, the home team fans would vocally support and urge on their team to win the game. Thus, these fans will often create loud sounds or chant in the hope of encouraging their team, or of distracting, demoralizing, or confusing the opposing team while they have possession of the ball, or to persuade a referee to make a favorable decision for the team. Noises are made by shouting, singing, whistling, stomping, clapping, and various other techniques. In Canadian football, 12 players from each team are usually on the field at one time...

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