12th Man (football)

12th Man (football)

The 12th man or 12th player is a term for the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring instead to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured. 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 role in the game. In American football, the term was first used in an alumni publication of The University of Iowa in 1912 in reference to its fans. The term was first applied to an individual, E. King Gill in 1922 and has been used by various schools to refer individuals having a notable connection to their football team. In subsequent years, students at Texas A&M University adopted the term as their moniker and the school formally trademarked the term in 1990.

The presence of fans can have a profound impact on how the teams perform, an element in the home advantage. Namely, the home team fans would like to see their team win the game. Thus these fans will often create loud sounds or chant in hopes of distracting, demoralizing and confusing the opposing team while they have possession of the ball; or to persuade a referee to make a favorable decision. Noises are made by shouting, whistling, stomping and various other techniques. Sometimes, the sideline is also referred to as the "12th man" or "12th defender". Since a player is considered down when he steps out of bounds, the sideline effectively acts as an extra defender. This usage is less common than the one referring to the fans.