What’s the basic difference between English football and American football?

In England, football and soccer are the same thing, whereas in America they are different. The basic difference is that in America the game of football allows all players to use their hands to hold the ball while the game is on, but in England (except for the "goalkeeper") the game of football only allows the use of feet, head, and other parts of the body, although the hands may be used in certain circumstances. Such cir circumstances are when you have a "throw-in", when the ball is "out of play", and when you are placing the ball in a certain position, to take a "free kick", or "a penalty". Of course, there is one player in each team, in the English game of football, who is allowed to use his hands at any time—that is, the "goalkeeper". The English game of football is called "soccer" by the Americans. The American game of football is rather like the English game of rugby, where all the players are allowed to use their hands both on the ball and on each other’s bodies, but it is important to recognise that American football is not the same game as English rugby.
    Looking more closely at the terminology used in English football, we may consider the terms I mentioned earlier, i.e., "goalkeeper", "throw-in", "out of play", "free kick", and "a penalty". A goalkeeper’s main job is to stop the ball going into the goal, which is also sometimes called "the net". Some goals have no nets, others do, and their purpose is to stop the ball, after it has gone into the goal. We also talk about "the goalmouth", which of course refers to the entrance to the goal. We also say that the goalkeeper is the man "in goal". Turning to the expression "a throw-in", this refers to a throw made by any player (except the goalkeeper), when the ball goes "out of play" at the side of the football pitch. The throw-in must be taken with the ball held high and behind the head of the person who is taking it. If your side kicks the ball out of play, then the throw in is taken by the other team; if, on the other hand, the ball is kicked out of play by the other side, then the throw in is taken by your team. The ball is said to be "out of play" also when it goes off either end of the pitch. Turning now to the two remaining expressions in our list, a "free kick" is given when a foul has been committed outside the box near the goal, and a "penalty" is given when a foul takes place within the box near the goal, an area which is called the penalty area. When a free kick is taken, players in the other team must stand at a set distance from the person who takes the kick, thus giving him an advantage. When a penalty is taken, the player who takes it has an uninterrupted shot at goal, with only the goalkeeper allowed to try and stop him scoring a goal. A foul is committed when too much bodily contact takes place between players, or when the ball, while it is in play, touches the hand of a player other than the goalkeeper.
    It was mentioned earlier that the Americans call this game soccer, and the English usually call it foot ball. However, sometimes it is called soccer in England (and, of course, in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland). Also, many other countries in the world call the game either football or soccer. But we can be fairly sure that if an American refers to "football", he is not referring to soccer. On the other hand, if an English per son refers to football, he or she will certainly be referring to soccer. And if an English person wants to talk about the American game of football, which is not soccer, they will call it "American football". To those who do not know the difference, the situation may sound somewhat complicated; but it is not complicated really, so it is unlikely that the different nationalities will change the names they use at the moment.