12th man (football) 12th man (football) The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams in eleven-a-side sports games, particularly association football (soccer) or American 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 role in the game. Infrequently, the term has referred to individuals having a notable connection to their football team. In Canadian football, 12 players are usually on the field at one time and the term 13th man is
Foreign football players in Germany Foreign football players in Germany There are many foreign football players in the German professional football leagues. As of November 2009, there are 249 foreign players in the Bundesliga, resulting in a foreigner ratio of 45%. In the 2. Bundesliga, there are 145 foreign players - a ratio of 31%. In the 3. Liga, the foreigner ratio is 15%. For the 2006–07 season, the limits on foreign (non-EU) players were lifted, based on a decision of the German Football Association (DFB) and Deutsche Fußball Liga made on 21 December 2005. At the same time, the UEFA local player ruling was